Pondering Romans 11:1-10

Posted on by Shay Reyner

Book-of-RomansClick HERE to read the passage

My pondering this week is not so much about the passage itself as it is about the hermeneutical principle that the passage demonstrates. “Hermen who?”, you might ask, if this is a word that is not familiar to you. Hermeneutics is the study of the principles of interpretation concerning the books of the Bible.

Paul demonstrates a primary hermeneutical principle here in Romans 11 that is important to understand. He is grappling with an issue that even he is trying to wrap his astute mind around – the issue of what about the people of Israel when it comes to salvation. This is his issue. But we all have our own issues when it comes to trying to understand passages of Scripture. Particularly ones that we don’t necessarily like what they say. Perhaps it is an issue about marriage or divorce or sex or hell or the role of women or church government or abortion. There are lots of issues that people disagree on regarding matters of interpretation.

Hermeneutical principle numero uno goes like this: Let Scripture interpret Scripture. In other words, if there is a passage that you don’t understand, look at the whole body of Scripture regarding that subject and let God’s Word speak for itself. This is what Paul is doing in this passage. Notice the number of other Scripture references from the Older Testament that Paul uses in this passage to help explain the dilemma he is dealing with. I count four.  This is the way to do biblical interpretation.

But it is not the way that it is usually done nowadays. More often than not here are some of the principles of interpretation that I see being used today:

  • People make up their own interpretations to suit the outcome that they desire
  • People ask their friends (usually people who are like-minded) what they think hoping to get “interpretational ageeability.”
  • People find “scholars” who say what they want them to say
  • People dismiss the passage and keep doing what they want to do anyway

No doubt there are other ways. But my point is this. Let Scripture interpret Scripture. I love what Acts 17:11 says about the folks in the church in Berea – “Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.” They didn’t take Paul’s word for the stuff he was saying but rather searched the Scriptures for themselves to make sure that it was in line with what God had already said.

May it be true also of us!

Next Week’s Passage: Roman 11:11-32
Memory Verses: Romans 8:1-26

Brick #31 – 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Posted on by Shay Reyner

Untitled design“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)

Short. Crisp. To the point! As Paul is wrapping up his letter to the church in Thessalonica, he leaves them with a few bullet points about what they can do to make sure they are in the will of God. There are a lot things about God’s will that we have to discern along the way. But these 3 things He makes very clear. And my assumption is that if we are doing these 3 things then the other stuff that is not quite so clear will fall into place as we seek the Father.

  • Be joyful always -“Life is difficult,” so says M. Scott Peck as he opens his book The Road Less Traveled. It is unpredictable. It is capricious! How do we find joy in a world that often brings despair, and hardship, and uncertainty? We do what we CAN do not what we CAN’T do. We can’t control our circumstances. But we can control whether or not we will obey God. And Scripture tells us that there is a direct correlation between obedience to the Lord God and to experiencing joy.  “If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love.  I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” (John 15:10-11) It is God’s will is that you live a joy-filled, joy-fueled life. If this is not true for you then the first place to start is in areas where you are knowingly disobeying the Father.
  • Pray continually – Why would this be one of Paul’s bullet points. I really like a quote by Pastor Mark Batterson in this regard: “People who live in prayer mode see opportunities that other people don’t notice. People who don’t live in prayer mode are opportunity blind….Prayer has a way of helping us recognize that what we might dismiss as human accidents are really divine appointments.” We should always be in prayer mode or else we are going to miss something that God wants us to see or do or be a part of.
  • Give thanks in all circumstances – It’s easy to thank God for all the good stuff that happens in our lives. But what about the other stuff. Laura Story has a song out that helps to give perspective on this (click HERE to listen to it). Here are some of the words. They help us to understand how we can be thankful when we seriously wonder if what is happening could possibly be a part of God’s will.

‘Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
And what if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if my greatest disappointments
Or the achings of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can’t satisfy
And what if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are Your mercies in disguise.

“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

Pondering Romans 10:14-21

Posted on by Shay Reyner

You can click HERE to read the passage.

