Believer's Life

 Prepare: I no longer live; but Christ lives in me (Gal 2:21)
Read: Romans 6:1-11

Buried with Christ in baptism: Paul's assertion, "the grace of God prevailed all the more over sin", does not give any concession to continue in our sin. The freedom that God gives requires us to move from sin so that the grace of God cannot be nullified.

The sure way ahead to fully avail of God's grace is by uniting oneslf with Christ. In the first century, baptism and conversion could not be bifurcated. They both were considered as two sides of the same coin. Baptism clearly has two facts: one is being buried with the Lord, the other being resurrected (rose again) with the Lord. The second aspect of baptism implies that we are now united with Christ and our old self is crucified with the Lord on the cross.

The believers' life is hidden in Christ: Paul urges the believers to understand that we no longer live in the old self, as we are crucified with the Lord. We should be conscious of the fact and this is the only way forward for us to live a responsible Christian life. On the other hand, the Holy Spirit who is given to be on our side will instruct us of our righteous living in the Lord. Paul is confident that baptism is a sure sign for us to be reminded that we are raised and united with Christ and our oldselves do not have power to sin.

Respond: Lord, help me to live out the truth of baptism in my every day life.

Christ vs. Adam

Prepare: How serious are we in our Christian walk? Are we sensitive to God's directions?
Read: Romans 5:12-21

Contrast between Adam and Christ: Paul delineates the results of Adam's disobedience and Christ's obedience. Adam's disobedience brought sin, guilt, judgment, and death. Conversely the obedience  of Jesus brought grace, justification, the gift of righteousness and life eternal.
 
The underpinning argument of Paul is that, if disobedience could bring terrible damage to humanity, the blessing that comes through the obedience of Christ can do much more than simply over-ruling the effect of sin.

God's marvelous gift of grace: Grace is God's gift to surpass the effect of sin. 'When sin increased, grace increased all the more' is a powerful expression to show that the disobedience of Adam and its consequence could not thwart the plan of God. God had a far greater way to overcome the disobedience of Adam and the consequence of sin. God does not give up on His creation, but works patiently to redeem the derogatory situations.

The insertion that the law was added only to increase the trespass is a shocking revelation; but that was only to reveal how derogatory our life would be without Jesus and what a blessed new life we have as the free gift of God.

Respond: Lord, help me to be mindful how my obedient walk can produce marvelous results.

Father of Many Nations

Prepare: Lord help us give glory to You, trusting in You.
Read: Romans 4:13-25

Without the law: Paul amasses all types of evidence to show how faith and faith alone is necessart for righteousness. He raises the question whether the promise to Abraham was given upon the Law. No. The promise to Abraham that he would be the father of many nations was given before the Law. Why? This is simply to show that all who are without the Law are also included in the promise to Abraham because it is faith that counts and not the Law. The Law only displays its violation. This point is picked up by Paul in chapter seven also.

Not weakening in faith: Paul emphasizes the fact that the promise to Abraham us for all his descendants through fatih and not merely for those with biological descent. Paul goes on to show how the promise of numerous descendants to Abraham was humanly and biologically impossible. This only underscores the importance of faith. Though Anraham and his wife Sarah were well beyond the child bearing age, they trusted in God's promise. Abraham believed that God could bring out what is humanly impossible and this trust or faith or believing in what God is able to do is counted as righteousness. This also brings us to the point that if believe that it was God who raised up Jesus from the dead which might have seemed a human impossibility, we also will be justified. Finally it is believing what God can do that saves us.

Respond: Lord help us believe.

Faith Alone and Faith Only!

Prepare: Lord help us recognize that our righteousness is without works.
Read: Romans 4:1-12

Works or faith? It is amazing how Paul proceeds to show how God's righteousness makes sinful men and women righteous through faith in what God has done for them. Paul takes up the argument of whether Abraham was saved by faith or works. To begin with, Paul shows that what is gained by works is not gift but wages. So if our salvation is God's gift then it cannot be gained by human effort. Paul goes right back to Abraham, the Father of the Jewish people. David is another ancestor of the Jews in whom they boasted. David also points out the blessedness of those who are forgiven, whose sins are covered and not reckoned. These two great forefathers of the Jews are enough to show how God counts human beings as righteous because of God's righteousness given to human beings through faith in Jesus Christ.

