Daily Inspirations

  Good morning. Let no man deceive himself. Did you realize that you can deceive yourself? We do that all the time in the natural. We want something so badly that we come up with all kinds of reasons or excuses to justify obtaining it. “If we buy this or that, we can use it for God’s glory”. In the end though we are just deceiving ourselves. If any man among you thinks he is wise in this age, he must become foolish, so that he may become wise. Say what? Remember that in the beginning of Corinthians we were talking about the difference between the wisdom of this world and God‘s wisdom. It is foolishness to believe in the power of the cross, but that is where true wisdom lies. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness before God. For it is written, “He is the one who catches the wise in their craftiness.”; and again, “the Lord knows the reasonings of the wise, that they are useless.“ In the book of James, he says that the wisdom of this world cannot compare to the wisdom from above...

 Good morning. Now we come to a couple of verses that are commonly misapplied. Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are. Sometimes people apply these verses to an individual’s body. However, Paul has just been talking about building the church. In chapter 6 he is talking about your own personal body. My Bible says that when it says temple of God, Paul is talking about God’s church. Paul does not mean here that each of his readers is a temple of the Holy Spirit. He says, “you yourselves (plural in Greek) are God‘s temple (singular in Greek)”. All of us together are a holy temple of God. Here he is not talking about each of us individually being God‘s temple. If you ruin God’s church, He will ruin you. Father help us to always work together to build Your church, not to tear it down. Keep the Destroyer and his allies from ev...

  Good morning. All right so we have laid the correct foundation for the church – Jesus Christ; now what? Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man’s work will become evident; but the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. The one building upon the foundation chooses which materials they’re going to use to build with. Even though the foundation is solid, if the builder uses flimsy materials, the house will not stand during a storm (I’ll huff and I’ll puff and I’ll blow your house down). It may be “cheaper“ to use wood, hay, or straw; but they won’t last. Paul just said it would be tested with fire: if any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer a loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire. My Bible says that that last statement is perhaps a Greek prov...

  Good morning. According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each man must be careful how he builds on it. Paul was the one that helped start the Corinthian church. He laid the foundation, which is what an apostle does. If the foundation is bad, the building won’t stand up under a storm. You remember Jesus talking about the man that built his house upon the foundation of sand. But just laying a good foundation is not enough. If the ones building upon the foundation do not do a good job, the building will also collapse. For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. If you lay a foundation of good works etc. instead of Christ, the building will not stand. It will crumble at the least disturbance. Once the foundation is laid, then one must choose what type of materials to use the build the building. Of course there is a parallel with our own lives. The ...

  Good morning. I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. The building of a church generally takes more than one person. Each one is important for a particular stage of the work. In the end, no matter how many or how great the people that build, the church will be nothing without God causing the growth. So then neither is the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth. Therefore no one can claim that it was their doing that established the church. Now he who plants and he who waters are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor. For we are God‘s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building. God used several different ways of describing His church. Each way gives a different aspect of the meaning of the word church. It’s OK to expand a little bit on the interpretation of those different ways. Sometimes people will take it too far and make generalizations that really don’t exist in real life. Fa...

  Good morning. And I could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food; for you were not able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not able, for you are still fleshly. For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men? They were still trying to operate in human wisdom, and not the wisdom of the Spirit. When you do that, your human desires get in the way of hearing from God. What jealousy, and what strife? For when one says, “I am of Paul,“ and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not mere men? They were looking to men for their teaching, not to God. Paul did not want even himself to be the one they looked to, but rather for them to look to God. What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one. Sadly even today Christians look to men rather than to God for their inspiration. T...

  Good morning. The things freely given to us by God: which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words. Paul did not talk about things that his human mind came up with. He only talked about things that the Spirit of God revealed to him. Why did he do that? A natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. Paul was not trying to persuade them about anything from the natural point of view. Once they were born again, he could then speak to them about the things of God. Unbelievers try to reason out the things of God; but their reasonings never come up with the truth. But he who is spiritual appraisers all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one. For who has known mind of the Lord, that he will instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ. That does not mean that we...

  Good morning. In Isaiah: Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him. That sounds encouraging. Man can think of many wonderful things; but they are all temporal. For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. That would mean that you cannot know anything about them unless you have the Holy Spirit dwelling within you. Who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. That would mean that there would be no way that we could know about these things unless the Spirit of God revealed them to us. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God. The spirit of the world seeks for things of the world; but the Spirit of God seeks for h...

  Good morning. So Paul did not preach in persuasive words of wisdom: yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature (it’s kind of like in math in that I cannot talk about calculus to those who are in Intermediate Algebra); a wisdom, however, not of this age nor of the rulers of this age, who are passing away; but we speak God‘s wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory; which none of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. It was a mystery in that people did not understand it; it was not a mystery because God did not hint about it in the Scriptures - for He did. God had to hide it or Jesus would never have been crucified, and we would not have salvation today. The Jewish religious leaders certainly would not have turned Him over to Pilate (they saw the messiah as the conquering king, not as the suffering servant), and the devil would have tried to preven...

  Good morning. So Paul says that he didn’t come with an arrogant attitude but: I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of man, but on the power of God. When you read Paul’s words in all of his letters, he doesn’t sound like he was in fear and in much trembling; and he even mentions that fact specifically later. He didn’t just have a bunch of pretty words; but he had words ignited by the Holy Spirit that produced salvation in the listeners, confirmed with power. My Bible says that the Greek word translated demonstration is used of producing proofs in an argument in court. I guess you could say that Paul was the Perry Mason of the gospel. Father help us to have Your words and not ours when we speak to others about salvation. Go with your people during the coming storm. Move and control it so tha...