We are saved by faith – faith in what Christ accomplished on our behalf on the cross; and we walk through this life by faith – trusting that the God who rescues us from hell will also be our refuge  and strength as we journey towards eternity.

Where does this faith come from? In both cases it comes from the Word of God! This is what struck me from this passage this week: “Faith comes from hearing, and hearing from the Word of God.” (10:17)

God saves us as we put our faith in Christ and His redemptive work.  As we hear the Word of God, the Spirit of God awakens within us a desire to know Him and to be reconciled to Him. The Word of God makes us aware of our own sinfulness. It shows us why the cross was so necessary. It gives us understanding regarding the power of the resurrection. And it pleads with us to repent and turn from our wicked ways and turn to the One who offers us life. Saving faith comes from hearing the Word of God.

God sustains us as we live by faith day to day, relying on Him to feed us and fuel us with everything that we need to live live’s honoring to Him. As we hear the Word of God, we are encouraged, we are convicted, we are comforted, we are strengthened. Sustaining faith comes from the Word of God.

This is why the preaching of the Word is so vital to the church. And this is why it is so important to read and study the Word on your own. The goal is not to merely survive until we get to heaven. The goal is to thrive as God’s Word nourishes, sustains and supplies what we need to be “more than conquerors.”

Want more faith? Need more faith?

Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God!

Next Week’s Passage: Romans 11:1-10
Memory Verses: Romans 8:1-25

Brick #30 – John 15:5

Posted on by Shay Reyner

Untitled design“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5

It’s as if Jesus is saying to His disciples, “Look guys, get it through your thick heads, it’s not about you it’s all about me.” When we act independent of the vine we become fruitless Christians. But when we live out our “Declaration of Dependence” then we become believers who flourish and reproduce in abundance.

What are some signs that we are acting independently of Jesus?

When little time or attention is given to prayer – Most of us say that we believe in  prayer but do not actually spend much time praying. And especially we do not spend much time praying bold, robust prayers that implore God to move in power. Much of our praying has to do with asking God to bless things that we have already decided to do.

When His Word becomes a secondary source of spiritual refreshment rather than primary – We need to allow God’s Word to feed our souls. We need to learn how to read and ponder and digest Scripture. Books and devotionals are great tools to use but don’t let them take the place of the life-giving, soul-refreshing Word of God.

When we neglect to be a part of an encouraging, gospel-centered community – By this I do NOT mean going to church. Rather, I mean being a part of a vital small group that is encouraging, challenging, caring for, and loving one another. When we divorce ourselves from such a group we are essentially saying “I don’t need the body of Christ. I can survive on my own.” Survive, maybe. Thrive, no way! We need other people in our lives lest we start veering away from the truth – which is easy to do in a world that has dulled our spiritual senses and is constantly lulling into a spiritual stupor.

When we make decisions because we “felt led” rather than being Spirit led – We have a tendency to let our emotions drive our decision making. We have been told over and over again, “just follow your heart.” The problem, of course, is that according to Scripture “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked.” (Jeremiah 17:9) Therefore, we need to make sure that we are being led by the Spirit of God or else we run the great risk of making horrific decisions that could have tragic consequences. (Click HERE for an article on how to be guided by the Spirit of God)

If you are not being fruitful in your walk with God then perhaps you need to review your “Declaration of Dependence.” The things mentioned above can serve as some thinking points to help you evaluate just how dependent or independent you are as you seek to “remain in the vine.”

Pondering Romans 10:1-13

Posted on by Shay Reyner

Book-of-RomansYou can click HERE to read the passage.

There is one verse in particular that stuck out to me from this passage and it may surprise you which one it is. It is not one of the 2 “famous” verses that I mentioned in last week’s post – verse 9 or verse 13. Rather it is verse 2:

“For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge.”

This verse is a mandate for missions. It is a mandate for church-planting. It is a mandate for evangelism.

There are billions of people scattered around our globe who are zealous for God. Their religiosity echos their heart’s desire to know God and to have the God-shaped vacuum in their lives filled with the God who created them, loves them, and longs to be reconciled with them.

