CHRISTADELPHIAN ISOLATION LEAGUE

Magazine
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Issue 181 2022 – Number 1

As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds his
people, from this time forth and for evermore (Psalm 125:2)

The Letter to
the Romans
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 Have you ever accidentally opened
The Letter someone else’s post? If it was a personal
letter, it would probably give some

to the insight both into the sender and the

recipient. We would glimpse something

Romans of their relationship – perhaps the

problems they were facing, or happy
memories they shared, or news of
people they knew in common.

So it might seem a strange medium for

God to communicate his message to his
people – and yet that’s exactly what
most of the New Testament consists of
(even Luke, Acts and Revelation!). In our
everyday lives, we’re not used to seeing
deep, analytical, theological discussions
alongside personal greetings and
arrangements for meeting up. And yet
that’s exactly how God has chosen to
present much of the teaching on which
our faith is founded.

Nowhere is this contrast seen more than

in Paul’s Letter to the Romans. It’s one
of his longest letters in which he lays out
his arguments with almost lawyerly
precision. And yet it is also contains the
most extensive evidence of his personal
THE LETTER TO THE ROMANS 2

connection to his readers. Why is this? And why was it seen fit for
later generations to eavesdrop on Paul’s plans for his Spanish trip,
and a list of names of people about whom we know next to nothing?

Perhaps it’s to remind us that true doctrine isn’t abstract, intellectual

or theoretical, but something lived and believed by communities. He
was writing to real people – people whose circumstances he knew
something of, people who had challenges and successes, hopes and
fears. He wrote under inspiration to meet those needs, to enrich their
lives as disciples of Christ and as members of the household of faith.

If Bible reading is a struggle at times, perhaps remembering this will

help us. These were written by real people to real people – people
whose lives may have been very different to ours, and yet who form
with us (we hope) the faithful of all ages. With that in mind, let’s delve
into the Letter to the Romans, knowing that “everything that was
written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the
endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they
provide we might have hope” (Romans 15:4, NIV).

Grace and peace to you,

Richard
AN OVERVIEW OF THE LETTER TO THE ROMANS 3

The Letter to the Romans,

An overview of monumental amongst Paul's
the Letter to writings, has commanded more

the Romans scholarly and theological attention

than any other New Testament
letter. Romans is vital to
understanding the gospel message:
Mark Vincent, Lapworth,
justification through faith; the
UK
dominion of sin and its release in
Christ; baptism; the role of Jew and
Gentile in God's purpose - all these are treated in more detail here
than anywhere else in the New Testament. Yet many beginner and
intermediate readers of the Bible find the letter very difficult. A key
task, therefore, at the outset, is to try to get a good grasp of the main
themes and the flow of the letter as a whole. That's a good position
to start from in order to get into some of the details!

Key Facts

The gospel had spread rapidly to Rome in the early years of

Christianity, and, as would be expected in the world's capital at that
time, it was a cosmopolitan community. In particular, the relationship
between Jews and Gentiles (non-Jews) was an important issue. Caesar
expelled Jews from Rome on a number of occasions, but each time
they came back, the issue had to be faced again. The Jew/Gentile
issue is one of the main unifying strands of Paul's letter. He shows
AN OVERVIEW OF THE LETTER TO THE ROMANS 4

how both Jew and Gentile have fallen short through sin, and that
God's promise is now available to both, on the basis of faith (not Law).
God had not cast off His people, but would ultimately restore them
to Himself, but in the meantime the gospel message of salvation
through faith was available to all who would hear.

Why is it in the Bible?

Romans provides the fullest, most rigorously argued and defended

presentation of the gospel message to be found in the Bible. Some
have thought of it more as a treatise or statement or defence of the
gospel Paul preached, and it is certainly fascinating to have such an
account. Among the notable topics which Paul deals with (often more
extensively than elsewhere in the Bible) are: the guilt of man, the
atonement, justification by faith, baptism, the parallels and contrasts
between Adam and Christ, new life in Christ, Jew and Gentile in God's
purpose, and predestination. Quite a formidable list!