Blessedness of the un-circumcised and the circumcised: Paul further wants to emphasize the universality of the salvation received through faith in Jesus Christ and only through faith in Jesus Christ. He raises the question whether the righteousness spoken of as blessedness by David is only for the circumcised Jew. Paul holds in all his writings and arguments this salvation through faith is not only for the circumcised Jew but also for the uncircumcised Gentile. What is the support for this? Paul goes back to the great ancestor Abraham. When was he counted righteous before circumcision?

Respond: 'Simply to your Cross I cling'.

God the Justifier

Prepare: Lord help us recognize that You are the One who justifies us.
Read: Romans 3:21-31

Redemption in Jesus Christ: Verses 21-22 bring out how God's righteousness comes to us through faith in Christ. The Law, and the Prophets lead to faith in Jesus Christ. All these hang together. So there is no doubt about what God has done through human history and there is no contradiction between the parts. All have sinned and all may be justified through Christ. There is no distinction. 'Redemption', 'Sacrifice' and 'Atonement' are pictures taken from the Old Testament to describe the salvation that one may have through faith in Jesus Christ. The point that without the shedding of blood there is no salvation is also quite important. God passes over sins committed and justifies us. All that we may is: 'Thank you Lord'.

God of both Jew and Gentile: This plain of salvation only through faith in Jesus Christ and in what Christ has done for us by shedding His blood removes any boasting of anyone with the claim of human effort. All human efforts or claims to goodness are made nothing. We are not saved by works but by faith and faith alone. What a Savior, Hallelujah! This point that salvation comes only by faith brings us to the claim that God is God of both the Jews and Gentiles. There is no distinction. This upholds the fact that the Law teaches the way to God.

Respond: God of grace, help us accept your gift of redemption through faith is Jesus Christ. 

All are Sinners

Prepare: Lord help us recognize our sinfulness.
Read: Romans 3:9-20

None righteous: Paul firmly establishes that all are sinners whether Jew or Gentile. He quotes from the Hebrew Scriptures to bring out the unrighteousness of all human beings. The list grows: none righteous, none seeking God, all turned away, all worthless and none kind. The power and problem of sin has pervaded the whole of human race and every one is under its bondage.

All accountable: Paul not merely states that all are sinners but also brings out the seriousness of sin with Scriptural quotations. It is good to note the points Paul makes: killer throats, deceiving tongues, venomous lips, cursing and bitter mouths, murderous feet, ruin, misery, lack of peace. All these are underscored by lack of fear of God. This list may make us think that we do not display these 'so called' serious sins. In God's perspective, there is no distinction between 'serious' or 'not so serious sins'. Let us reflect how we may fall into these sins in the light of what Jesus says in Matt.5:21 onwards. Let us pause for a moment why Paul is so passionate in listing these serious issues. Do we recognize the root cause of human sin as lack of fear of God? What can we do about this human predicament?

Respond: Lord, as we recognize the seriousness of human sin, may we be led to turn to You, who alone can give us freedom from this serious bondage. 

God's Judgement

Prepare: Lord, help us be aware of Your kindness and forbearance.
Read: Romans 2:1-16

Without excuse: Paul is contending with an imaginary or representative person. We may surmise that his opponent in the argument maybe a Jew or a Gentile. Paul's argument is that the one who judges does not escape judgment himself or herself because the one who judges or criticizes others does the same things that he or she finds fault with others. Let us compare what Jesus said about judging others and trying to find a speck in someone else's eye while the critic has a plank in his eye. The arrogant person who judges others while turning a blind eye to his own fault is devoid of kindness, forbearance and patience. God is patient to allow even the critic to repent. Further, God the impartial judge, will repay according to each person's deeds: those who do good and those who do evil.

Judged by the law: Paul argues that the most important point is that we obey the moral law written in our hearts by our Creator God. Whatever standard God has given us, whether it be the revelation of God's laws given in the Mosaic Law or the moral law written on our hearts, God demands that we obey the revelation given to us. Jesus taught that we walk by the light that we have. When we fail to do that, we end up in darkness.

Respond: God of impartiality, make me fit to face Your judgment.