1 Corinthians 3:1-23 - Doing God’s Work in Wisdom

1 Corinthians 3:1-23 

Carnal Sectarianism

1 And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. 2 I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; 3 for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men? 4 For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not carnal?

Watering, Working, Warning

5 Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? 6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. 7 So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. 8 Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor.

9 For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are God’s building. 10 According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. 11 For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 13 each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. 14 If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.

16 Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? 17 If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.

Worldly Wisdom

18 Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you seems to be wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their own craftiness”; 20 and again, “The LORD knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.” 21 Therefore let no one boast in men. For all things are yours: 22 whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas, or the world or life or death, or things present or things to come—all are yours. 23 And you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.

Doing the work of God requires humility in unity of the faith as well as work for the gospel of Jesus Christ according to godly wisdom found only in our position and standing in Him.  Worldly people following this sinful flesh vie for position and importance with influence over others but if we walk in the Spirit towards spiritual maturity and put these works to death then we are free to work God’s works instead.  Instead of jealousy, strife, and partisan alignments, we should be seeking the unity of the faith according to the word while not compromising the essential truths or seeking self importance.  This of course in not putting devotion to a single pastor or favorite writer of doctrine above any other who also speaks the truth.  Such partisanship is carnal according to this passage if we end up putting Christ second in the competition and comparisons of who we wholeheartedly follow. Remember to heed the instructions here to understand that each of us has a part to play in God’s work done through us as prepared (Ephesians 2:10) because we are the members of His body (Romans 12:4-8, Ephesians 4:11-13, 15-16) of whom we move in response to His direction as our head to proclaim the gospel and teach one another these truths of grace to live by.  We have been given the mind of Christ not to act in place of Him, but in concert under His direction with imparted understanding.  One plants seeds of the gospel in men and women, another waters that with further instruction for understanding, but it is always God who works in the hearts and souls for conviction and conversion to salvation.  We are His instruments and not the conductor of this work.  We should be about our Father’s business in proclamation of the Gospel and in following up with the watering of the seeds we have planted whenever possible, yet allowing others to water after us when needed as we trust God to work in the souls for the gift of faith to be imparted that they might be led to repentance and made a new creation (Galatians 2:20) by His work and not by attempting to force a conversion by our insistence for the hearers to pray a prayer without understanding and conviction for true salvation.  Our reward in heaven then is doing God’s work in God’s way and not to gain importance in the number of souls we allegedly save.  God has laid the foundation of Jesus Christ for us to build on and we labor together to teach new and maturing believers all things as the great commission tells us (Matthew 28:19-20) to do in His work prepared for us as the ambassadors and workers of the Kingdom of Heaven.  We ourselves and those we teach must be careful to follow the blueprint of scripture given to build wisely on this foundation with the Cornerstone (1 Peter 2:4-6) set firmly in place.  We are told to use materials that last eternally and not temporally, for those represented by gold, silver, precious stones will last through the testing of fire, but the examples of wood, hay, and straw are consumed and leave nothing of value behind to offer back to God when we face Him.  The enduring works according to God’s word will endure and be rewarded while the ones which turn to ash are only suitable for sackcloth.  In the end we see that salvation is not at stake here but reward to offer back in worship to God for, “If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.”  We do not lose our salvation but only the opportunity to glorify and honor the Lord with our work here.  True wisdom recognizes these truths and strives for holiness and not desecration of these temples which are our own bodies given to honor the One who bought us at such a great price!   Our own wisdom only gets us into trouble.  We must therefore boast in God’s work for and through us.  We have been given everything for life and godliness and should therefore live for Him because we belong to Him.

1 Corinthians 2:1-16 - Wisdom from the Mind of Christ

1 Corinthians 2:1-16 

Christ Crucified

1 And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. 2 For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. 3 I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. 4 And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

Spiritual Wisdom

6 However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. 7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, 8 which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

9 But as it is written:
“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,
Nor have entered into the heart of man
The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”

10 But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. 11 For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.

13 These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. 16 For “who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.