  Good morning. So it is not by our greatness or achievement; but by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, so that, just as it is written, “let him who boasts, boast in the Lord“. It is all because of God’s doing, not ours. Some people use these verses to say that we have the wisdom of God through Jesus. But remember I said we would revisit an earlier verse which said “Christ the power of God and the wisdom (His dying on the cross) of God”. We do obtain God‘s righteousness and sanctification and redemption through Jesus. We have nothing to boast about. Then Paul says to the Corinthians: and when I came to you, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom (unlike some evangelists today) , proclaiming to you the testimony of God. For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. Others tried to wow the Corinthians with their oratory; but Paul preached the sim...

  Good morning. For consider your calling that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God. That’s easy for you to say, Paul. If man were going to devise a system of religion, he would set it up so that the people that were involved in it would be intelligent, strong, rich - the cream of the crop. Then man could say that he did it; that it was his vision that created the salvation. But God says like Lee Corso on College GameDay, “not so fast“. It cannot have anything to do with you; it has to be strictly My doing. He did the impossible thing with improbable people. Now no one can boast in himself; it strictly depends on God ...

  Good morning. For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom. And so if God chooses to reveal Himself in a way different from these, then they will not believe it. But we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness. To the Jews, the Messiah was supposed to remain forever (in the book of John you even had the public saying that to Jesus); and so saying that the Messiah was crucified was heresy. The whole thing sounded ridiculous to the intellectuals. Surely you had to seek God in some philosophical way, and by using your great intellect find Him. But to those who are the called, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God (we will refer to this last phrase again at the end of the chapter). The Jews wanted signs - Jesus rose from the dead. The Greeks wanted wisdom - God‘s wisdom had the perfect way to bring about salvation, so that it depended on Him and not man. Because the foolishness of God (simply believing in what Jesus did for ...

  Good morning. For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. It does sound foolish in the natural. How can someone dying on the cross save me, and all that is required of me is to believe that it will? Shouldn’t I have to do something to obtain salvation? “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the cleverness of the clever I will set aside“. People today are trying to show off their “wisdom“ by saying they have figured out how salvation should come about. And of course it is not the way that God says it is to come about. Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? Mankind through its various philosophies has concluded that it has found another way to God; in fact there are many ways. In all of these various supposed ways to God, they all depend on man’s beliefs or actions instead of solely on God’s. For since in the wi...

  Good morning. So after Paul tells them to all agree and that there be no divisions among them, He says: I have been informed concerning you by Chloe’s people, that there are quarrels among you. Now I mean this, that each one of you is saying, “I am of Paul,… and I am of Christ“. Has Christ been divided? We have that today in the church, in that people will say I am of this evangelist or of that apostle or this Pastor. And what’s worse, if you don’t agree with what my idol is saying, then you are not a good Christian. Paul was not crucified for you, was he? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? I thank God that I baptized none of you except…, so that no one would say you were baptized in my name. For Christ did not send me to baptize (remember that in the book of John people were saying that Jesus was baptizing, but John said that it was not Jesus, but rather His disciples that were baptizing), but to preach the gospel, not in cleverness of speech, so that the cross of Christ ...

  Good morning. God is faithful (even when we are not), through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Now I exhort you by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree (literally, speak the same thing) and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment. That’s pretty harsh, Paul. Sadly though, it can be necessary in some churches. It’s hard for any group to do much of anything unless there is agreement on most topics. This is especially true in the church. My interlinear New Testament translates the phrase that is here translated “be made complete“ as “having been joined together”. Instead of division, we are to be joined together. The only way we can do that is to be “in the same mind and have the same judgment”. Father help the church to be in agreement and that there be no divisions; instead that we be made complete, in the same mind, and in the same judgment; that we may s...

  Good morning. I think my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus, that in everything you were enriched in Him, in all speech and all knowledge, even as the testimony concerning Christ was confirmed in you, so that you are not lacking any gift, awaiting eagerly the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will also confirm you to the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. Whew, what a sentence! It is only through the grace of God that we can have or be anything of worth. Some people get all puffed up about their knowledge or about their eloquence of speech. We need to realize that we depend on Him for any speech or knowledge that is worthwhile. In chapters 12 and 14 he will be speaking specifically about their giftings in the Holy Spirit. What everyone who operates in the gifts of the Holy Spirit needs to realize is that it is a gift; it is not through some special power or ability of your own. We should be eagerly awaiting t...

  Good morning. Last time we finished the book of Romans, and today we start the book of first   Corinthians. My Bible says that in Paul’s day the city of Corinth had a population of about 250,000 free persons, plus as many as 400,000 slaves. Paul starts out like he does a lot of times listing his credentials. Paul, called as an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God. As was the custom, he starts the letter with his name instead of having it just at the end. An apostle was a messenger, or one sent by some one or group. Paul says that he was sent by Jesus according to the will of God – he did not go out on his own. We now find out to whom he wrote this letter. To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling, with all in every place who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours. My Bible says that the term “church of God“ was only used by Paul and only in one place in Acts, here, and one...

  Good morning. For the report of your obedience has reached to all; therefore I am rejoicing over you, but I want you to be wise in what is good and innocent in what is evil. There are a lot of people in the world today claiming to be wise; but their wisdom is not in what is good, but in what is evil. The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. Satan is all about discord and unrest. God is all about peace. It is through His peace that we will overcome. Notice that it was under their feet – they were the ones that were going to be walking all over Satan. Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which has been kept secret for long ages past, but now is manifested, and by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the eternal God, has been made known to all the nations, leading to obedience of faith. God only gave hints throughout the Scriptures of the ...

  Good morning. Now I urge you, keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and hindrances contrary to the teaching which you learned, and turn away from them. We do have to watch out for those people. Their “doctrines“ can be insidious, and if we listen to them for very long, we will start to believe the way that they do. Remember that the Bible says elsewhere “be careful how you listen”. That’s also why you need to be careful what you listen to or read concerning the news. If you listen to or read news that is slanted, you will eventually start to believe that it is true. That’s why advertising works. For such men are slaves, not of our Lord Christ but of their own appetite; and by their smooth and flattering speech they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting. I’ve mentioned this type of person before who flatters pastors to get the pastors to accept them as being men or women of God. By the time their true self is revealed, it is too late – the sheep have been sheared. Father k...

