Romans 7: Limits of the Law

For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.

One issue surfaces in virtually every one of Paul's letters: What good is the law? To most of Paul's audience, the word law stands for the huge collection of rules and rituals detailed in the Old Testament. Whenever he starts talking about "the new covenant" or "freedom in Christ," his Jewish listeners want to know what he thinks about Moses' law. Does God still require obedience?

Thanks to his years as a Pharisee, Paul knows Moses' law well. This chapter, the most personal and autobiographical in Romans, discloses exactly what Paul thinks about this issue.

When the Law is Helpful. Paul never recommends discarding the law. He sees that it reveals a basic code of morality, an expression of behavior that pleases God. The law is good for one thing: exposing sin. "Indeed I would not have known what sin was except through the law." To Paul, rules such as the Ten Commandments are helpful, healthful and good.

When the Law is Helpless. The law has one major problem: After proving how bad you are, it doesn't make you any better. As a carryover from his days of legalism, Paul has a very sensitive conscience. Yet, as he poignantly recounts, it mainly makes him feel guilty. The law that bares his weaknesses cannot provide the power needed to overcome them. The law, or any set of rules, leads ultimately to a dead end.

Reflection

A person like Paul probably had little trouble keeping most of the Ten Commandments. Outward actions such as swearing, murder, adultery, stealing and lying can be measured and controlled. But an internal, invisible sin, such as coveting, proves far more bedeviling. As Jesus made clear in the Sermon on the Mount, invisible sins like coveting, lust, and anger can have the same toxic effects as the more outward manifestations of stealing, adultery and murder.

Romans 3: the Remedy

This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.

Throughout his arduous and adventurous life, the apostle Paul has kept one career goal constantly before him: a visit to Rome. In Paul’s day, Rome stands alone, the capital of the powerful Roman Empire, which rules over the entire Mediterranean region. A tiny new church in Rome has caused great excitement among other Christians who know that in some ways the future of the church rests on what happens in Rome. If they expect to make an impact on the world, they will have to penetrate this great city.

Paul prays for the Roman church constantly and has made plans several times to visit there. Since none of those plans has yet materialized, Paul writes this letter, a concise summary of the Christian faith and the notion that Christ holds the answers to all of life’s important questions.

The remedy for human problems, Paul proclaims, is god’s amazing grace- a complete cure available to all. Yet people will not seek a cure until they know they are ill. If a doctor were to suddenly appear on a television news program announcing a cure for, say, the Paraguayan flu, who would care? For his discovery to impress us so deeply that we would seek vaccination, he must first prove the terrible danger posed by this unknown virus.

Thus Romans begins with one of the darkest summaries in the Bible. “There is no one righteous, not even one,” Paul concludes. The entire world is doomed to spiritual death unless a cure can be found. Out of the mournful sounds, however, comes a clear, bright note of wonderful news (verses 21-31), a compact expression of the core message of the gospel.

Reflection
It truly is hard for me to fathom how racial tensions continue to exist after the time of Christ. Paul makes it so incredibly clear that non-Jewish Christians should be considered first-class citizens of the kingdom of God. Faith in Jesus is all that God requires, regardless of age, color, or ethnicity.

Acts 28: To the Capital…in Chains

From morning till evening he explained and declared to them the kingdom of God and tried to convince them about Jesus.

The future of the Gentile church depends in large measure on what happens to Paul, God’s chosen Apostle to the Gentiles. The last few chapters of Acts portray a spiritual tug-of-war in which God turns apparent tragedy into good. Paul gets arrested; he’s sent at last to Rome. The ship wrecks; they all survive. A poisonous snake bites Paul; he shakes it off and starts a healing ministry. The voyage ends at last in Rome.

Paul knows that if Christianity is to gain a foothold anywhere, it has to be in Rome. “All roads lead to Rome” is more than a figure of speech. Like a center of gravity, the city attracts all the roads of commerce, all the leaders and thinkers and fortune seekers of the empire. Political and military powers fan out from Rome. It is the indisputable capital of the world.

Ironically, the greatest spokesman for the Christian faith arrives at his ultimate destination as a prisoner. Paul is exhausted, having just survived a harrowing shipwreck. No doubt the reputation he has gained on the voyage helps convince authorities to treat him leniently. He lives by himself under a kind of house arrest. A soldier is always present, possibly chained to the apostle.

Despite the circumstances, Paul keeps busy. During his very first week in Rome, he calls in Jewish leaders and explains to them the Christian “sect” everyone is talking about. Over the next months and years Paul gets hours of quiet solitude to works on fond letters to the churches he has left behind.

Yet, Paul can no longer choose his audience; they have to seek him. But boldly, in the heart of mighty Rome, he proclaims a new kingdom and a new king. Before long, some of Caesar’s own household staff converts to the new faith. Christianity has made the journey and the transition from Jerusalem to Rome.