History Matters

Although Paul knew many of the individuals from the Roman

Christian congregations (see chapters 15 and 16), he had not visited
them and did not know them as a group. As 'the apostle to the
Gentiles' it seemed logical that he should remedy this gap in his
knowledge. Planning to visit them shortly and perhaps use Rome as
a base for further missionary activity in France and Spain, it made
sense for him to write to them and open the channels of
AN OVERVIEW OF THE LETTER TO THE ROMANS 5

communication, setting out the controversial gospel message that he

preached. It's usually assumed that Paul wrote Romans during his
three-month stay in Corinth in AD57.

Related Bible Books

Romans is just one of the letters written by the apostle Paul. It is the
fullest explanation of the gospel which he preached, but many of its
themes can be traced in his other letters. There is a particularly strong
similarity between some of the topics Paul deals with in Romans and
Galatians, though Galatians is a much more polemical letter since
Paul has to counteract more wrong doctrine (whereas in Romans he
can simply state the truth). Topics like justification, faith, circumcision,
the Law and the roles of Jew and Gentile are important in both letters.

Anatomy of the Book

It's common to think of Romans in three major sections (though there

is more of a thematic unity and progression than this analysis
suggests):

• Chapters 1-8 are the theoretical or doctrinal basis of the letter.

• Chapters 9-11 explain the roles of Jew and Gentile in God's
purpose.
• Chapters 12-16 deal with practical living and Paul's personal
greetings.
AN OVERVIEW OF THE LETTER TO THE ROMANS 6

What’s in it for me?

Anyone interested in the gospel message as originally preached by

the apostles in the first century has a lot to learn from Romans. A
particularly powerful point is the way Paul lays out his argument in
the first few chapters. He shows, both from logical reasoning and
from Old Testament Scriptures, that human beings are all sinners and
not worthy (in their natural state) to come before God. It's human
nature to want to justify ourselves, to make excuses, to blame others,
to think the problem lies somewhere else other than with ourselves.
But Paul will not allow his readers to do this. We must all recognise
ourselves to be guilty before God. We must stop talking - stop
defending, stop justifying - and become silent before Him (Romans
3:19). Once we've stopped talking, we can start listening to what He
has to say. Only then will we be ready to receive the salvation that He
offers through faith, and by His grace.

Coin of Nero and Agrippina II, AD54. Nero was Roman Emperor at the
time the letter was written.
THE LETTER TO THE ROMANS 7

Romans 1
Paul has been chosen by God to preach
the gospel - the "good news". So he
starts by telling us seven things about
what the gospel is.

1. The gospel is the good news of/from/about God (verse 1).

2. The gospel is about the promises God made in the (Old

Testament) Scriptures (verse 2).

3. The gospel is about Jesus, descendant of the royal line of David,

and son of God, raised to life (verses 3-4).

4. Paul wants to preach the gospel to Jews and non-Jews in Rome

(verse 15).

5. The gospel is not something to be ashamed of (verse 16).

6. The gospel is the power of God that brings salvation to

everyone (Jews and non-Jews) who believes (verse 16).

7. The gospel reveals the righteousness of God (verse 17).

Paul then takes up the theme of the righteousness of God and

contrasts it with the unrighteousness of man. That unrighteousness
THE LETTER TO THE ROMANS 8

starts with not giving glory or thanks to God, and leads to a

downward spiral of idolatry, sexual immorality, and evil in all its forms.

Paul's particular focus is on the relationship between how we

understand the natural world and our unrighteous behaviour. The
natural world should tell us something about who God is. Once we
shut our eyes to that, we pervert the natural order by elevating
created things (including ourselves and the things we have made)
above the Creator. And following on from that we corrupt human
relationships by elevating our desire above the natural order.

Here, then, are two paths:

• "The righteous will live by faith" (1:17).

• The unrighteous "deserve death" (1:32).

The Pantheon in
Rome. Originally a
temple to Roman
gods, now a Catholic
church.
THE LETTER TO THE ROMANS 9

Romans 2 Well, that's what they are like. Now how

about you? Paul moves from outlining
the evil of "they" (1:19-32 – “they” /
“them” / “themselves” occurs 23 times) to
the hypocrisy of "you" (28 times in 2:1-5,
17-25). So who are these groups?