  Good morning. Paul says that he’s going to Jerusalem, and that he will be taking a contribution for the poor from Macedonia to the saints in Jerusalem. This trip that he’s talking about is the one that ultimately led to him being put into prison. Now I urge you, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God for me, that I may be rescued from those who are disobedient in Judea (it looks like he already knew that there was going to be problems in Jerusalem), and that my service for Jerusalem may prove acceptable to the saints; so that I may come to you in joy by the will of God and find refreshing rest in your company. He finally did make it to Rome, but it was years later, and he was in prison. That was definitely not the way he intended it to be. Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen. He then mentions a large number of people, some that lived in Rome, and some that might be coming to Rome. Father thank You that You ...

Good morning. What Paul reminded them of was: the grace that was given to me from God, to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles, ministering as a priest the gospel of God, so that my offering of the Gentiles may become acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. Therefore in Christ Jesus I have found reason for boasting in things pertaining to God. For I will not presume to speak of anything except but what Christ has accomplished through me, resulting in the obedience of the Gentiles by word and deed, in the power of signs and wonders, in the power of the Spirit; so that I have fully preached (in the region) the gospel of Christ. Paul was not just full of hot air. There were signs and wonders that accompanied his preaching. God was putting His stamp of approval on the words. And thus I aspired to preach the gospel, not where Christ was already named, so that I would not build on another man’s foundation. Paul went where no other one would go. Father help there to be great weath...

  Good morning. Therefore - remember that when you see the word therefore, check to see what it is there for. In order for us to be of the same mind, with one accord, and with one voice, we need to: accept one another, just as Christ also accepted us to the glory of God. Christ accepted us despite all of our faults and failures; and so we should accept our fellow believers despite their faults and failures. I say that Christ has become a servant to the circumcision on behalf of the truth of God to confirm the promises given to the fathers, and for the Gentiles to glorify God for His mercy. God promised the Jews through Abraham, and so Christ came for them to confirm that promise. They had a “right“ to that promise, being Jews. The Gentiles did not deserve anything but death and destruction; but God wanted to show us mercy, so He sent Christ to die for us also. Father help this to be a super week for the reader coming up. Show him/her how to find true happiness.

  Good morning. Now may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus, so that with one accord you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It would take a lot of perseverance and encouragement for believers to be of the same mind. Otherwise, we would give up and not even try. Being of the same mind does not necessarily mean that you will all believe exactly the same. The motivational force behind our thinking, though, will be the same. We will want the same results, though we may use different means to get there. Why do we want to be of one mind? So like an orchestra playing in tune with one another, we will show forth the glory of our God and Father. You cannot have the members of an orchestra all playing the way they want to instead of the way the conductor wants. Father thank You that we can all blend together in harmony. Then the world will truly know that we are one w...

  Good morning. Now we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of those without strength and not just please ourselves. Yeah, right! I can see that happening. If we love our neighbors as ourselves… Each of us is to please his neighbor for his good, to his edification. We have our great example: for even Christ did not please Himself; but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached You fell on Me “. If Christ, knowing that that would happen to Him came to do the will of the Father anyway, shouldn’t we take His name with us into the world, knowing that those reproaches will fall on us? In the following, Paul is talking about the old testament. Whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. We should do the same thing. Mostly we would read the New Testament, but we can even get some guidance from the old. We can see what hard times the early church went th...

   Good morning. So then we pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another. That is so the opposite of what a lot of Christians do. Do not tear down the work of God for the sake of food (or anything else). All things indeed are clean, but they are evil for the man who eats and gives offense. Again this applies to all areas not just food which he is talking about. Still we don’t necessarily give up things just because another Christian thinks they’re wrong. It is good not eat meat (that might have been sacrificed to idols though not known for sure. They only burned part of the animal; the rest was sold in the meat market) or to drink wine, or to do anything by which your brother stumbles. The faith which you have, have as your own conviction before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves. But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and whatever is not from faith is sin. So if you’re not su...

  Good morning. Do not let what is for you a good thing be spoken of as evil. Remember back in Matthew 6:33; but seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. I said that the Greek word that was translated “and” between His kingdom and His righteousness, in that case should’ve been translated either namely or even. That is, it should have been translated seek first His kingdom even/namely His righteousness and all these things will be added to you. When you translate it as “and“, it makes it sound like two different things – His kingdom and His righteousness instead of two different ways of talking about the same thing. Notice that it says His righteousness. Paul writes different times about the Jews seeking to establish their own righteousness. This next verse in Romans helps to confirm that His righteousness is synonymous with His kingdom. For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking (yesterday we talked about the Jews being concern...

  Good morning. To the Jews there were a lot of things that were considered unclean. I know and am convinced in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself; but to him who thinks anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean. He is talking about food here; but it could apply to other things for Christians. In today’s world, there are some things that are in a gray area – are they OK, or are they sin? There are some things that come to mind, but I’m not going to mention them because I don’t want to get your dander up 🤗 . If you think they are wrong, then it is wrong for you to do them. Then there are some things that you believe they are OK to do, but if a fellow Christian sees or knows that you do them, they might take offense, because they believe they are wrong. For if because of food your brother is hurt, you are no longer walking according to love. Do not destroy with your food him for whom Christ died. Again we are not talking about food here, but rather those things whic...