We have God-given wisdom in the mind of Christ through the Spirit of God who lives in every regenerated believer of Jesus Christ.  This is not our own intellectual or reasoning ability but a supernatural understanding given to all who are reborn by the word of God (1 Peter 1:23, 25) into repentance by this gift of faith (Ephesians 2:8-9) in the work of Christ on the cross to buy us back from the just penalty of sin.  Paul approached the believers in the metropolis of Corinth with sincerity according to this knowledge and understanding and not with his own learning apart from God in him.  He therefore kept his message to the point of truth which is the divine person of Jesus Christ and the fact that He was crucified for us to believe and be raised from death to life (John 5:24) along with Him on the day of judgment.  He dared not trust in his own abilities just as we are given the reminder by his example stated here, but instead approaching others with the gospel in the wisdom of the Spirit living in us.  The learned apostle came to them “in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling” as we should also, not with inflated self-confidence or assertiveness as modern philosophy that invades the churches seems to require by humanist methods of thinking.  The faith of hearers must find the foundation on the work of God’s power in raising Christ from the dead and not in our feeble wisdom or efforts apart from His enabling work in and through us as prepared for us (Ephe 2:10) to do.  Faith must be not in the one proclaiming the gospel but in the person and work of the gospel who is God’s Son.  These things are not easy for neophytes of the faith to immediately grasp as Paul makes that clear while addressing the more mature who have had time to wrestle with the scriptures to reach the depths of these truths.  He explained that he spoke mysteries of hidden truths buried in the scriptures but now brought to light in Christ through His words and work on the cross to glory in.  This mystery he later spoke about in Colossians 1:27 as Christ in we who have believed and received Him by opened eyes of faith in His mercy and grace.  He explained how his own people would not have crucified (or wanted to crucify) Christ if they knew these things, yet they did according to God’s plan of redemption which required Him to die as a perfect sacrifice to atone for our sins.  Yes, God reveals His glory in the hearts those He chose out of love for us in unheard of ways never seen or imagined ever before!  He has done this through the working of His Spirit who convicts the wold of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:8-11) by revealing what is in God’s mind to our minds once residing in us.  What a miraculous and wonderful gift is this!  We therefore who speak and give the understanding of the gospel our of scripture do so by Spirit-taught wisdom as we compare scripture with scripture in God’s intended context for correct interpretation and instruction.  Those who have been given supernatural ears to hear will heed and learn while those who are still natural fallen in sin will scoff and turn away from sound doctrine.  The truths of God in Christ are foolishness to the world but are the essence and essentials of life to those with God-given understanding.  We who are His through this new birth (John 3:3, 7-8, Galatians 2:20) have the mind of Christ and hold all we learn from Him to be our most valuable and essential possessions for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3), wisdom from the mind of Christ! 

1 Corinthians 1:18-31 - Glory in the Incarnate Power and Wisdom of God

1 Corinthians 1:18-31 

Christ the Power and Wisdom of God (cf. Is. 29:14)

18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written:

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
And bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.”

20 Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. 22 For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; 23 but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

Glory Only in the Lord

26 For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. 27 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; 28 and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, 29 that no flesh should glory in His presence. 30 But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption— 31 that, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the LORD.”