"They" are idolaters (1:23), presumably Gentiles. "You" are Jews (2:17).
But "God shows no partiality" (2:11). Notice how Paul's argument is
structured to show that Jews and Gentiles are in the same boat.

A: "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all

ungodliness... (1.18)"

B: "... they are without excuse" (1:20)

[Jews nod sagely at the evils of the Gentiles]

B: "Therefore you [What? Us?] have no excuse" (2:1)

A: "You are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when
God's righteous judgment will be revealed." (2:5)

What can we learn from this? Paul is addressing a situation where

religious people are judging "outsiders" because of their rejection of
God and their immoral behaviour. Yet these religious people are just
as bad, and somehow think they can escape judgment because they
are part of the "in-crowd".
THE LETTER TO THE ROMANS 10

Today, it might not be an issue of Jews versus Gentiles, but the same
spirit of judgmentalism and hypocrisy can easily arise. “Look at them!
Aren't they awful! How God must despise them!”. No, look at you!
Don't think that God's mercy means you can just do what you like.
Use his mercy as a springboard for repentance and a changed heart.
You can't be in God's family with a "hard and unrepentant heart"
(verse 5). You need a circumcised heart (verse 29) - a heart with fleshly
thinking cut off. That's how you really become a Jew. That's how you
really become part of God's family.

Images

p. 6: Aureus of Claudius, Classical Numismatic Group, Inc. http://www.cngcoins.com

p. 8: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pantheon_Rom_1_cropped.jpg
p.14: https://www.freebibleimages.org/illustrations/yo-abram-promise/
p. 17: https://pixabay.com/vectors/chain-slavery-oppression-jail-5596267/
p. 18: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Torah_Hebraica.png
p. 26: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Olea_europaea_2830_olives.jpg
THE LETTER TO THE ROMANS 11

Romans 3 Having established that Jews and Gentiles

are equally worthy of God's judgment,
and can both be given salvation, Paul
launches into a Q&A.

Once again, righteousness is a key theme

- the righteousness of God and the righteousness and
unrighteousness of man. This is a bit obscured in some English
translations, because the same word is translated "righteous" and
"just". Keep that in mind and follow the theme through the chapter.

• God is shown to be righteous when unrighteous people confess

their sin (verse 4 understood in the light of the source of the
quotation from Psalm 51:4).

• So, ironically, our unrighteousness highlights God's

righteousness (verse 5a).

• Ah, but does that make God unrighteous for condemning

something which can actually highlight his righteousness (verse
5a)? No way!

• If people go down that line of reasoning, God is certainly

righteous in condemning them (verse 8)!

• No-one is righteous - not Jews, not Gentiles (verses 9-10).

THE LETTER TO THE ROMANS 12

• And no-one is going to become righteous by doing the works

of the law (verse 20).

• There is, however, a righteousness from God that has been

revealed in the Old Testament Scriptures - righteousness for all
who believe in Jesus (verses 21-22).

• Believers are made righteous by God's grace, by the forgiveness

we receive in Jesus (verse 24).

• The making righteous of believers also shows God to be

righteous, because he is being true to his merciful character
(verse 25).

• So, God is righteous and he makes believers in Jesus to be

righteous too (verse 26).

• Believers are made righteous without doing the works of the

law (verse 28).

• That means God will make believers righteous, whether or not

they have been circumcised (a key work of the law that
distinguished Jews from Gentiles) (verses 29-30).
THE LETTER TO THE ROMANS 13

Romans 4
In chapter 1, Paul gives this quotation
from the Old Testament book of
Habakkuk: "The righteous shall live by
faith". But in chapter 3, he quotes the
book of Psalms, which says, "None is
righteous, no, not one." If there aren't any
righteous people, how can people live by faith? Paul explains at the
end of chapter that it's not that righteous people show faith (though
that is true), but that people who show faith are counted as righteous
by God.