Reflection
Another great lesson that we can all learn from Paul’s story is to strive to make the best of bad situations. So often, when things go awry, I tend to make rash decisions and turn away from God, using him almost as a scapegoat. Instead- like Paul- I need to take what life gives me and run with it…keeping in mind all along that Christ is right beside me.

Acts 27: the Perfect Storm

"But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed."

This chapter gives an eyewitness account of an ocean storm, the once-in-a-decade kind of storm that survivors never forget. Dense clouds blot out the sun and stars for many days and nights; the entire shipload of 276 passengers and crew goes without food for two weeks, and no one knows whether the passengers will survive to see another day. No one, that is, except the apostle Paul.

Luke vividly depicts the on board frenzy: sailors lashing ropes around their groaning ship, the crew heaving precious food supplies and even the ship's tackle overboard, Roman soldiers with drawn swords halting the sailors' save-our-own- necks escape attempts and preparing to slash their prisoners' throats. In the midst of all this hysteria stands the apostle Paul, calmly foretelling what will happen next. God has promised him he will visit Rome, a vision has confirmed it and Paul never doubts it, even when the boat breaks in pieces around him.

Once more Paul reveals himself as a man of unassailable courage. The Roman centurion surely recognized it: He grants Paul extraordinary privileges and protection. By the end of the storm, everyone on the ship is following the advice of the unflappable prisoner from Tarsus.

Reflection: You know the saying, the best laid plans...How true it is for Paul. In the midst of all the turmoil found in the last few chapters of Acts, Paul finally realizes his dream of visiting Rome- not in the form of a missionary journey- but in a Roman ship as a prisoner of the empire. What a great lesson this is for all of us that our plans may not be Christ's plans...and we simply need to trust him, always.

Acts 22: On the Road

The commander himself was alarmed when he realized that he had put Paul, a Roman citizen, in chains.
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The books of Acts follows Paul on three distinct missionary journeys along the northeastern shores of the Mediterranean Sea. Normally in the ancient world, travel posed great hazards, with pirates, barbarian armies and hostile border guards clogging up the roads. But by Paul's lifetime, Rome had established absolute mastery over a vast territory. Empire-wide peace, the famous Pax Romana- a condition that existed only twice in 700 years- prevailed.

Roman engineers had crisscrossed the empire with a network of roads (built so well that many still survive), and as a Roman citizen Paul had a passport to any destination. Language, too, was unifed. The Greek tongue, as well as the Greek style of thinking, crossed ethnic barriers.

Paul's backgroud uniquely qualified him for his adventures. A Pharisee who had studied with the famous teacher Gamaliel, he fully understood the Jewish mind. Roman citizenship gave him the status and respect he needed to gain official recognition and to survive threatening legal scrapes. Pauls' master of languages helped him also. He used Aramaic to relate to the early church leaders in Jerusalem, and fluency in Greek made possible a speech before philosophers in Athens.

Sometimes Paul was used by God to work miracles. In one tragicomic episode, a sleepy listener succumbed to Paul's all-night sermon and fell out of a third-story window (20:7-12); Paul promptly raised him from the dead.

By the end of his eventful life, Paul had left a ring of burgeoning churches around the eastern Mediterranean. To make sure his work would go on, he trained such leaders as Silas, Titus, Timothy and the man who recorded much of what we know about Paul-s life- Luke himself.

Reflection: No doubt, God used Paul to lead the early church because of his incredible zeal and communicative skills. I've wondered many times what special gifts (if any) I too may have that God could use to help spread His word. It's not enough- at least for me- to "proclaim" myself as a Christian, but to live out Christ's message each day so that my actions and the way I treat folks do the "proclaiming" for me...

Acts 20: Legal Battles

And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me- the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace.

The drumbeat starts with the last verse in chapter 20: "What grieved them most was his statement that they would never see his face again." After this, wherever he went, Paul's friends begged him not to go to Jerusalem. One of them bound his own hands and feet with Paul's belt, publicly role-playing what was in store for Paul (21:10-11). But Paul had survived shipwrecks, a stoning, beatings, and long nights in jail, and fear had never stopped him. Besides, he knew that God wanted him to take his word to Rome, and no disaster in Jerusalem could prevent that.

Thus, against all advice Paul went to Jerusalem. His reputation as a Christian missionary had spread, to such an extent that it took a brigade of 470 Roman soldiers to protect him from a Jewish lynch mob. Luke details the process of Roman justice so thoroughly that some have speculated that he wrote Acts as a legal brief for Paul's defense. Was Paul a violent terrorist intent on inciting revolt? Luke meticulously records that, no, Paul had no political ambitions and consistently worked within Roman law.