But their zeal is not based on knowledge. Rather it is based on tradition. Or it is based on heritage. Or it is based on guilt. Or it is based on misinformation.Or it is based on government mandated faith.

Zeal for God must be fed by truth. And when it comes to knowing God, though it is not a tolerant position to take, Christianity has cornered the market regarding truth. The truth of the matter is that LIFE is only found in Christ. Knowing Christ equals knowing God.

Hence, it behooves Christians to do everything that they can to enable the world know this. This is why I say…

…this verse is a mandate for missions. It is a mandate for church-planting. It is a mandate for evangelism.

Next Week’s Passage: Romans 10: 14-21
Memory Verses: Romans 8:1-24

Brick #29 – 2 Timothy 4:7-8

Posted on by Shay Reyner

Untitled design“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.” 2 Timothy 4:7-8 

Once saved, always saved. This is what Scripture indicates. The reason we have a problem with this is because we see people who claim that they are saved but who in no way act like they are saved. The doctrine is known as “perseverance of the saints.” And the best way to define this doctrine is to say that those who persevere ARE the true saints of God. Those who do not persevere, who do not continue to walk in the ways of the Lord, who are not offended by their own sinfulness – are NOT saints (sinners saved by grace).
 
This is what Paul is saying here in this passage. Despite the difficulties, the beatings, the slander, Paul has stayed true to the faith and maintained a rigorous love for God and His Word and His mission. Now, as he approaches the end of his life he is looking forward to That Day.
  • That Day when He will see his Lord and Savior.
  • That Day when He will be done with earthly travails.
  • That Day when he will enjoy the fruit of all his laboring for the gospel.
  • That Day when hope becomes reality.
  • That Day when eternal life takes on a whole new dimension.
  • That Day when heaven becomes his home.
  • That Day when victory over sin is celebrated.
  • That Day when God’s glory is revered.
  • That Day when grace and peace can be enjoyed.
  • That Day when he will receive his reward for faithfulness. 
Paul was able to live a faithful life despite all the hardships he endured because he kept the end in mind. And now with the end in sight he approaches it not with reluctance or with regret but with eager anticipation and joy.
 
What about us?

Pondering Romans 9:6-33

Posted on by Shay Reyner

Book-of-RomansTo read the passage click HERE.

Romans 9-11 are easy to skip over when reading Romans – or at least easy to breeze through without thinking through. The reason for this is because they pose questions for most believers – especially believers who do not want to take the time to think through theologically. Questions about election. Questions about the role of Israel in God’s purposes. Questions about evangelism and the responsibility that believer’s have. As I pondered this section I spent some time thinking about verse 8 – “This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring.” 

Children of the promise – that is who we are. I love God’s promises. And there are some great ones throughout the Scriptures. It was Adoniram Judson, one of America’s first missionaries, who once said, “The future is as bright as the promises of God.” But sometimes God’s promises don’t seem so bright. Take for instance verse 15: “I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.” What if God chose not to have mercy on me? How would I feel about that? What if (according to verses 20-22) God made me for “dishonorable use”? Or that I was created as a “vessel of wrath prepared for destruction”? My future would not be so bright after all.

That’s why I don’t think you can read chapter 9 without reading chapter 10. Because in chapter 10 you get, as Paul Harvey used to say, “the rest of the story.” Here are a few chapter 10 promises to balance out what God says in chapter 9…

v.9 – “if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”

v. 13 – “For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

I love being a child of the promise. And I love Romans chapter 9. I’m just exceptionally glad that Paul also wrote chapter 10. and indeed, my future IS as bright as the promises of God.

Next Week’s Passage: Romans 10:1-13
Memory Verses: Romans 8:1-23

Brick #28 – Psalm 119:36-37

Posted on by Shay Reyner

Untitled design“Turn my heart toward Your statutes and not toward selfish gain. Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to Your Word.” Psalm 119:36-37

Psalm 119 is a studly Psalm and it just so happens to be my favorite of all the Psalms. And these verses to me represent much of what the Psalm says.