In chapter 4, he presents Abraham as a case study. Paul draws a lot

of his ideas from Genesis 15 and 17, so it's worth looking back at
those chapters to get an idea of the words and concepts.

Here's what Paul draws from the story of Abraham:

• Abraham was the forefather of - and an example to - the Jews.

He was righteous, not because of what he did, but because of
his faith (verses 1-5).

• Abraham was counted righteous before he was circumcised -

before he had received what physically marked out Jews as
different. So it follows that you don't need to be circumcised
(i.e. Jewish) in order to be counted righteous (verses 9-12).
THE LETTER TO THE ROMANS 14

• God's promise to Abraham came before the Law had been

given. So the fulfilment of the promise can't depend on keeping
the Law (verse 13).

• God's promise was not only to Abraham but to his offspring.

Who are Abraham's offspring? Since he was "the father of many
nations", his offspring can't only be the Jews. Paul says that "all
his offspring" consist of "not only... the adherent of the law but
also... the one who shares the faith of Abraham" (verse 16).

• Abraham's faith is so noteworthy because he believed things

that were hard to believe: a) that God could make dead things
alive (the deadness of Sarah's womb) and b) that God could
bring into existence things which didn't yet exist (many nations).

Abraham is
promised the
Land.
THE LETTER TO THE ROMANS 15

Romans 5
We have been made righteous. But what
does that look and feel like? Is it just a
label that God has put on us? Chapter 5
tells us what it is to be justified/made
righteous - what the consequences are.

• We have peace with God (verse 1)

• We have access to grace (verse 2a)
• We rejoice in hope of the glory of God (verse 2b)
• We rejoice in our sufferings (verse 3)
• We will be saved by Jesus from the wrath of God (verse 9)
• We have been reconciled to God (verse 10a)
• We will be saved by the life of Jesus (verse 10b)
• We will reign in life (verse 17)
• We will have eternal life through Jesus Christ (verse 21).

Paul explains how we have been justified by comparing and

contrasting Adam and Christ. Try collecting the information given
about each of them - it goes something like this:

Adam disobeyed and sinned, sin came into the world, judgment and
death came, many were made sinners, death & condemnation came
on all, death reigned. Christ obeyed, the gift of grace came,
righteousness came, many were made righteous, life & justification
came for all, grace reigns.
THE LETTER TO THE ROMANS 16

Romans 6 Sin leads to death; righteousness leads to

life. Seeing as we've been made
righteous, how about we start living?

In baptism we unite with the death of

Jesus. In our resurrection we will unite
with the resurrection of Jesus (verses 5 and 8). But what about the bit
in between?

Paul shows that Jesus's new life has two aspects:

• he is free from death forever (verse 9)

• he lives completely "to God" (verse 10)

We won't share in the first part until the resurrection. But we can start
sharing in the second part now: "So you also must consider
yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus" (verse 11).

Paul helps us see how we can start changing now by talking about
two ruling powers. The first is the power of death ("death...
dominion", verse 9) and sin ("sin... reign... dominion”, verses 12 and
14). Jesus was never under the power of sin and is no longer under
the power of death. We still are under both, but it's time for a coup,
and sin needs to be deposed (verse 12).
THE LETTER TO THE ROMANS 17

We've defected. We've joined the other side - the other ruling power.
We're servants of obedience (verse 16), of righteousness (verse 18),
of God (verse 22).

But lest we take the "servant" and "power" metaphor too far, Paul
makes clear that we haven't exchanged one form of slavery for
another. Joining God's side means being set free from sin (verses 18
and 22) and receiving a gift - eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord (verse
23).
THE LETTER TO THE ROMANS 18

Romans 7 When we join Christ, we are freed from

sin. But rather surprisingly, we are also
freed from the Law - the God-given law,
described by Paul as "holy and righteous
and good" (7:12).