Jesus Christ is the incarnate power and wisdom of God for He is the Almighty come in the flesh as a man (John 1:1, 14)!  This message of God reaching down to us as if one of us and willingly suffering for our crimes of sin against Him and sacrificing Himself on a tree of cursing (Galatians 3:13) to take our guilt and punishment (Romans 8:3) is the gospel, the good news of our deliverance from our just sentence of eternal death which is unending suffering for our disobedience to Him.  This message of eternal forgiveness from the wrath of God on our sin seems utter foolishness to those in the world who are yet blind to see the truth and deaf to hear and take the words to heart.  For those who have our eyes opened to God’s word and work, we find ourselves reveling in awe at God’s infinite power and wisdom in crafting this plan of salvation (Genesis 3:15) from the very moment our ancestors defied their Creator (Genesis 3:6, 11) and brought the curse on us all (Genesis 3:17).  We give Him all the glory and honor due to His name, the one who is because He is, and give unending thanks for sending His Son as a sacrifice to cover our sins forever as no mere ritual animal sacrifice from our best nearly per stock ever could.  Only the perfect sacrifice of a perfect man who had to be God to be the Lamb without blemish could cover our sins of disbelief and disobedience begun from Adam and Eve and passed down in our spiritual DNA to us.  His blood was poured out as the life it contained to keep we who believe Him from losing our own lives through death into never ending suffering as a just consequence as our cosmic criminal record necessitates.  Therefore God made the gospel message simple.  Take God at His word that we are all born in sin, guilty and deserving death (Romans 6:20-23), that our attempts at doing good will never hit the mark to exonerate us, and that only His suffering and death in our place can appease the Father and release us from our vain and impossible attempts to keep His law completely (Romans 3:23, James 2:10) and be delivered from the penalty of our sin.  This is God’s wisdom and plan for we who hear and see it.  God makes all man’s philosophy and religious works and rituals of no effect by providing the only way, the only truth, and the only eternal life in Jesus Christ.  Yes, the Jews demanded that God show some more miracles as in Egypt and the promised land to validate the gospel and the Greeks required reason to explain all God is and does before signing on to the truth of the message, but neither could accept the simple truth of the crucifixion of Jesus the Christ as the answer because it relied on trusting God instead of their own wisdom and proof.  Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God; signs and wonders should never be demanded to prove what God has already told us not should we expect to reason out God and the scriptures to define salvation as a set of steps or requirements.  Academic pursuits are a dead end without the Spirit of God opening our eyes to see the truth and demanding supernatural proof only insults the Lord who provided all the miracles and words as demonstrable proof by the death and resurrection of His Son come as one of us to prove it.  This is why not many wise men are called in Christ that we may point to His wise words and work in Jesus Christ and not our own abilities or intellect.  He has also proven these things by His use of weak men to bear witness of this gospel to the world instead of using signs and wonders to convince people of the truth they need to hear, believe, and receive as such.  These methods of God point us to give all glory to Him and His word and work and not our own to bear witness of He who alone can change the heart and cleanse the soul for eternity.  His Son Jesus became for us all wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption from God!  We have no right or standing to glory in anything we are able to do apart from Him and His work.  These things the world still rejects on the whole, but some who hear are given faith to trust and understand that they may turn from sin to Him.  Are you looking and listening to Him? 

1 Corinthians 1:1-17 - To All Believer-Saints in Christ

1 Corinthians 1:1-17

1 Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother,

2 To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:

3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Spiritual Gifts at Corinth

4 I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus, 5 that you were enriched in everything by Him in all utterance and all knowledge, 6 even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you, 7 so that you come short in no gift, eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, 8 who will also confirm you to the end, that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Sectarianism Is Sin

10 Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. 11 For it has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloe’s household, that there are contentions among you. 12 Now I say this, that each of you says, “I am of Paul,” or “I am of Apollos,” or “I am of Cephas,” or “I am of Christ.” 13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?

14 I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 lest anyone should say that I had baptized in my own name. 16 Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas. Besides, I do not know whether I baptized any other. 17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect.