  Good morning. But you, why do you judge your brother? And you again, why do you regard your brother with contempt? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. Take care of your own little red wagon. When someone feels inadequate, he/she always looks down on others and puts them down, hoping to lift themselves up. As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall give praise to God. We always compare ourselves to someone who is “less than“ we are. We wouldn’t dare to compare ourselves to God. So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God. So you better watch out you better not cry you better not pout I’m telling you why; God is watching you each day. Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather determine this – not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother’s way. The stumbling block was the part of a trap that held the bait. It would be the person through whom the temptation came. He/she is the one who ...

  Good morning. Then Paul goes through a bunch of verses about eating versus not eating, but you can actually apply it to just about any topic that Christians have different opinions about. The one who eats is not to regard with contempt the one who does not eat, and the one who does not eat is not to judge the one who eats, for God has accepted him. Again pick a topic about which Christians have opposing views. This applies in most cases. There are certain topics though in which there is only one way, and that is the Bible way. A few verses later Paul writes: for not one of us lives for himself, and not one dies for himself; for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord, therefore whether we live or die we are the Lord’s. That is an excellent attitude to have in life. For to this end Christ died and lived again, that He might be Lord both of the dead, and of the living. He was the epitome of someone living and dying for others. Father help us to view othe...

  Good morning. Let us behave properly as in the day, not in .... Remember that most of the bad stuff goes on at night. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts. It’s almost like a mission impossible episode where people cannot tell that it is Tom Cruise; instead they think he’s really that bad guy.  When people look at you, they’re not supposed to see you, but rather Jesus. This does not mean that we’re pretending that we are Jesus. The transformation that takes place inside of us is supposed to come forth in our lives, and we are supposed to behave just like Jesus would if we really were He. Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions. It is too easy to look down on others who do not believe the way we do, and in fact come up short (at least in our opinion). One person has faith that he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats vegetables only – vegan! There were ma...

  Good morning. What has Paul been saying? Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. Why didn’t you just say that in the first place? Wake up! Actually Paul said: do this, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed. Of course he is not talking about being born again, but about the return of Jesus. The night is almost gone, and the time is near. Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Remember that this is 2000 years ago that Paul was saying that the day is near. My Bible says that these verses do not mean that the early Christians believed that Jesus would return within a few years, and they were mistaken. Rather they regarded the death and resurrection of Christ as the crucial events in history that began the last days. Since the next great event in God‘s redemption plan is the second coming of Jesus, “the night“, no...

   Good morning. What everyone likes to hear: for because of this you also pay taxes (now come on Paul  😩 ), for rulers are servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing. Render to all what is due them: tax to whom taxes; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor. And then a verse we all need to follow: owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. That’s very “simple “. If you truly love your neighbor like you are supposed to you won’t be breaking the following commandments: you shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not covet, and if there is any other commandment it is summed up in this saying, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. Those are the commandments that relate horizontally to people. It does not include those that relate vertically to God. Father help us to give to others what is due them (love). Help this to be a very spiritual...

  Good morning. Rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same; for it is a minister of God to you for good. If you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil. We can all point out situations where it seems like this is not the case – that there are authorities who do wrongly to the people. We have to remember that Paul lived under the authority of the Roman government, and there were a lot of times that it had rules and regulations contrary to the word of God. Of course we can’t obey those rules; but we have to be willing to face the consequences of disobeying them. Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience’ sake. All of this emphasizes the necessity of Christians to continually pray for their govern...

  Good morning. Finally, to recap what he’s been saying in the previous verses, Paul writes: do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Now we get to a verse that can be controversial. Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. We can’t say that just because we don’t like the political party in charge that we don’t have to obey them. Of course the exception would be if they required us to disobey the word of God. That then puts people who work in certain positions in a bad place when their bosses require them to perform activities that are contrary to the word of God. Of course some people use any excuse to refuse to do what is required. I pray that we are never put into a situation where we have to decide whether or not to obey a requirement. Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemn...

  Good morning. Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Sounds like Jesus again - turn the other cheek. Respect what is right in the sight of all men. It does not say to respect everything that everybody believes, which is how a lot of people today feel. If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men (blessed are the peacemakers). It doesn’t mean that you have to agree with them; just that it should not be you that is stirring up the trouble. Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, vengeance is Mine, I will repay, says the Lord. After all, He can do a much more thorough job of repaying. Again just like Jesus: but if your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he’s thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head. That is something that would be hard for us to do in the natural. It is, however, exactly what God did with us. Even though we were against Him, He still blessed us, even...

  Good morning. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. That is so not going to happen in the natural. This, of course, is the same thing that Jesus said. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Too many times people want to gloat over those who are sad, and become jealous when someone else gets a blessing. If we truly love them, we will “feel their pain“. Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation. We should not look down on others. When churches start to grow and the members start to get blessed, it’s too easy to start thinking that you are better than those that are not blessed. When you start to think too highly of yourself, as one of my friends in high school and college used to say, “you are cruisin’ for a bruisin’”. God has a way of using our “wisdom“ to cause us to get ourselves into deep trouble. Father thank You that we all have the same worth i...

  Good morning. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor. Are you kidding? Do you realize what he/she is like? If you truly love without hypocrisy, you will be devoted to one another and give preference to the other person. (I didn’t say it would be easy). Not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, contributing to the needs of the Saints, practicing hospitality. It’s hard to be diligent, fervent in spirit, to keep serving the Lord, rejoicing, and persevering in the midst of good things. It definitely takes the actions of the Holy Spirit to do all of those things when things are really, really bad. On the other hand, people devote themselves to prayer when things are going bad; but sometimes have trouble doing that when things are going good. When things are bad, people are desperate. But even the pastor has mentioned several times about people fal...