Let's follow the theme through. In chapter 5, Paul says that there's
always been sin, but it's only been counted since the Law came (5:13).
So what is the relationship between sin and law? Paul says that "apart
from the Law, sin lies dead" (7:8). It's as if sin is a dormant infection -
present, but not active, while there is no law. But when the Law came
"sin came alive... seizing an opportunity through the commandment...
producing death in me through what is good" (7:9,11,13). It's a
puzzling picture, but the basic idea seems to be that:

a) naturally we just do what we feel like - that's not counted as sin

until we are aware that it's wrong and are therefore rebelling against
God's law when we do it.

b) being told not to do something (a law) makes us want to do it (sin).

Earlier in Romans, Paul has made clear that all are sinners. Yet here
he describes the presence of sin as somehow foreign to us. There is
sin and there is "I" (verse 9); there is sin and there is "me" (verse 11),
THE LETTER TO THE ROMANS 19

deceived by and killed through sin. As the argument moves on,

there's a slight shift in focus, but still two parts to us. There is the
inner being, the mind, the desire to do right. But there is also the
flesh, "my members" which are in service to sin.

This is how it is as we live the new life now. And so it will continue to
be until we are delivered "from this body of death" (7:24).
THE LETTER TO THE ROMANS 20

Romans 8 We now know what we are saved from.

But what are we saved for? It's "in order
that the righteous requirement of the law
might be fulfilled in us" (verse 4).

How does that happen? Through the

Spirit. Today, the concept of the Spirit carries with it all sorts of
erroneous ideas. In the context of Romans, it’s perhaps not helpful to
think of the Spirit as "the power of God", with all the associations with
miraculous Holy Spirit gifts that that brings. Rather Paul is speaking
of the Spirit as the thinking, values, mindset, essence of God, as
opposed to the flesh - the thinking, values, mindset, essence of man.

We walk and live not according to the flesh, but according to the
Spirit (verse 4). How are we enabled to do that? By setting our minds
on the things of the Spirit, rather than the things of the flesh (verse
5). The result of doing so is life and peace and pleasing God (verse 6,
8). The result of not doing so is death and hostility to God (verse 6,
7).

Paul then moves things up a gear. If you set your mind on the things
of the Spirit and are walking according to the Spirit, you can be
described as "in the Spirit" and "the Spirit of God dwells in you" (verse
9). If you don't have the Spirit, you're not part of Christ's family (verse
10).
THE LETTER TO THE ROMANS 21

The Spirit gives life. It gave life to Jesus's dead body. It gives spiritual
life to our spiritually dead bodies, and ultimately eternal life to our
naturally dead bodies. But we're not passive recipients in this - we
have to "put to death the deeds of the body" (verse 13).

If we do so, we are God's children. There are two characteristics of

sonship.

The first is resemblance. Just like a child resembles his father, so our
spirit/mind/character resembles that of our Father, God - it is
evidence that we truly are God's children (verse 16).

The second is inheritance. Just as a child inherits the father's

possessions, so we and Jesus share in the promises and in all the
Father's possessions (verse 17).

This is God's purpose - a family of children sharing his character and

possessing his creation (verse 29). Creation can't wait! (verse 19). It
groans, together with us (verse 23) and with the Spirit (verse 26),
waiting for the revealing of the sons of God (verse 18), and the
freedom of the glory of the children of God (verse 21).
THE LETTER TO THE ROMANS 22

Romans 9 In chapter 8, Paul defines the children of

God as those led by the Spirit (8:14). So
how does that relate to the nation of
Israel?

The nation of Israel do have a privileged

status. Paul lists all the things that belong to them (verse 4) -
covenants, promises, law, patriarchs and so on. Even "the adoption"
- the welcoming into God's family as sons mentioned in chapter 8
belongs to them. The blessings of God belong to Israel, but ironically
many of those who see themselves as "Israelites" do not really belong
to Israel (verse 6).

Who your father is is not enough. Paul shows that this has always
been the case. "Father Abraham had many sons", but only one of
them – Isaac - was a son of promise, the real child of Abraham (verse
8). Why Isaac and not the others? Because he was "born according to
the Spirit" (Galatians 4:2).