Paul begins by demonstrating his God-given authority to speak His word to the believers in Corinth, identifying them all as saints who are called into the righteousness of Jesus who makes us all who He calls to be holy in Himself.  This destroys the false belief that only certain men who do enough good can be elected and assigned sainthood by men, for only God can make us holy and that in Christ alone and not by the vote of church leaders or councils as the Roman church erroneously continues to do.  Saints are quite simply “all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord” as it is written by God’s authority that overrules any papacy writing.  The called apostle and messenger of God’s word through the gospel goes on to address the spiritual gifts of His grace for building up His body consisting of all called ones who are made holy and just by grace (Hebrews 12:23), which is the true universal (catholic) church and not one run by men apart from the word of truth.  God Himself by His Spirit gives gifts to men (Ephesians 4:8) for this purpose that we may speak and teach truth and righteous living by His enabling understanding and wisdom.  The testimony of our conversion lies in this new life demonstrated by the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:12, 15-16) now displayed in our ability to know and express these once buried truths throughout the scriptures that have been revealed in Christ through His apostles to us by the indwelling Spirit in acknowledgment of the truth of the gospel.  He therefore equips His saints in the church body with spiritual gifts of various kinds to work together in harmonious ministry for building us up.  The goal is that we all arrive at the same thinking and judgments of understanding how to interpret and apply the word of God to ourselves and each other.  Jesus promises to keep us to the end when we meet Him and so we can rely on the work Je does in us so we can continue His work in this world until that day.  He is faithful!  The Father God called us into fellowship in His Son for these things as ministers of His grace for salvation and has given gifts to men when He ascended (Ephesians 4:16) that we may grow in his love together as His body which is the true catholic universal church with members spread across the world out of every nation in many different denominations.  We are called to reach this understanding of the scriptures together that we may prove what is right and true and eliminate the false teachings while focusing on the critical truths of major doctrine without arguing over minor matters which are not clearly certain in our interpretation and understanding in light of other scripture.  We are not to be contentious, but instead are to be curious and valiant for the truth together as we use and follow those with the gifts to lead and guide us as wise shepherds.  We are also warned about aligning ourselves with certain teachers at the expense of other gifted men like the example given here of identifying with the teaching of rabbi Paul or eloquent Apollos or Cephas (Peter).  It should be said, “I am of Christ” instead.  All good teachers and preachers of the gospel point to Jesus Christ and not themselves and we likewise must look to the same.  Jesus alone died for us and baptizes us into Himself by His Spirit, so we should not idolize anyone but God’s own Son who alone delivers us from the wrath to come (1 Thessalonians 1:10) as we listen to and learn from godly and gifted men under Christ’s authority and given such gifts of wisdom for our edification.  Even Paul made it abundantly clear that he preached the cross of the gospel of Christ and did not attempt to persuade with eloquence or intellectual arguments.  The message is Christ and Him crucified to save us and use us to bear witness of these truths to others that they also may come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:4) while hearing the wisdom gifted to us to accomplish all He has given us to do (Ephesians 2:10) by the gift of grace.  This is the message to all believers who are also called saints in Christ Jesus. 

Romans 16:1-27 - Final Commendations, Greetings, and Warnings

Romans 16:1-27 

Sister Phoebe Commended

1 I commend to you Phoebe our sister, who is a servant of the church in Cenchrea, 2 that you may receive her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints, and assist her in whatever business she has need of you; for indeed she has been a helper of many and of myself also.

Greeting Roman Saints

3 Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, 4 who risked their own necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles. 5 Likewise greet the church that is in their house.

Greet my beloved Epaenetus, who is the firstfruits of Achaia to Christ. 6 Greet Mary, who labored much for us. 7 Greet Andronicus and Junia, my countrymen and my fellow prisoners, who are of note among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me.

8 Greet Amplias, my beloved in the Lord. 9 Greet Urbanus, our fellow worker in Christ, and Stachys, my beloved. 10 Greet Apelles, approved in Christ. Greet those who are of the household of Aristobulus. 11 Greet Herodion, my countryman. Greet those who are of the household of Narcissus who are in the Lord.

12 Greet Tryphena and Tryphosa, who have labored in the Lord. Greet the beloved Persis, who labored much in the Lord. 13 Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother and mine. 14 Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermas, Patrobas, Hermes, and the brethren who are with them. 15 Greet Philologus and Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints who are with them.

16 Greet one another with a holy kiss. The churches of Christ greet you.

Avoid Divisive Persons

17 Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them. 18 For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple. 19 For your obedience has become known to all. Therefore I am glad on your behalf; but I want you to be wise in what is good, and simple concerning evil. 20 And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.

Greetings from Paul’s Friends

21 Timothy, my fellow worker, and Lucius, Jason, and Sosipater, my countrymen, greet you.

22 I, Tertius, who wrote this epistle, greet you in the Lord.

23 Gaius, my host and the host of the whole church, greets you. Erastus, the treasurer of the city, greets you, and Quartus, a brother. 24 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

Benediction

25 Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began 26 but now made manifest, and by the prophetic Scriptures made known to all nations, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, for obedience to the faith— 27 to God, alone wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever. Amen.