  Good morning. Let love be without hypocrisy. Of course we know from I Corinthians 13 that God’s love could not possibly be with hypocrisy. Too many Christians say, “I love you brother/sister.”, but don’t really mean it. And too many times it can be a “I’ll love you as long as you love me (better). Abhor what is evil. Today’s Christians don’t. They not only tolerate it, many even accept/embrace it. Whatever you tolerate, eventually becomes the norm, and even becomes expected. Cling to what is good. If you cling to what is good, you won’t want what is evil. You won’t know what is good unless you immerse yourself in God’s Word. Remember that they train bank tellers to recognize counterfeit money not by handling counterfeit money, but rather by constantly handling real currency. Father help us to have Your love which is without hypocrisy; to look out for the well-being of others. Help this to be a great day for the reader and his/her family.

  Good morning. For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. When we say something bad about a member of the body of Christ, it’s like saying something bad about a part of our own body - “Johnny, my foot has been a bad boy  lately”. Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: If prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching... Each should do his/her best in exercising his/her gifts, not for his/her own benefit or glory, but for the benefit of the body of Christ. One should not be envious of the gifts of others and strive to obtain them. Father thank You that we have (and need) other members of the body of Christ. Help us to find and exercise our gifts for the benefit of the body of Christ.

  Good morning. So why are we to be transformed by the renewing of our minds? So that we may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. This transformation of us is God’s will, and it is good; it is acceptable; and it is perfect. That is the meaning of this verse in context. I have said before that I do not like the term “permissive” will of God. I understand what is meant by it, but I disagree with the use of the term. There needs to be a different way of designating this concept (perhaps: permissive boundaries of God). God has only one will (desire); and it is perfect. Again, in context it is not necessarily talking about God’s will in general; but only in our transformation. Got any uppity friends? For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself then he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith. When God is using you and it seems th...

  Good morning. So we present our bodies a living sacrifice, acceptable to God. Anything else? Well a sacrifice doesn’t do anything; it just lies there. And do not be conformed to this world. This is something very important that too many Christians aren’t very careful to avoid. If you see and hear things over and over again, it’s hard to avoid incorporating them into your own life. They seem the normal thing to do. All right - that’s something we don’t do. What is something we do? But be transformed. The word transformed is the Greek word  metamorphosis. Our change should be like the change from a caterpillar 🐛 into a butterfly 🦋  (Hello wormy). They are like two completely different creatures, and so should we be. Butterflies don’t crave the same things that caterpillars do. How are we transformed? By the renewing of our minds. In other words; get rid of our stinking thinking. How can we do that? By immersing our minds in the Word of God. Physically you are what you ...

  Good morning. So since God did what He did for us, what should we do? Therefore I urge you by the mercies of God to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. Instead of feeling like we can do anything we please, we should respond to God’s gracious gift by giving ourselves totally to Him. Sacrifices aren’t alive when they’re placed on the altar. They don’t choose to be a sacrifice. It says that Abraham bound Isaac and placed him on the altar. It doesn’t even say that Isaac tried to get away. I don’t know how old Isaac was, but his dad was over 100. Surely he could have gotten away, but he trusted his father that no harm would come to him if he lay still and not try to get off the altar. Shouldn’t we? Father thank You that we have the opportunity to be a willing, living sacrifice for You. Help us to embrace that opportunity instead of resisting.

  Good morning. For God has shut up all in disobedience that He might show mercy to all. Remember that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Instead of everyone starting off righteous (like Adam) and then losing their righteousness some time later, everybody starts off a sinner and then (some of them) some time later obtain righteousness. Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! It is not the way we would have done it, if we had been God. Thankfully, He knew what was the best way. Who has known the mind of the Lord, or who became His counselor? Or who has first given to Him that it might be paid back to Him again? Of course the answer is no one. Thank goodness it was not up to us to tell Him how He should do it. For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Can I get a big amen to that? Father thank You that You knew the best way to do everything...

  Good morning. Behold then the kindness and severity of God; to those who fell, severity, but to you, God‘s kindness, if you continue in His kindness; otherwise you also will be cut off. Of course that would not sit well with today’s culture. “how could God be so cruel?“ And they also, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. This could make some Gentile believers jealous. After all the Jews rejected Jesus; why should they get another chance? For if you were cut off from what is by nature a wild Olive tree, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these who are the natural branches be grafted into their own olive tree? For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery – that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; and so all Israel will be saved. If this hardening had not happened, where would we be? It sounds ...

  Good morning. OK so we gentiles have been grafted in – so what? Do not become arrogant towards the branches; but if you are arrogant, remember that it is not you who supports the root, but the root supports you. You will say then, branches were broken off that I might be grafted in. Quite right, they were broken off for their unbelief, but you stand by your faith. Do not be conceited, but fear; for if God did not spare the natural branches, He will not spare you, either. We dare not point fingers at the Jews who did not believe and were rejected. The same thing could happen to us if we no longer believe. Why the Jews? Remember that Jesus told the woman at the well that salvation is from the Jews. If it weren’t for them, there would be no salvation. They were put in charge of taking care of the word of God to make sure that it was correctly handed down from generation to generation. At times they failed to fully follow God; but there was always a remnant that kept His word. Father...

  Good morning. For if their (the Jews) rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? Sounds like we should be constantly praying for the acceptance of the Jews. If the first piece of dough is holy, the lump is also; and if the root is holy, the branches are too. My Bible says that part of the dough made from the first of the harvested grain (that is, the first fruits) was offered to the Lord. This consecrated the whole batch. It also says that the first piece of dough referred to the Jewish patriarchs, like Abraham. But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild Olive, were grafted in among them and became partaker with them of the rich root of the Olive tree... my Bible says that the usual procedure was to insert a shoot or slip of a cultivated tree into a common or wild one (that’s like they do with citrus plants). The “contrary to nature” part would be to graft a wild Olive branch (the Gentiles) into the ...