The same is true of the next generation. Isaac had two sons, but only
one was "the chosen" (verses 10, 11). So natural birth is not enough;
descent does not make you a child of God - spiritual birth does. Is
that fair? Yes - because the blessing of sonship is something which
God gives in his mercy. It's not a reward for doing something; it's a
choice that God makes (verses 14-24).
THE LETTER TO THE ROMANS 23

Romans 10 Paul returns to his opening quotation:

"The righteous shall live by faith" (1:17).
To be really alive, you need to be
righteous. To be counted righteous, you
need faith.

The believing Gentiles are now counted as righteous (verse 30). But
those Jews who have sought "to establish their own" righteousness
(10:3) are not counted as part of God’s family. The righteousness of
God comes only through faith.

What does it mean to have faith? Something happens in your heart,

and something happens in your mouth.

In your heart is the word of faith/belief (verse 8). In your heart is belief
that God raised Jesus from the dead (verse 9). With the heart you
believe and are counted righteous (verse 10). Everyone - Jew and
Gentile - "who believes in him will not be put to shame" (verse 11).

In your mouth is the word of faith/belief (verse 8). With your mouth
you confess that Jesus is Lord (verse 9). With the mouth you confess
and are saved (verse 10). Everyone - Jew and Gentile - "who calls on
the name of the Lord will be saved" (verse 13).
THE LETTER TO THE ROMANS 24

Notice how these aspects are woven together:

mouth - heart (verse 8)

mouth - heart (verse 9)
heart - mouth (verse 10)
(heart) believes - (mouth) calls (verses 11-13)

Paul takes things back a stage. Before you confess/call with your
mouth, you first need to believe in your heart (verse 14a). But
before you believe in your heart, you need to hear with your ears
(verse 14b). And to hear with your ears, someone needs to
speak/preach with their mouth (verse 14c).

Here then is the circle of faith:

Mouth

Ears

Heart

or as Paul puts it "faith comes from hearing, and hearing from the
word of Christ" (verse 17).
THE LETTER TO THE ROMANS 25

One reason that the Bible can be difficult

Romans 11 to read is that ideas are structured in a
way which is unfamiliar to a modern
Western audience (particularly readers in
the English-speaking world). We are used
to texts being arranged with a linear
structure; the Bible is often written as
"ring composition" - the ideas are like concentric circles moving
towards a central point.

So it can be helpful to put the main points next to each other, rather
than either side of the central point (even better would be to learn to
read in the way the text is structured, but that takes longer). Here's
what's happening in Romans 11:

• There's a remnant of Israel who are chosen by grace. The rest

are enemies of God, but can still receive mercy in due time.

• The rest of Israel are blind, but this gives opportunity for the
Gentiles - until the Gentile era is over, and all of true spiritual
Israel are saved.

• Paul gives a picture of two olive trees. There's a wild Gentile one,
and an Israelite one. Gentiles can be grafted into the Israelite
olive tree and share in the sustenance of its root; and repentant
Jews can be grafted back into their own olive tree.
THE LETTER TO THE ROMANS 26

• Whether you're in or out of the olive tree, depends on one

thing. Not who your parents are, but your faith. If you are an
unbelieving Jew you'll be cut off, but if you are a believing Jew
you'll be grafted back in. If you are a believing Gentile, you'll be
grafted in, but if you don't believe, you'll be cut off (verses 21-
22).

• All this illustrates God's character - God's goodness if you're in,

God's severity if you're out.
THE LETTER TO THE ROMANS 27

We know now that all are sinners and all

Romans 12 are saved through the mercy of God: "For
God has consigned all to disobedience,
that he may have mercy on all" (11:32).
Jews and Gentiles are equally sinful, yet all
can be saved through faith, and being
joined to the olive tree of God's people.

All very interesting, but what does that mean on a day-to-day level?

Well, because of the mercies of God, you are to become a spiritual

sacrifice. This is the response expected of the redeemed.

Paul then explains what that looks like in practical terms.

Fundamentally, it's about creating and maintaining community. First,
he talks of the Christian community, the congregation, and the need
for teamwork and acceptance of diversity of talents.

Then he gives a series of tweet-able maxims for God-focused living.