The end of the letter to the Roman church is full of final thoughts dealing with a commendable, many greetings, a warning against divisive people in the church, and a final benediction of grace.  The commendation to Phoebe who served the church in Cenchrea reminds them of her need for assistance in her ministry of helps (1 Corinthians 12:28) within the body.  They saints (all who are called in Christ) were exhorted to lend her a hand to help the helper in a worthy way for them to show the unity and love in supporting that ministry just as we should be doing in various ministries in our churches today as we commend those who serve in all aspects and roles according to the gifts given each one.  Then Paul goes on to pass on greetings to many there such as the venerable Priscilla and Aquila (Acts 18:2-3, 1 Corinthians 16:19) who were his co-laborers of the gospel in Christ and all those of the church that met in their house.  This couple had risked their own lives to provide for the apostle as he brought the gospel amidst staunch opposition from those rejecting Christ.  They lived as crucified to Christ by bearing the cross of death to themselves daily in sacrificial living and ministry.  We ought to doubly honor such people.  He goes on to mention many others by name equally needing greeting and commendations from him, such as Tryphena and Tryphosa and the beloved Persis, who all labored much in the Lord, approved in Christ and working out their salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12-13) along with Paul.  He summed up the greetings with a holy kiss of brotherly love to each and a greeting from all the churches of Jesus Christ in addition to his own affections and thanksgiving for their work in the gospel.  He then gave the warnings against those rising up from within (Acts 20:29-31) and without (2 Corinthians 7:5), for there are always those who cause trouble as they stir up division among the brethren and set snares to cause others to stumble spiritually through bad teaching and even worse motives and examples.  These are self-serving instead of humble servants as commended earlier who work to flatter and mislead believers to deceive those not mature in Christ according to sound understanding of the scriptures.  We are to disciple others to be wise concerning what is good and simple concerning the evil wiles of the enemy’s attack (Matthew 10:16, Philippians 2:15) so as not to start thinking or participating in those things which dishonor the Lord and His people.  We have the assurance of victory over the evil adversary in the omnipotent Christ (1 Corinthians 15:57) who is Sovereign over all.  The end of the letter appears here in the final verses (or in the majority of extant Greek manuscripts after Romans 14:23) to remind the Romans and us of the power of God to establish us in the faith and work of the gospel as the mystery hidden from the beginning is shown in and to and through us (Colossians 1:27) as the scriptures reveal (Luke 24:26-27, Acts 17:2-3) that all who are called out of every nation, people, and language may obey the gospel through repentance and faith to glorify God in Christ For revealing Himself to us and through us to the world and the heavenly realms!

Romans 15:14-33 - Preaching by the Spirit of God

Romans 15:14-33 

From Jerusalem to Illyricum

14 Now I myself am confident concerning you, my brethren, that you also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another. 15 Nevertheless, brethren, I have written more boldly to you on some points, as reminding you, because of the grace given to me by God, 16 that I might be a minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering of the Gentiles might be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. 17 Therefore I have reason to glory in Christ Jesus in the things which pertain to God. 18 For I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ has not accomplished through me, in word and deed, to make the Gentiles obedient— 19 in mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God, so that from Jerusalem and round about to Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ. 20 And so I have made it my aim to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build on another man’s foundation, 21 but as it is written:

“To whom He was not announced, they shall see;
And those who have not heard shall understand.”

Plan to Visit Rome

22 For this reason I also have been much hindered from coming to you. 23 But now no longer having a place in these parts, and having a great desire these many years to come to you, 24 whenever I journey to Spain, I shall come to you. For I hope to see you on my journey, and to be helped on my way there by you, if first I may enjoy your company for a while. 25 But now I am going to Jerusalem to minister to the saints. 26 For it pleased those from Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor among the saints who are in Jerusalem. 27 It pleased them indeed, and they are their debtors. For if the Gentiles have been partakers of their spiritual things, their duty is also to minister to them in material things. 28 Therefore, when I have performed this and have sealed to them this fruit, I shall go by way of you to Spain. 29 But I know that when I come to you, I shall come in the fullness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ.

30 Now I beg you, brethren, through the Lord Jesus Christ, and through the love of the Spirit, that you strive together with me in prayers to God for me, 31 that I may be delivered from those in Judea who do not believe, and that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints, 32 that I may come to you with joy by the will of God, and may be refreshed together with you. 33 Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen.