  Good morning. Paul then quotes some scriptures talking about those who were hardened. God gave them eyes to see not and ears to hear not… I say then, they did not stumble so as to fall, did they? May it never be! But by their transgression salvation has come to the Gentiles, to make them jealous. Because they rejected God’s grace, we have the opportunity to become Christians. It is the same today. People throughout the world have the opportunity to receive Christ, but they choose to not do so. Now if their transgression be riches for the world and their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their fulfillment be! If the Jews had all accepted Christ, the early church would never have turned to the Gentiles and preached the word. I am speaking to you who are Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle of Gentiles, I magnify my ministry, if somehow I might move to jealousy my fellow countrymen and save some of them. The Jews could not stand the thought of the Gentiles re...

  Good morning. We left off with Paul saying that God had not rejected His people. In fact, Paul said, I am a descendent of Abraham. God has not rejected His people whom He foreknew. It looked like it when they were in Egypt and were enslaved. During Elijah’s time, he said, everybody has turned away from You but me. God told him that He had kept 7000 people who had not bowed the knee to Baal. And so God had kept for Himself a remnant. In the same way then, there has also come to be at the present time a remnant according to God‘s gracious choice. Sometimes it looks like there is not anyone who follows God. This has been true throughout history. But even through the dark ages, God had people who followed Him. But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace. What Israel is seeking, it has not obtained, but those who were chosen obtained it, and the rest were hardened. Father thank You that we were chosen and obtained Your grace. Help u...

  Good morning. Just because the gospel is preached does not mean that everyone who hears will be saved. However, they did not all heed the good news; for Isaiah says, Lord, who has believed our report? However, one does need to hear: so faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ. Hearing the gospel generates the faith necessary to be saved. But I say, surely they have never heard, have they? Indeed they have. Here Paul is talking about the nation of Israel. “their voice has gone out into all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world.” Speaking of the Gentiles: I was found by those who did not seek Me; I became manifest to those who did not ask for Me. The Jews were trying to find God, but refused to accept Jesus as the Messiah – the Son of God. The Gentiles did not even care about God; and they found Him. God has not rejected His people, has He? May it never be! God did not reject them; they rejected Him. Even though we did not seek You, You allowed us t...

  Good morning. Paul says of the Jews who pursued righteousness by works: they stumbled over the stumbling stone. Behold I lay in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense, and he who believes in Him will not be disappointed. Now Paul could’ve said about those Jews, too bad so sad. Instead he said, my heart’s desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation. They have a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge. For not knowing about God‘s righteousness and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end (or fulfillment) of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. How does this happen? The righteousness based on faith speaks as follows: The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart – that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. In these ...

  Good morning. Remember that we are in the middle of “what if God“, endured with patience those (Gentiles) prepared for destruction. Why did He do it? And He did it to make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy (he’s talking about us) which He prepared beforehand for glory, whom He also called, not from among Jews only, but also from among Gentiles. That is actually a very big deal. The Jews were God’s people. He promised them, not us. Quoting Scripture: I will call those who were not My people, My people. And it shall be that in the place where it was said to them, you are not My people, there they shall be called sons of the living God. Also Isaiah talks about: it is the remnant that will be saved, not all those of Israel. Remember that all of this is “what if God…“ What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, even the righteousness which is by faith; but Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not arrive at ...

  Good morning. All right, so God chose one person over another, and chose pharaoh for destruction – what does that mean? So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires. You will say to me then, why does He still find fault? For who resists His will? In other words how can He condemn us to the bad place, since He is the one who chose us to not believe? On the contrary, who are you, O man who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, why did you make me like this, will it? Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for common use? Again it sounds like we don’t have a choice – it is predestination. This is what others would say, not what is reality. Then a hypothetical: what if God (Paul is not saying that God did, but rather what if He did the following), although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels ...

  Good morning. So Abraham had two sons; but God chose Isaac. Paul then gives other instances where God chose one over the other. Remember that Rebekah had twins – Jacob and Esau. For though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad, so that God‘s purpose according to His choice would stand, not because of works but because of  Him who calls, it was said to her, “the older will serve the younger.“ Isaac did not earn God‘s choice, and neither did Jacob. And of course we also didn’t. In today’s world, people would say that God was not fair. He should’ve been all inclusive. We would’ve heard all about it over the news media. God is evil; He is not fair! What shall we say then? There is no injustice with God, is there? Never! But that is not how the news media would portray it. “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.“ So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God w...

  Good morning. Paul is getting ready to tell the Roman Christians something, and he wants them to know that what he saying is the truth, and that he’s not just being politically correct. I am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience testifies with me in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh. That’s pretty strong. It sounds like he would be willing to take their place; that he would be willing to give up his salvation, if all of them could receive theirs. Would we be willing to do that, even if they were our relatives? He then talks about the benefits of being Israelites. Remember that they are God‘s chosen people; and yet without Christ, they are doomed. Remember also the promise that God made to Abraham. But is not as though the word of God has failed. For they are not all Israel who are descended...

   Good morning. Another one of our favorite verses: Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Of course we already know the answer – nothing! What about all of these things that he talked about – that he actually experienced; did they get him down? But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. Wait for it – for I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Whee doggies! As the cowardly lion in the Wizard of Oz said: “Ain’t nuttin’, no how!” Notice that it does not say that we barely make it through – it says that we overwhelmingly conquer! We don’t just win by a field goal in the last second of the game – we win by seven touchdowns! Fat...

  Good morning. What shall we say to these things (Foreknew, predestined, conformed, called, justified, glorified)? If God is for us, who is against us? A statement of the form If…, then is called a conditional. The “then” part is guaranteed to occur, provided that the “If” part occurs. There is always a possibility that the “If” part does not happen. My Bible says that the form of the condition (in Greek) makes it clear that there is no doubt about it – the “If” part will happen - God is definitely for us. Therefore, who can be against us - no one! He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? If God did the “most-ist” “best-ist” thing for us, how could He not give us “lesser “ things? Everything else is of no consequence compared to Him giving us His Son. Who will bring a charge against God‘s elect? God is the one who justifies; Who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who...

