The Normal Christian Life: A Journey Through Romans
Wednesday, January 25, 2006
My Prayer Today
Heavenly Father, I thank You again today for who You are and for all that You have done to provide salvation to me! I thank You that You created humanity in the first place and gave us dominion over all the creatures of the earth. I thank You that when our first ancestors sinned that You still provided for them and didn’t eliminate us from the face of the earth. I thank You that You have reached out to us through covenants with Noah, Abraham, Moses, and David, and finally through Your one and only Son, Jesus! I pray that as I go about this day that You will fill me with Your Holy Spirit that I will never be ashamed of Your gospel—Your great news of salvation that is in and through Jesus from start to finish. I praise You that as I live this day, that I live with the assurance that You will never leave me nor forsake me, and that Your plan for my life and future is for good. Praise You and thank You, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
God’s Word Today—Romans 1:16-17
Romans 1:16-17 NLT
16For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—Jews first and also Gentiles. 17This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.”
Romans 1:16-17 NIV*
16I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. 17For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”
*Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. The "NIV" and "New International Version" trademarks are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by International Bible Society. Use of either trademark requires the permission of International Bible Society.
Romans 1:16-17 MOT**
16For I am not ashamed of the Gospel; for it is the power of God to salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and to the Greek. 12For a righteousness of God is revealed in it from faith to faith, as it has been written: Now the righteous shall live by faith.
**MOT is a literal translation of the Greek New Testament by Dr. Chris E. Marshall
Reflecting on God’s Word
This is the third day we have reflected on Romans 1:16. As you look at the verse in a third translation from the original Greek, compare each of the translations and consider again what is the central truth contained in the verse. What difference does it make in your life right now, that the Good News about Christ, or the Gospel has been made available in our lives?
A Deeper Exploration of God’s Word
Write Romans 1:16 in your own words. Be certain to include the common concepts in each of the three translations.
What role does believing play in salvation?
Understanding God’s Purpose for Us
What does God’s inclusion of Jews and Greeks—thus ALL people groups—in the opportunity to know His salvation say about His overall purpose for humanity?
Applying God’s Word to Our Purpose
Look again at your list of names (from Monday’s reading) of people who need to hear the Gospel. Do you have other names you need to add to the list? It may be a good idea to take the list and write it on a separate piece of paper and keep it in your Bible so you’ll be reminded to pray AND act on the list every time you read it.
What one thing will you DO today as a result of reading this Scripture?
Thoughts - The Power of God to Salvation!
Salvation is God’s gift of life—now and forever—by the amazing sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. In our day, many churches downplay the importance of salvation, focusing rather on good works or human enterprises. The reality is without the gift of salvation purchased by Jesus Christ, each of us remains separated from God. The Apostle Paul was so adamant about the “Gospel” because it IS the POWER OF GOD TO SALVATION for everyone who believes. Paul recognized that the Law of Moses fell woefully short in granting us the assurance of our good-standing with God. The constant need for animal sacrifice after animal sacrifice when one sinned meant that no one could ever be sure that he or she was “right” with God. When Jesus came and lived a perfect life, He was able to die as a perfect, unblemished sacrifice in our places, the sinless for the sinner. That means that one sacrifice suffices for all our sin. Paul will make this evident through the Book of Romans as he establishes the universal nature of sin; then moves to the unique offer of salvation in and through Jesus Christ alone; and finally making it clear that our good works or acts of service are a RESPONSE to receiving salvation rather than a means of earning it.
The “power” of humanity is death. By that I mean that all human efforts to appease God or to impress Him end in failure. Apart from God’s intervention in human history, in and through Jesus, we would still be dead in sin, and facing eternal death at the end of our lives. As Paul puts it in Romans 7:25 “Thanks be to God who has delivered me from this body of death!” As we go about our daily lives, especially as we move from our 30’s into our 40’s then into our 50’s and beyond, we recognize that human systems decline and fail, ultimately “shutting down” and leading to our physical deaths. We can slow the process through exercise, healthy eating and the like, but as someone put it, “Eat healthy, exercise daily, die anyway!” Human power in all its forms is insufficient to save us from sin and death. That’s why the Gospel is necessary. That’s why Jesus life, death, and resurrection is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes. As we believe it and live it today, it makes ALL the difference!
This Week’s Memory Verse:
For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work. Romans 1:16a