Paul journeyed with the gospel all over the known world surrounding the Mediterranean from the beginning in Jerusalem all around between Italy and modern turkey in the Roman province of Illyricum, roughly corresponded to today's Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, and Slovenia.  He faithfully proclaimed the good news of the life, teachings, atoning death on a cross of cursing to save us, and resurrection to life from death that all who come to Him share in.  He also made it clear that the power and wisdom to do this was entirely from God’s Spirit working in and through him with empowering and enabling grace.  He wrote to encourage the believers in Rome near the end of this letter to remind them that their spiritual growth was visible and effective to reach others as well; they were commended for their goodness, extensive scriptural knowledge, and ability to admonish one another with godly wisdom by that same Spirit working in them.  We do well to likewise encourage one another’s sanctification to spur each other on (Hebrews 10:24-25) as we meet in our assemblies today.  Paul also wrote to remind them boldly on points needing work or clarification to keep them on track similarly as Apollos needed direction early in his walk of faith (Acts 18:24-25, 26-28) but with a more mature group of readers in Rome he addressed here.  He was able to speak directly to them like this because he was known and trusted as minister chosen by God to speak truth in love to them.  May we who serve also be so well known as His and trusted for the work of God’s wisdom and love in and through us as well!  Then we see how he ministered the gospel to the non-Jews who were also called by the gospel as God’s people in Jesus Christ as set apart for God by His Spirit working in them just as He did among the Jews at Pentecost in Acts chapter 2.  The apostle only had reason to glory in Christ Jesus in the things which pertain to God and not himself or his own abilities or knowledge, and did not dare to speak to claim or boast of anything that Christ had not accomplished through him by that power and wisdom of God.  He boasted in Christ and His Spirit working in him as we also must continue to do as we imitate him (1 Corinthians 11:1) who imitated Christ.  Paul also set the example of a missionary who does not constantly retrace the steps of others before him but who endeavors to reach the unreached who need the gospel.   He quoted Isaiah 52:15 to proclaim the good news to those who have not yet heard that they might have their ears opened to understand and have faith to believe and receive Jesus Christ for deliverance from the penalty of sin, namely God’s eternal wrath, and be granted eternal life by grace.  He went on to share his plans to continue on to Rome to see them face to face after aiming to do so for such a long time and necessitating this letter until then.  He also let on that his intent was to continue spreading the gospel around Italy all the way to Spain that the whole known Greek speak world of the Empire might hear and turn from sin to Him who died and rose again.  He spoke of ministering monetary support along with the spiritual which holds as a pattern even today for the church for the ministry of the word of God with God’s blessing.  He ended this passage by asking for their prayer support born out of love put in their hearts as they strived with him to tell everyone this good news and serve the saints of Jesus Christ who are all called in Him (1 Corinthians 1:2) as their acceptable service of worship (Romans 12:1) until he arrived with joy and refreshing fellowship by the will of God who brings His servants together.  May we do likewise!

Romans 15:1-13 - Bearing with Believers in Joyful Faith

Romans 15:1-13 

Bearing Others’ Burdens

1 We then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak, and not to please ourselves. 2 Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, leading to edification. 3 For even Christ did not please Himself; but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached You fell on Me.” 4 For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope. 5 Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus, 6 that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Glorify God Together

7 Therefore receive one another, just as Christ also received us, to the glory of God. 8 Now I say that Jesus Christ has become a servant to the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made to the fathers, 9 and that the Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy, as it is written:

“For this reason I will confess to You among the Gentiles,
And sing to Your name.”

10 And again he says:
“Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people!”

11 And again:
“Praise the LORD, all you Gentiles!
Laud Him, all you peoples!”

12 And again, Isaiah says:
“There shall be a root of Jesse;
And He who shall rise to reign over the Gentiles,
In Him the Gentiles shall hope.”

