Effie Darlene Barba

The book of Romans is a beautifully laid out apologetical letter written by Paul the apostle explaining and defending the gospel of Jesus Christ.  He answers the critics by presenting an airtight case for God’s Perfect Justice, Righteousness, and Grace.  Indeed, he presents clearly 6 demonstrations of the Perfect Righteousness of God Revealed.  Why?  As He says near the beginning.

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is God’s power for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. ¹⁷ For the righteousness of God is revealed in the gospel from faith to faith, just as it is written, “The righteous by faith will live.”  (Romans 1:16-17 NET)

There are various branches of study, or in other words approaches, to bible study. Each with a different focus.  Theology focuses on the study of God, His divine nature, and the doctrines associated with Him.  The emphasis is on learning more of who God is throughout scripture.  Exegesis is the approach of critical analysis of a text of scripture, considering its cohesiveness will other scriptures and its context.  Apologetics is defending the scripture against all the critics.  Two of the greatest apologetic preachers were Paul and Stephen.  Stephen was stoned, most likely by Paul’s decree, after delivering an amazing sermon defending the authenticity of Christ Jesus as God’s son from scripture.

Soon thereafter, Paul met Christ as Paul was heading out to persecute the Christians.  He had a depth of knowledge of the old Testament, unmatched by few.  Then he went away for a time and was taught by Jesus through the Holy Spirit, as he prepared for the ministry that would be his to the gentile nations.

He cannot be perfectly righteous were He not also just in every decision.

Romans 3:21-26 (NET)

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In Romans 1:18-32, Paul made the case for all those with a depraved mind being condemned certainly.  Most people would agree with his list as deserving. Although some would not count sexual immorality in the same group as those in the final list.  “They are filled with every kind of unrighteousness, wickedness, covetousness, malice. ..Rife with envy, murder, strife, deceit, hostility. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, contrivers of all sorts of evil, disobedient to parents, ³¹ senseless, covenant-breakers, heartless, ruthless” (Romans 1:29-31).  But what about the “good people”, surely God cannot judge them the same way as those.  Yet, who are the good people?  And who determines or states what is good?

The secular humanist movement in the early 1900s determined to write about these good people. They purported that we are born good people who only need society to change so our goodness could be manifested or evolved properly.  Their goal to make a case for humankinds’ innate goodness, denying that God existed.  “We are an evolving species,” they declared.  Utopia could be ours, if we change our society.

Yet, in direct response to their first manifesto the 20^th century brought the bloodiest century in history.  Hitler’s ideologies came directly from their teaching that the fittest of the species should survive, directly from their ideas of evolutionary change.  With him came the holocaust, but the millions killed there only represented a drop in the bucket of lives lost.  WWI and WWII brought so many casualties.  Then, there was Stalin, again whose socialist ideas mirrored those of the secular humanists to develop the Utopian society.  Millions died under Stalin, as did under Mao in China, 20% of Cambodia’s population under Pol Pot, and those in Rwanda. So, the “good people” said “oops.”

And the Good People Who Don’t Know or Who Deny God?

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All one need do is look around to recognize that we are surrounded by hate and corruption.  A corruption that runs so deep within the fabric of our nation that we can only moan.  It is hard to recognize what is true or right anymore with so much noise and ideologies surrounding us daily.  What once we shirked at or thought unimaginable, we now accept as the norm!  Instead of proclaiming the truth of the gospel to the world around us, we hide it away in our hearts.  So, afraid that others will think us hate filled, we run into seclusion.  Yet, should it be that way?  When I look deep into my own heart, recognizing the evil that is me and the grace of a loving God who continues to work to transform my heart, why wouldn’t I want to share that?  Only Christ can transform hearts.

As we look around us, we must recognize this truth.

And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what should not be done.  They are filled with every kind of unrighteousness, wickedness, covetousness, malice. … rife with envy, murder, strife, deceit, hostility. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, contrivers of all sorts of evil, disobedient to parents, senseless, covenant-breakers, heartless, ruthless.  Although they fully know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but also approve of those who practice them.  (Romans 1:28-32)

As a nation, we are guilty of pushing God aside.  And as a people, we now have a choice.  Either we turn, repent, and seek Him or we will perish.

God Gave Them Over

Continue reading “What is Needed to Overcome Hate and Corruption?”

In this world that we live, like Paul we must not be “ashamed of the gospel of Christ” (Romans 1:16 NKJV).  Regardless of the ridicule that may be thrown at you in this nation or by the mainstream media, we must not be ashamed of the gospel of Christ.  Why?  “For it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes… in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.” (Romans 1:16 NKJV).  Every day that we live, we must be reminded of the urgency and the necessity that we hold fast to this truth. For if we do not, we truly have lost sight of our primary purpose on this earth and have lost sight of our first love.

“This is the most life-transforming truth ever put into men’s hands.  If we really understand and respond to these truths in these two verses, time and eternity is totally altered.  Now I believe that these two verses form the theme and the thesis for the epistle to the Romans.  In brief but glorious and comprehensive terms the epistle is compressed into these basic truths.  It is a statement of the gospel of Christ.  Paul begins by saying, “I’m not ashamed of the gospel of Christ,” and then in concise terms expresses it in those two verses.”  John McArthur [1]

Love Demands We Not Be Ashamed of the Gospel of Christ

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As we come to the end of the book of Deuteronomy, we can look back through the journey of the children of Israel with Moses.  How much of their journey is like our own through this world?  They were the chosen, beloved children of God, just as we who know Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.  As such, God lovingly referred to them as Jeshurun. I daresay, we too, are Jeshurun–a poetical name, used in token of affection, meaning, “the dear upright people.”   It is a term of endearment; the Greek Septuagint translates Jeshurun as “beloved one,” using a form of the word agape. When you truly understand what that means, can anything really rob your joy in God?

Perhaps for a moment, the trial seems too heavy to bear.  Yet, whatever the trial is, God is there amid all the pain and sorrow.  He allows it only to the degree that He knows our hearts can bear.  Sustaining us with His loving arms around us, He allows the testing of our love toward Him.  Furthermore, He allows the testing of our hearts to help us grow ever closer to the image of Christ.  My frail and sometimes flailing heart too often desires things that would only give me counterfeit joy instead of His true Joy which is everlasting.  To fully know Him, I must at times face trials.  Afterall, should I deserve any less?  I have not yet suffered to the degree that my Savior did and He so undeserving-for unlike me, He was perfect righteousness.

Who Can Rob Your Joy in God?

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