Romans Chapter 10

Hi Jennie!

For this chapter I think I'll break it up like this:

What we learn about Paul:
- His heart's desire and his prayer is that the people of Israel would be saved


What we learn about Israel:
- They have a zeal for God
- They do not know about God's righteousness
- They try to establish their own righteousness
- God will use other people to make them jealous
- Disobedient and obstinate


What we learn about Christ:
- He is the end of the law
- He is Lord
- His words bring about faith


What we learn about God:
- He raised Jesus from the dead
- Whoever believes in him will not be disappointed
- He is Lord of all, both Jew and Greek
- He is abounding in riches for all who call on his name
- He became manifest/found by those who did not ask for him (gentiles)

Romans Chapter 9

Jennie:

- vs. 1-5: Paul has great grief and sorrow in his heart for his fellow Israelites, he would choose to be separated from Christ if it meant that they could be saved.
- vs. 6-13: I think this is telling us that gentiles who believe in Christ (you and I) are also descendants of Abraham because of the promise, is that your understanding? Not sure why the reference to Rebekah and her sons...
- vs. 14-22: I struggle with these verses. I think Paul is saying that God hardens some hearts (like Pharaoh) to bring glory to his name and demonstrate his power. So some vessels (people) that the potter (God) makes are created to not be saved (predestination?). And of course I ask the exact thing this scripture tells me not to ask: how is it their fault then? The answer is: who are we to question God? Which is probably perfectly legitimate - I have no right to question God for who am I? Did I create the heavens and the earth and set the waters into place and breathe life into living creatures? No. But I just can't help but to think that's sort of a "lame" explanation. It's like a parent telling a child "because I said so".
- vs. 23-29: Verses about other places in scripture that show us that God called some from among the Jews and from among the Gentiles
- vs. 30-33: I think this is saying that Jesus is a "stumbling block" because we get tripped up trying to understand that we are saved not by works (following the law or being "good") but by faith in Jesus Christ alone. But for those who believe in Christ Jesus as Lord and Savior, we will not be disappointed.

Love!

Romans 8:18-37

Jennie:

To help me look at many of these popular verses in another way, I'm going to list what we "learn" from these verses about us as believers:

- glory will be revealed in us
- our sufferings don't even compare to this glory
- we are children of God
- the glory of the children of God will set creation free from its slavery to corruption
- we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons
- our bodies will be redeemed
- in hope we have been saved
- we hope for what we do not see
- the Spirit helps our weakness
- we don't know how to pray as we should
- the Spirit intercedes for us according to the will of God
- we are saints (category not a description, haha)
- because we are called according to his purpose and love God, he will cause all things to work together for good
- God is for us
- no one can be against us
- God didn't spare his own Son but delivered him over for us
- Christ Jesus intercedes for us too
- tribulation, distress, persecution, peril, sword, nakedness - none of these can separate us from the love of Christ
- He loves us and through him we overwhelmingly conquer
- no created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God
- the love of God for us is in Christ Jesus our Lord

Romans 8: 1-17

Hi Jennie!

This is a power-packed chapter! I decided to split it up a bit.

- vs. 1: Do you think there is missing manuscript at the end of chapter 7? It doesn't really make sense to say one the other hand I am with my flesh serving the law of sin Therefore, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
- But vs. 2 clarifies a little more: The law of the Spirit in Christ Jesus has actually set us free from the law of sin and death.
- Thank you Lord for sending your own son in the likeness of sinful man, yet perfect, to be an acceptable offering for our sins.
- Help us Lord to keep our minds set on the things of the Spirit
- vs. 7-8: We see again that sin is a slavery that renders those in its grip no choice but to sin
- vs. 10-11: Praise God that though these bodies of ours are wasting away, our spirit is alive in Christ Jesus and the same power of God that raised Jesus from the dead is alive in us!
- vs. 14: who are the sons of God? All who are being lead by the Spirit of God
- vs. 15-17: We are adopted as sons, fellow heirs of the Kingdom of God with Christ Jesus. By the way, I'm totally ok with being a "son" of God even though I'm a woman. In the context of biblical times it was the son that inherited the riches and wealth of his father. God uses "daughter" plenty in the Bible. I'm not offended at all to be called a son in the light of these verses.

Romans Chapter 7

Hi Jennie!

Chapter 7 has a lot of "huh"?s for me. But I'll work through it anyway:

- vs. 1-3: I think Paul is using the law of marriage to describe how once we have passed away we are no longer under the law (and thus physically removed from the presence of sin). Is this your understanding? While it appears this commentary is strictly for a parallel between the law of marriage and the law which makes us aware of our sin, it's still interesting to me that Paul says "if while her husband is still living she is joined to another man, she shall be called an adulteress".  There's no exception here that says "unless she divorces for unfaithfulness". This sticks out to me because adulteress is among those mentioned in the gospels who will not inherit the kingdom of God, along with homosexuals. But the church isn't protesting second marriages is it?
- vs. 4: Thank you Lord that through Jesus we can bear fruit for you and not bear fruit for death
- vs. 7-14: I get that the law itself isn't sin. It makes us aware of our sin. However, I think Paul is "wrong" when he says (vs.9) "I was once alive apart from the Law but when the commandment came, sin became alive and I died". Is that allowed? To think Paul is wrong? Haha... Paul just told us in chapter 2 that the law is written on our hearts. So it doesn't make sense that only once the commandments came that we (as a human race) became aware of our sin. That happened way back in the garden.
- vs. 18-19: Here we get our popular saying the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. Though I want to do good, there is evil present in me "waging war" (vs. 23) Thank you Lord that Jesus will save us from this body of death! (vs. 24, 25)

Romans Chapter 6

Hi Jennie!

- I feel like this chapter is all about Paul trying to help the Roman Church (and us) understand the complexities yet simplicities of grace and how the freedom it brings us in Christ Jesus is freedom in righteousness not freedom to keep on sinning because that totally makes no sense. When we've died to sin we can't continue in it.
- vs. 4: We will walk in newness of life someday in resurrected bodies just as Jesus walks in newness of life in his resurrected body.
- vs. 10: The death that Jesus died he died to sin once for all. Thank you Lord!
- This chapter also helps me understand why it's really not helpful to put the moral demands of Christianity onto people who haven't yet accepted the free gift of grace in Jesus Christ. They are slaves to sin. Just as I was once. There's really no choice in the matter. Like you have to say yes to sin because it's your master and you are its slave. And at that point your "enemy" is God. But your enemy actually loves you and wants you to come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ and be freed from the slavery of sin. When you accept it, only then can you actually make the choice to not sin.

That's all for now. Love!
Steph

Romans Chapter 5

Jennie:

Hi! Here are my thoughts on chapter 5:

- vs 1: Thank you, Lord, that we have peace with you through Jesus Christ and are saved from your wrath through him (vs. 9)
- vs. 2: I like that this verse says by this grace in which we STAND
- vs. 3-5: I wrote these verses down for my hubby, good encouragement on a rough road. Hope does not disappoint!
- vs. 6-10: We get that someone might die for a righteous or a good person but Christ died for us when we were totally helpless sinners and his enemies
- vs. 12-21: I know these verses are comparing the sin that came into the world through one man, Adam, with the righteous that came into the world through one man, Jesus Christ. I love the parallel, it's totally great. But it breaks down for me on this one point: through Adam ALL were born into sin and thus doomed to die to pay for the consequences of sin. Through Christ, only SOME are born again into righteousness through his blood because not all will believe. But these verses don't make that distinction. Vs 18 says: "so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men." Really, all? Seems very universalist. What do you think?