13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

We who are called into Christ are called to bear with fellow believers in their weak areas of faith as we all grow in our conformity to our Lord.  We should not put our own interests above those of others who need encouragement and assistance in the faith as others have poured their selfless lives into us before.  Our aim should be to find ways to build up or edify fellow citizens of heaven with forebearance and genuine loving concern to encourage their faith to grow in knowing Jesus Christ and the God we serve through und His word and therefore knowing Himmand glorifying Him together.  This means that sometimes we have to take the brunt of reproach on ourselves as we do not force how right we may be at the expense of another’s growth as they work out (Philippians 2:12-13) their salvation with trembling reverent fear.  We both can find comfort and hope in the scriptures we study together as we learn patience in our journey towards eternity.  The God of patience Himself teaches and comforts us all as we work towards unity of the faith (Ephesians 4:3, 13, Philippians 2:1-4) in like-mindedness of the essentials of the faith that are clearly written and understood while agreeing to disagree agreeably on the more obscure and unclear issues not obvious in scripture.  Together we should be giving the glory, honor, and praise due to our same Lord over us all in unity of faith and love as Jesus displayed and taught us in light of the truth shown and taught us.  This joyful corporate expression of faith from His body the universal church should not admit false doctrine, but neither should minor issues divide and keep us from glo God in Jesus Christ, just as the Jewish and Gentile believers in Rome at the time of this letter were encouraged to avoid.  God called His children from Israel’s descendants but also out of all the other nations which God promised Abraham by faith over nationality before Isaac who was Israel was even conceived.  Jesus Christ out of both lineage lines has come to gather us all as one chosen people in Himself to give us all hope as He reigns as Sovereign Lord over us all.  This hope is why and how we can find joy and peace in this common faith and increase in that hope by the same Holy Spirit of God who reigns in each of us as we seek unity in our thoughts and actions in light of the positional unity we have in Him.  This unity among believers must be maintained and nurtured by our willingness to trust and obey in these matters of joyful faith that bears with one another until we all come to the unity of the Faith (Ephesians 4:13) as a perfected man in Christ.  Let us glorify God together without compromising the truth nor fighting over minor matters that we all grow in the knowledge of Him who called us together in conformity to Him in the truth. 

Romans 14:1-23 - Liberty in Light of Love

Romans 14:1-23 

The Law of Liberty

1 Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things. 2 For one believes he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables. 3 Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats; for God has received him. 4 Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand.

5 One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks. 7 For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself. 8 For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. 9 For to this end Christ died and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living. 10 But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. 11 For it is written:

“As I live, says the LORD,
Every knee shall bow to Me,
And every tongue shall confess to God.”

12 So then each of us shall give account of himself to God. 13 Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother’s way.

The Law of Love

14 I know and am convinced by the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean of itself; but to him who considers anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean. 15 Yet if your brother is grieved because of your food, you are no longer walking in love. Do not destroy with your food the one for whom Christ died. 16 Therefore do not let your good be spoken of as evil; 17 for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 18 For he who serves Christ in these things is acceptable to God and approved by men.

19 Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another. 20 Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All things indeed are pure, but it is evil for the man who eats with offense. 21 It is good neither to eat meat nor drink wine nor do anything by which your brother stumbles or is offended or is made weak. 22 Do you have faith? Have it to yourself before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves. 23 But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith; for whatever is not from faith is sin.

