Romans 3-4 January 13, 2009
Posted by Sparky in Epistles, Romans.Tags: Abraham, Epistles, gift, God's promise, righteousness, Romans
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Scripture
Romans 4:23-24
The words “it was credited to him” were written not for [Abraham] alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.
Observation
I have a confession. Most of Romans 3 goes totally over my head. It seems as though, with each new sentence, Paul makes these leaps in his logic that he expects his readers to keep up with, and I can’t! But when he starts in with the example of Abraham in chapter 4, and his belief in God’s word before he was circumcised, and before the nation of Israel had been given the law, it makes total sense, and the verses quoted above are the conclusion of that argument. And it’s all to prove that everyone in the world sins, and everyone in the world can be saved from that sin by belief in God.
Application
Simple, today – I am amazingly grateful that God will credit the same righteousness to believers as He did to Abraham all those years ago. Considering Abraham lived roughly 4,000 years ago, and he had nothing apart from perhaps some oral history to prove to him that God was God – no writings, no Bible – it’s astonishing to think that God will think of me as highly as he thought of Abraham, just for believing in Jesus as the Son of God, and his resurrection. What a gift!
Prayer
Thanks for this promise, Lord. Help me to live a life worthy of it.
Deuteronomy 20-22 November 10, 2008
Posted by Sparky in Deuteronomy, Law.Tags: adversity, cross, curse, Deuteronomy, God's promise, Jesus, Law
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Scripture:
Dt 20:10-13
When you march up to attack a city, make its people an offer of peace. If they accept and open their gates, all the people in it shall be subject to forced labor and shall work for you. If they refuse to make peace and they engage you in battle, lay siege to that city. When the LORD your God delivers it into your hand, put to the sword all the men in it.
Dt 21:22-23
If a man guilty of a capital offense is put to death and his body is hung on a tree, you must not leave his body on the tree overnight. Be sure to bury him that same day, because anyone who is hung on a tree is under God’s curse.
Observation
It is interesting to note in the first passage the use of the word ‘when’. There was an expectation that the Lord would be with the Israelites in battle and that he would deliver cities that stood against them into their hands. It does not say ‘if’ – God was promising to be with them.
The second passage links in such a vital way with the New Testament and Jesus’ death on the cross – by being hung on a tree, Jesus suffered the curse of God for us. It is therefore not surprising that Saul and the other Jewish church-persecutors had some difficulty accepting the claims that Jesus WAS in fact the Son of God, and went through the horror of the crucifixion IN ORDER to experience God’s curse for the rest of humanity.
Application
Can we trust God to be with us when we come up against people who would stand against us? Yes, if we’re sure that the position we’re taking is the one that God would have us take. Can we trust Him to keep us safe through adversity? Yes, because He loves His children.
And the second passage just reveals to us exactly what Jesus went through, in more depth – he knew his scriptures, so he knew what this death meant full well. He knew the separation from God that he would have to endure, and he did it for you and for me anyway. That’s something to praise him for!
Prayer
Thank you God that we can totally trust you through times of trouble, when we need to take a stand in your name about something which pits us against other people. Thank you that we can rely on your promise in those times. And praise you Jesus for undergoing the suffering of the cross on our behalf – thank you that you took that step even though you knew exactly what would happen to you.