The Psalmist has come to the point in his life where he realizes that the world will never give him the satisfaction and happiness that he so desperately craves. And he also realizes that his heart is far from God and he can’t do anything that will change the way he is. So he cries out to God.

He cries out and asks God to give him a love for and a longing for God’s Word. He cries out and asks God to change his wicked heart so that he no longer hungers for that which can NEVER assuage his empty soul. He cries out and asks God  to blind him towards those things that cannot compare to the priceless treasure that is of eternal value. And he cries out and asks God to rescue him and preserve his life according to the life giving, thirst quenching , soul nourishing sustenance of the Word.

This is a prayer that few would dare to pray. Or at the very least a prayer that few would really want God to answer. Why do I say that? Because we love this world and the things of this world. And we don’t want to admit that we are indeed selfish people. And we yearn for what this world offers us more than we yearn for God and, quite frankly, find our satisfaction in temporal things. But this is ONLY because we have not really tasted of heavenly fare. We have not yet had our soul satiated by that which God offers and which provides illimitable delights.

Maybe it’s time to seriously think about crying out to God and praying that He would fill us and fuel us each day with His Word so that we can experience and enjoy the eternal provision that is ours in Christ.

Pondering Extras on Romans 9:1-5

Posted on by Shay Reyner

PonderingExtrasJohn Piper writes…

Oh, that we would have more of Paul’s spirit here! Do you grieve? Do you feel sorrow and anguish over your kinsmen, that they are accursed and cut off from Christ? I know that hundreds of you do. That’s good. Nurture that grief with Biblical truth. And remember, Jesus said that we should love not only those who love us, but also our enemies (Matt. 5:43-44). So may Bethlehem (Church) be a place of tears as well as joy. May we be Biblical Christian hedonists! As Paul said in 2 Corinthians 6:10, “Sorrowful, yet always rejoicing.”

And if anyone should raise the legitimate question: Will we then be sad throughout eternity because of those who are accursed and cut off from Christ in hell? Will heaven be a place of eternal grief? – the answer is no. “God will wipe away every tear from their eyes . . . neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore” (Rev. 21:4). Why? Jonathan Edwards put it like this:

With respect to any affection that the godly have had to the finally reprobate, the love of God will wholly swallow it up. And cause it wholly to cease. (The Works of Jonathan Edwards [Edinburgh: The Banner of Truth Trust], Vol. 2, p. 899)

Those who die in their sinful rebellion – we say it with tears now – will not have the power to hold heaven hostage with their own misery. Here we groan and weep. There we are consumed with the glory of Christ.

Let us learn from Paul. He knows that his kinsmen are lost and ready to be cast into outer darkness forever. But he does not say that with rage or fierceness. He says it with anguish.

Pondering Romans 9:1-5

Posted on by Shay Reyner

Book-of-RomansYou can click HERE to read the passage.

Wow! Talk about having a heart for people to know Christ. Paul is saying that he is willing to give up his own salvation if only his Jewish kinsmen would believe and be saved. And this is incredibly remarkable when you recall how much knowing Christ means to Paul. In Philippians 3:8-10 Paul says, “I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him…. I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in His suffering….

Knowing Jesus was EVERYTHING to Paul – and yet he was willing to give it up if the Jewish people would turn from their sin and find Life in Christ.

Reading and pondering this passage make me realize how little I care for the salvation of others. I am selfish in my salvation. I don’t pray for people to turn to Christ like I should. I don’t cry over people going to hell. I don’t plead with friends and family to turn from their wickedness and embrace Christ.

“Lord, would You change me and more and more give me a heart for people like Paul had for the Jews. I confess my apathy towards evangelism. I confess my indifference for people who die without Christ. I confess that my heart is cold. I need your Spirit to bring the passionate heat of revival to my passiveness and listlessness when it comes to sharing the gospel.”

Next Week’s Passage: Romans 9:6-32
Memory Verses: Romans 8:1-23