  Good morning. OK so we are called according to His purpose. Paul then gives the process by which we came to know God. They are all in the past tense. For those whom He foreknew, He also pre-destined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified. There are some questions concerning these verses but no definitive answer. Is he talking about us as individuals, or the selective group of all Christians? Did God personally know each of us in the ancient past, or simply know about us; again as an individual or as a group? Is this predestination in the traditional sense? The predestination here says to become conformed to the image of His Son, not pre-destined to salvation – meaning no free will. In other words, those who do exercise their free will and make Jesus Christ Lord of their lives will be...

  Good morning. Remember that the Spirit testifies with our spirit that we are children of God; also having the first fruits of the Spirit we groan within ourselves. In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the Saints according to the will of God. Most of the time we don’t realize that all of this is going on within us. We don’t have to be concerned about whether or not the Spirit is praying the right prayer like we do when we pray. My Bible comments: whether Paul means words that are unspoken or words that cannot be expressed in human language is not clear. And then one of everyone’s favorite verses: and we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. There is at least one ...

  Good morning. Last time it said that we were waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. We sing the Big Daddy Weave song, “I am Redeemed“, but we think of that as our spirit or soul being redeemed. We don’t think about our body being redeemed, but it is – it just won’t be manifested until the resurrection. For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? Remember from the book of Hebrews, now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. If you have $100 bill in your hand, you don’t have to hope that you will get one some day. Faith is seeing that hundred dollar bill in your hand, even when it’s not physically visible. But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it. We don’t “see“ our bodies already resurrected, but we do eagerly wait for it. In second Corinthians, Paul will go into this in more detail. Father thank You that one da...

  Good morning. How do you know that you truly are a Christian? All who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. That’s pretty clear; but sometimes it is hard to do.  Speaking as a mathematician 🙃 : logically that does not mean that just because you’re not being led by the Spirit of God that you are not a child of God. It just guarantees that if you are being led by the Spirit of God, that you are a child of God. It could be true in reality – but that is not the logical way to interpret this passage. I know, I know… Unfortunately I have heard various speakers interpret other scriptures that way. For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!” My Bible says that adoption was common among the Greeks and Romans, who granted the adoptive son all the privileges of a natural son, including inheritance rights (can anyone say Ben Hur?). Some people who were a...

  Good morning. If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness. Death came because Adam sinned. Just because we are Christians, does not mean that our body will not die. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. This life is guaranteed to us. Of course the life that He gives our mortal bodies will be different when we are raised from the dead. Notice from yesterday and today the different ways that Paul speaks about the Spirit. Sometimes he uses the phrase Spirit of God, and sometimes he talks about the Spirit of Christ, almost alternating them. Is he doing that just for variety; saying that they are two different Spirits; or is he emphasizing that They are the same? Good question. So then we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh - for if y...

  Good morning. For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. The mind set on the flesh not only is not able to subject itself to the law of God, it does not even want to. We should be seeking how we can better set our minds on the law of God, and not just on Sunday. However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. True, but some who profess to be Christians do not act that way. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. That is the big difference between true Christianity and religion. It is the defining factor that mak...

  Good morning. After chapter 7, it makes us feel like - woe is me! But after chapter 7 comes – chapter 8! Therefore: remember the saying, if you see the word therefore, find out what it is there for. After the doom and gloom: Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Are you in Christ Jesus? Then there is no condemnation. Yes you have messed up; but if you are striving to serve the law of God, there is no condemnation. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. We are free! For what the law could not do; weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. The law was not meant to save people. It was a guideline as to how they were to act without having the Holy Spir...

  Good morning. So Paul, how do you feel about yourself? Wretched man that I am! Don’t water it down; how do you really feel? Who will set me free from the body of this death? It looks like you are between a rock and a hard place. Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin. In Galatians, Paul writes, for the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for they are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. I’m sure you’ve heard this before: there are two wolves inside of you fighting against each other. Which one wins – the one that you feed. The more you give in and feed the flesh, the harder it is to resist. The more you feed the spirit, The easier it is to resist the flesh. I didn’t say it was easy, just easier. How do we feed our spirit - with the word. Father help us to constantly fee...

  Good morning. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. Thankfully he clarified that – in my flesh. In and of ourselves, we can and will do no good thing. Thankfully we do not walk in the flesh, but in the Spirit. For the good that I want, I do not do; but I practice the very evil that I do not want. That is true apart from God. Before we became Christians, we possibly wanted to do good; but were utterly helpless to do so on a regular basis. But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. This totally does not sound like a Christian. For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man. So is he talking about the Mosaic law before he became a Christian? However, even as Christians we agree with God‘s laws, but sometimes it seems we are unable...

  Good morning. Therefore did that which is good become a cause of death for me? In other words did it have unintended consequences? God forbid! Rather it was sin, in order that it might be shown to be sin by effecting my death through that which is good, so that through the commandment sin would become utterly sinful. Now we get to the controversial part of chapter 7. Is Paul talking about himself before he became a Christian or afterwards? For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin. That is true about our old man, who is now dead. Unfortunately, we do not act like our old man is dead. It seems like he is alive and kicking. We all do go through some form of the following at times. What I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I’m doing the very thing I hate. One would think that after becoming a Christian that Paul’s desire to disobey would be eradicated. But if I do that very thing I do not want ...

  Good morning. Paul continues: but now we have been released from the law, having died to that by which we were bound, so that we serve in newness of the Spirit and not in oldness of the letter. While we are not under the law of Moses, there are some Christians who live their lives as if they are under some kind of law. They have a list of things that they must/cannot do. We are to live our lives following the leading of the Holy Spirit. No matter how long a list we have, it will never cover every situation. Besides, if we kept the list, we could brag that we were the ones living the Christian life. So if the law of Moses was so bad, was it sin? God forbid! Then what use what is it? I would not have come to know sin except through the law; for I would not have known about coveting if the law had not said, you shall not covet. Remember that earlier Paul said “until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed where there is no law“. Sin, taking opportunity through the comma...