We have liberty in Christ but this freedom must be expressed in love to not offend or cause others to stumble in their walk with Christ.  If another is still weak in some aspects of their faith as their spiritual maturity progresses in their road of sanctification, we should note that and not argue over doctrinal points but instead discuss them from scripture with patience and love as they are taught by God’s Spirit in them of the truths they must learn in their own time.  Paul wrote these instructions to the believers in Rome because it is a common problem more mature Christians face sometimes when they learn the depths of the doctrines of grace and are eager to teach younger believers what excites and motivates them to see the other grow.  The example given here is concerning the Old Testament dietary laws and convictions about being a vegetarian instead of accepting all foods as given by God to eat, including meat, as from the day Noah’s Ark opened its doors (Genesis  9:3-4) on dry land.  We are not to judge the one who eats or chooses not to eat and accept the convictions of others as far as they understand the scriptures and live by them as best they know.  God accepts both these people with their un and convictions of conscience and so should we.  Likewise, some see the Sabbath day as needing to be religiously adhered to while others celebrate the rest from their own works and reliance on Christ’s work for them (Galatians 4:9-10, Hebrews 4:4, 8, 9-10) as their rest instead.  We have no right to judge either interpretation of the Sabbath rest but should see this as a non-essential doctrine with personal leeway in practice instead of harsh judgment as we all grow in faith in our sanctification by grace.  We each live and die to the Lord and not ourselves or each other in these matters as Philippians 3:15-16 reminds us.  We are not to pass judgment and condemn our brothers and sisters in Christ or look down on those who do not share our convictions in these matters as we all grow in conformity to Christ but should show forbearance and love instead.  In the end we will individually bow to our Sovereign Lord and God in submission and worship as we give an account of all we have done, not for our salvation but for accountability to Him (1 Corinthians 3:14-15) whom we serve.  Knowing these doctrinal truths, how can we condemn our fellow believers or cause them to stumble in their own walks with Him by manmade obstacles we put in front of them?  Liberty that we enjoy to do many things does not allow us to neglect showing love to others by allowing their non-essentials as they grow in their faith.  We know all foods are clean by God’s grace but must not flaunt our understanding of this truth to offend others who have not yet come to that knowledge themselves.  Our good should not be allowed to be spoken of as evil in the way we judge others in these matters.  To rightly serve God in these matters requires us to know that, “the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit,” and live this truth by bearing with one another in love and maintaining the fellowship in Christ with this mindset.  This is the way to be acceptable to God and approved by men as it says here.  The bottom line is that we should be striving to pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which we may build up each other and not tear down in harsh and unwarranted rebuke.  We are not to be offensive or judgmental in discipleship.  We love to God and have to justify our convictions to Him, not prove them by bashing others to make ourselves look better!  Faith and not doubts is what we require because doubt in our practice of doctrine quickly turns to sin if we do not consider these things.  This is living in liberty in the light of love for our fellow believers and the Lord who forgives and saves us. 

Romans 13:8-14 - Put On Christ!

Romans 13:8-14

Love Your Neighbor (cf. Mark 12:31; James 2:8)

8 Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 For the commandments, "You shall not commit adultery," "You shall not murder," "You shall not steal," "You shall not bear false witness," "You shall not covet," and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." 10 Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

Put on Christ

11 And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. 12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. 13 Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.

What we owe cannot pay the price for our sin to earn forgiveness, for that is by grace alone, yet we are indebted to love one another as Christ loved us (Ephesians 5:2, 1 John 3:14, 4:19) in thankful return.  This is living the commandments from the heart as originally intended by God for us to do and made possible by first removing the necessity of keeping these completely by nailing them to the cross (Colossians 2:14) that we might read what He has written on our hearts in place of cold stone tablets (2 Corinthians 3:3).  We fulfill the commands of God by loving God with everything we have and loving our fellow man as we love ourselves (Matthew 22:37-39) to the praise, honor, and glory of God in Christ.  These are from the thoughts and intents of our hearts out into the actions of our speech and the works of our hands according to the direction we set our feet to walk out life.  True love does no harm to others but fulfills the law in doing them only good as far as it is possible (Romans 12:18) in our hands to do.  To do this, we must continually put off the old sinful man and put on Christ especially in light of the growing darkness settling upon the world facing the inevitable and terrible judgment to come.  We are called and reminded to remain alert and not snooze into slumber (Proverbs 6:9, Isaiah 5:27, 1 Thessalonians 5:5-6, 9), but remain vigilant and valiant for the truth lived out in out thoughts and deeds.  The day is passing since the Lord ascended back into heaven and we are His lights shining the glory of God and His gospel in this present darkness (Ephesians 6:12) until His return.  We have the armor of God and the assurance of being kept safe in eternity to walk through the debauchery of this world lost in sin who need to turn from it to Him in repentance and faith, safe and secure from all alarms.  Our armor is the light of the knowledge of the glory of God (2 Corinthians 4:6) which allows us to wade through the battle to truth’s victory as we avoid participating in the works of darkness which tarnish our armor and weaken it if we allow ourselves to go back.  We therefore put off the evil works of drunken and riotous living along with unbridled passions and lust of the flesh by giving no room for it to do as our flesh desires as we keep killing our old man (Romans 8:12-14) and his works of sin in rebellion against the Lord.  Put on Christ!