They almost all focus on our relationships with others - how we
should relate to our fellow believers, how we should relate to people
in general, and even how we should relate to our enemies.

A Christian faith has consequences for real life - those will be seen
most evidently in community and relationships.
THE LETTER TO THE ROMANS 28

"We are released from the law, having

Romans 13 died to that which held us captive" (7:6)

Is Paul arguing for anarchy? No. Law is still

important, but it no longer holds us
captive.

Believers must obey earthly authorities because they are:

a) appointed by God (verse 2)

b) servants of God (verse 4)
c) agents of God's wrath (verses 4, 5)
d) ministers of God (verse 6)

And Paul was talking about people like the emperor Nero, renowned
for his cruelty. It's hard to see corrupt and oppressive regimes as
divinely appointed authorities; but the anarchy of countries such as
Libya and Iraq show that even having bad leaders can be better than
having no leaders.

Believers must also fulfill the Law of Moses. Not by keeping a set of
rules, but by loving one another. After all, that's what the law was all
about.
THE LETTER TO THE ROMANS 29

"Love does no wrong to a neighbour;

Romans 14 therefore love is the fulfilling of the law"
(13:10).

If that is true of your neighbour, how

much more of your brother? So Paul takes
a real example to show how brothers in
Christ can love each other – even when they disagree.

Much could be said about what they are to do, but in summary, the
"not-doers [of whatever is controversial]" are to stop being
judgmental and the "doers" are not to despise the not-doers and not
to grieve them. In chapter 15, these seem to equate with "the weak"
and "the strong". But first he has a lot more to say about these two
brothers in dispute.

Here's what he says about the "not-doer":

• He's your brother (verse 10, 13, 15, 21)
• He's the one who Christ died for (verse 15)
• He's the work of God (verse 20)

Here's what he says about the "doer"

• He is welcomed by God (verse 3)
• He's a servant of the Lord (verse 4)
• He's your brother (verse 10)
• He's blessed (verse 22)
THE LETTER TO THE ROMANS 30

It's all for the glory of God.

Romans 15
Live in harmony. Why? So that you can
glorify God with one voice (verse 6).

Welcome one another. Why? So that God

is glorified (verse 7).

Preach to the Gentiles. Why? So "that the offering of the Gentiles may
be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit" (verse 16) and "in order
that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy" (verse 9).

This was the plan all along. It's there in the historical books (verse 9),
the Law (verse 10), the Psalms (verse 11) and the Prophets (verse 12).
And now it's happening!

Changes your perspective, doesn't it?

THE LETTER TO THE ROMANS 31

14:1 - As for the one who is weak in faith,

Romans 16 welcome him
14:3 - ... for God has welcomed him
15:7 - Therefore welcome one another
as Christ has welcomed you
16:1 - Phoebe... that you may welcome
her in the Lord in a way worthy of the
saints.

The Christian community is to be a place of welcome because it is

dedicated to a welcoming God and a welcoming Lord.

How do we do that? Well, a start-pointing is to greet people by name.

Paul finishes Romans with a greeting sandwich - a long list of people
he wants to send greetings to, and a shorter list of people he sends
greetings from.

What's in the middle of the sandwich?

1. Let's make this greeting universal - greet one another; all the
churches greet you (verse 16).
2. There are some people you'd be best not welcoming. Look out
for divisive people and avoid them (verses 17-20).
THE LETTER TO THE ROMANS 32

Paul opened Romans explaining that his mission as an apostle is "to

bring about the obedience of faith... among all the nations" (1:5). He
closes with the same words, this time taking himself out of the
equation, and reminding us that this mission is the command of the
eternal God (16:26).

“Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel

and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the
mystery that was kept secret for long ages but has now been
disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known
to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to
bring about the obedience of faith – to the only wise God be glory
forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen.”

Romans 16:25-27
DISCIPLESHIP 33

Many of us these days have some sort of

Walking with fitness tracker, something that can count
God how many steps we walk. With our often
sedentary lifestyle, we might need
encouragement to get out and about
more, and walking is one of the simplest
forms of exercise we can do. Not only
Gary Davison does it improve our fitness, but it is good
Glasgow South
for our mental health too. But what about
our spiritual health?