  Good morning. Now one of those famous verses that all Christians know: for the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. You get wages for working, and your paycheck for working all of that sin is death. You don’t have to work for eternal life; it is a free gift. As the current hit song says: I couldn’t earn it, and I don’t deserve it; still You give Yourself away. Now we get to the hotly debated chapter 7. Is Paul talking about himself, or is he talking about a generic nonbeliever? In some places it seems like he’s talking about before he became a Christian; and in others it seems like he’s talking about while he is a Christian. As Yul Brenner said in the movie “the king and I”: Tis a puzzlement. Do you not know that the law has jurisdiction over a person as long as he lives? So that does not sound like he’s talking about a Christian. You were made to die to the law through the body of Christ, so that you might be joined to another...

  Good morning. Sometimes Paul likes to say the same basic thing two or three different ways to help you understand. Just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so present your members as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification. The choice is up to us as to which one we present ourselves. Just as lawlessness begets more lawlessness; so righteousness begets more righteousness. Legally we are sanctified at rebirth; but it takes a lifetime to work it out in our lives. When you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. What benefit were you then deriving from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the outcome of those things is death. People of the world are not ashamed of what they are doing; in fact they rejoice in them and encourage others to join them. But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, ...

  Good morning. OK so we are not under law but under grace. Does that mean we can do whatever we want? Paul says: shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? May it never be! Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness? Grace is not a “free pass“ to do anything that you want. If you do sin, grace means that it’s not all over – that you won’t go to heaven. It’s kind of like with Adam. God said that in the day you eat from the tree, you will die. Eve ate from the tree, and she did not drop over dead. It gave him the boldness to try also. You sin, don’t immediately go to the bad place, so you think why not sin again - I can just ask for forgiveness. After a while, you are hooked and don’t even care whether or not you are forgiven for doing it. But thanks be to God that though you were slaves to sin, you became obe...

   Good morning. I hope everything is great there. OK so we are to consider ourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus – then what? Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts. That is easier said than done. Notice that it says do not “let” sin reign in your body. First of all that says that it is a choice; it doesn’t force you to do anything. Secondly, it says don’t let it “reign”. That does not mean that you won’t ever sin again; but it is not going to be the master of you. You are to be in charge, not it. So what should we do? Do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness (we do not put ourselves into situations where we are tempted to sin); but present yourself to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. You have to choose. You are either going to present yourself to sin (as one dead), or to God (as one alive). Sin shall not be ...

  Good morning. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him. Before Christ, death was our master. It was always looming over us and was a fearful prospect. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; the life that He lives, He lives to God. Since we died with Christ, we also should be dead to sin. So what do we do?  Even so consider yourself to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. The accomplishment of that is a lifelong process. It is not just a simple step of wishing that were true. It does start with our thinking. It’s kind of like having all of your debts paid off and $1 million in the bank. You don’t go around groveling, afraid to spend a dime. You are no longer subject to the slavery of indebtedness and having no money. You are free, and must start to act like it. We are no longer slaves of sin, and s...

   Good morning. Expanding on the concept of baptism: For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin. If the devil tries to make us feel badly about something we did before becoming Christians, we can point to our baptism and say I didn’t do it; my old man who is now dead did it. And of course in addition to telling no tales, dead men sin no sin. It does not mean that we do not ever sin; it means that we are no longer slaves to sin – it does not control us; we choose to sin. When we are tempted to sin, we should tell ourselves that our old man is dead and resist. Sadly we don’t. We go on acting like he’s still alive and kicking. We have to get rid of that stinking thinking. Now it is great that old man w...

  Good morning. Remember that Paul just asked how shall we who died to sin still live in it? Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? If we are dead, how can we still live in sin? What happens when someone dies? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. We weren’t just dead and buried. If that were the case, you might as well just shoot us as soon as we get saved. Speaking of the children of Israel when they left Egypt; “He brought us out to bring us in”. God did not just deliver them from the slavery in Egypt; He brought them into the land of promise that they might live for Him. Just like they received their liberty back then, we Americans received our liberty in 1776. As Christians, we received our liberty from sin when we made Jesus Lord of our lives. Just like they were...

  Good morning. We saw last time that the law came in so that the transgression would increase. God wasn’t trying to catch more people and send them to the bad place. He was setting a standard so that man cannot say “I have lived a good life and deserve to go to heaven“, without any justification. Now He could say, you have not lived according to My standard. Where sin increased, Grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, even so Grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? No way dude! How shall we who died to sin still live in it? Since man no longer had to do works to be justified, that gave rise to the prospect of what is known as “greasy grace“. I can do whatever I want, because I’ve got my fire insurance. Besides, the more sin I do, the more God will have to exert His grace - it will abound. If we have died to sin, we shouldn’t be tempted...

  Good morning. Paul continues with the thought: for if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ. Talk about unintended consequences. What Adam did, did not affect just him; it affected all humans for all eternity. So then through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men. In this case it was intended consequences. Jesus intended that His one act would bring justification to all those who believe. For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous. Why did God use Moses to give the people of Israel the law? The law came in so that the transgression would increase. Until the law was given, there was no way for man to measure how he stoo...

  Good morning. Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned - for until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed [ascribe (something, especially something undesirable) as being done, caused, or possessed by someone] when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who had not sinned in the likeness of the offense of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come. As a human, our inheritance is death because of Adam. That is true whether or not we sinned like he did. Even today as Christians, that still applies to us. But the free gift is not like the transgression. For if by the transgression of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the One man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many. What Adam did, gave us death. What Jesus did, gave us life! We didn’t do anything to deserve death – we didn’t do anything ...