Most of the time, Roman law found Paul innocent. An official in Corinth dismissed charges against him (18:15), as did the town clerk at Ephesus (19:35-41). In Judea Governor Festus and King Agrippa both concluded that Paul might have been freed outright had he not appealed to Caesar (26:32).

Paul's last days of freedom summarize his turbulent life. His friends' fears regarding Jerusalem proved well-founded. A murderous mob there assailed him with trumped-up charges, and he had to be rescued bodily by soldiers. In typical brazen style, Paul asked to address the unruly crowd, using the chance to confront them with his life's testimony. The crowd listened until he got to the part about a mission to the Gentiles; then it erupted.

Reflection:

No doubt, past events in one's life can impact the road you choose to follow in the future. In his speech (22:3-21), Paul referred back to the day he had stood on the sidelines cheering as Stephen, the first Christian martyr, was killed. That violent scene was forever etched in Paul's mind as a reminder of his former life. But another memory was even more powerful; the blinding light on the road to Damascus. Ever after that event in Damascus, Paul seemed determined to stun the human race as he had been stunned on the desert road. No matter how many nights in jail it cost him.

Acts 17: Mixed Results

While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there.

Jesus told a parable about a farmer sowing seed (Matthew 13). Some seed falls on rocky places, some among thorns and some on fertile ground. This chapter, which reviews events from Paul's second journey, demonstrates that he, the first foreign missionary, encounters all these responses in quick succession.

In Thessalonica Paul's visit sparks a riot. The next town, Berea, proves far more receptive. After studying the Scriptures to test Paul's message, many believe, both Jews and non-Jews. Yet agitators from Thessalonica soon stir up trouble there as well, for Paul is often trailed by hostile opponents seeking to disrupt his work.

In the sophisticated university city of Athens, Paul faces perhaps his most daunting missionary challenge. This renowned city of philosophers subjects each new thinker to a grueling intellectual ordeal. Local philosophers, full of scorn for Paul, haul him before the Aeropagus, a philosophical council that oversees religion and morals.

Confident that the new faith can compete in the marketplace of ideas, Paul stands before the skeptical audience and, in a burst of eloquence, delivers an extraordinary speech to a gathering of philosophers and thinkers. Apparently, he meets with little success, and the results trouble him.

Paul gains few converts among the elite Athenians, but he next travels to the city of Corinth and founds a church remarkable for its ethnic diversity. Some scholars believe that the first four chapters of 1 Corinthians describe the after effects of his experience in Athens.

Reflection:

I think I'm getting a little better, but I still find it difficult to evangelize and share the gospel with family and friends. In some regards, it's easy to share my faith with friends from church, but out in the workforce and with other circles of friends, the challenge can be at times daunting. My own insecurity probably comes into play, but it's no doubt one of my weaknesses that I need to overcome.

Acts 16: The Detour

During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him. "Come over to Macedonia and help us."

In his travels, Paul concentrates on the chief trade towns and capital cities of the Roman provinces. From this melting pot of diverse cultures the gospel message can radiate out across the globe. If a young church shows promise, Paul stays on, sometimes as long as three years, to direct its spiritual growth. His letters glow with affection for the friends he develops in this way.

This chapter contains one of the Bible's most famous episodes of divine guidance: Paul's vision of a man of Macedonia. Yet the account actually shows how uncommon such a revelation is. It certainly startles Paul, who abruptly changes his travel plans. Following his normal procedure, Paul arranges this missionary trip strategically, linking together major towns and cities in sequence. But this time he runs into a roadblock and must adjust his itinerary.

As a result of this change, one of Paul's favorite churches comes into existence. Philippi is a leading city in the region of Macedonia, the place to which the vision has directed him. A casual conversation with a woman by a river opens the way for Paul. What takes place in Philippi stands almost as a pattern for Paul's never-dull missionary visits: early acceptance, violent opposition and providential deliverance from danger.

When in danger, Paul does not hesitate to use the prestige and status that come with his Roman citizenship. He is escorted from Philippi with proper respect, but he leaves behind two transformed households: one led by a woman cloth merchant and the other by a city jailer. From that unlikely combination grows the lively church at Philippi, to whom Paul later addresses the book of Philippians.

Reflection:

Missionary work can definitely be risky business. Just pick up the newspaper and on any given day one can read an obituary of someone who has been murdered in some part of the world for spreading the gospel message. Silas- one the churches earliest missionaries- led the way with Paul and he too readily found trouble. In Philippi, the authorities beat up both he and Paul and then threw them into jail. And yet even as an unexpected earthquake paved the way for their release, the two did not depart until they were able to successfully lead the jailer to faith in Christ. Remarkable.