In the times that the Bible was written, I think it’s safe to say that
almost everyone walked, and the Bible therefore has a lot to say
about walking. But where it gets interesting is where it uses walking
as an analogy for something more significant, spiritually speaking.

Genesis tells us about people who ‘walked with God’, firstly Enoch
(5:24) and Noah (6:9), but then at the end, Jacob refers to his
ancestors Abraham and Isaac as also walking with God (48:15). This
is clearly telling us much more than about these people merely
walking physically with the creator of the universe. It suggests that
they had a close relationship with God, that they were going in the
same metaphorical direction as God, and that what they did in their
life pleased God. This is contrasted by the actions of Adam and Eve
right at the start of the book, who after they had sinned, hid
themselves when they heard God walking in the garden of Eden (3:8).
DISCIPLESHIP 34

Later in the books of the law, God, through Moses, tells his people
this:

If you walk in my statutes and

keep my commandments and
observe them faithfully, I will
give you your rains in their
season, and the land shall
yield its produce, and the
trees of the field shall yield
their fruit… I will place my
dwelling in your midst, and I shall not abhor you. And I will walk
among you, and will be your God, and you shall be my people. I am
the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt.
(Leviticus 26:3-4,11-13)

God therefore promises his people that obedience guarantees that

he will walk with them.

Joshua, who led the people of Israel after Moses, says this:

Take good care to observe the commandment and instruction that

Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, to love the Lord your
God, to walk in all his ways, to keep his commandments, and to hold
fast to him, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.
(Joshua 22:5)
DISCIPLESHIP 35

So it seems as if walking with God and walking in God’s ways are

pretty similar concepts: that of us doing things in life which please
God.

We can read later on in the Old Testament of David, the famous King
of Israel, walking with God (1 Kings 9:4), and in the Psalms, we get the
message of God that he wishes his people would walk with him:

O that my people would listen to me, that Israel would walk in my

ways! (Psalm 81:13)

In the New Testament, there are also hints of walking being used as
a metaphor for living a good life. Just one example is that of John,
who says this:

I have no greater joy than this, to hear that my children are walking
in the truth. (3 John 4)

So how can I sum up what it means for us today to walk with God? I
don’t think there is a better summary than what was written by the
prophet Micah: be just, be kind, show love, and walk humbly with
God.

From:
https://glasgowsouthchristadelphians.wordpress.com/2022/02/23/w
alking-with-god/
CIL NEWS 36

Hymns in Farsi

We are now starting to make

available videos of Northern
Christadelphian Choir hymn
recordings with the text of the
Farsi translation (either for
understanding or for singing)
The growing list of hymns
available in Farsi is here (you
need to be logged into the
website to access them):

www.isolationleague.org/hymns/list/farsi

Online meetings

CIL Meet is our live stream

service provided for
Christadelphian organisations and ecclesias to privately and securely
broadcast services, discussions and events over the internet.

The available CIL Meet rooms are listed on the CIL website by
organisation or ecclesia (you need to be logged on to the website to
view:

www.isolationleague.org/meet
 AREA SECRETARIES
see CALS Diary for contact details

CORNWALL, DEVON & SCILLY: Michael Willey

WEST OF ENGLAND: Colin Jannaway, colin.jannaway@tiscali.co.uk

SOUTH: Melanie Ford

SOUTH EAST: Jen Hayles

NORTH LONDON: Please contact secretary.

WEST MIDLANDS: Please contact secretary.

EAST MIDLANDS: David Harvey, secretary@isolationleague.org

NORTH WEST: Joanne Wale, alan-jowale@tiscali.co.uk

NORTH EAST: John Pritchard

SOUTH WALES: Rebekah Fifield, assistantsecretary@isolationleague.org

NORTH WALES: John Lock

EAST, WEST & NORTH SCOTLAND: Lindsay Yuile

LOTHIAN & BORDERS: Brenda Haines

REPUBLIC OF IRELAND & NORTHERN IRELAND: Stephen Fifield

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