Reading for September 8th

Read Romans 10.14-21

In verses 14-17: Hearing the gospel of Christ.

In verses 14-15: Being summoned is ultimately traceable to proclamation.

In verse 15: Isa 42.7; Nah 1.15.

Proclaimers of God's good news are like messengers announcing battle victories.

In verse 16: Isa 53.1

In verse 17: Abraham may be in view if word of God is read.

In verses 18-21: Israel's refusal to hear.

The law, prophets, and the writings attest Israel's disobedience.

In verse 18: Ps 19.4.

In verse 19: Deut 32.21.

In verse 20: Isa 65.1.

In verse 21: Isa 65.2.

Comments or Questions..

Reading for September 7th

Read Romans 10.1-13

In verses 1-4: Paul's prayer for Israel.

In verses 1-2: Paul speaks of Israel (9.31-33).

In verse 3: Righteousness that comes from God: 1.16-17.

In verse 4: The end of the law: Christ either abolishes the law or its goal, probably the latter (3.21-22).

In verses 5-13: Righteousness through faith.

In verse 5: Lev 18.5.

The emphasis here is on living by doing.

In verse 6a: Deut 9.4.

In verse 6b: Deut 30.14.

Faith does not try to locate Christ "out there" but rather express an inner conviction believed with the heart and expressed with your lips.

In verse 10: What the heart believes, the mouth confesses.

In verse 11: Isa 28.16.

No distinction: Jews and gentiles are justified the same way (3.30).

In verse 13: Joel 2.32.

Comments or Questions..

Reading for September 6th

Read Romans 9.27-33
In verses 27-29: A remnant will be saved.
In verse 27: Isa 10.22.
In verse 28: Isa 28.22.
In verse 29: Isa 1.9.
On verses 30-33: Gentiles succeeded where Israel failed.
Faith, the capacity to trust God not performance is the critical difference (4.5).
In verse 33: Isa 28.16; Isa 8.14.
Comments or Questions..

Reading for September 5th

Read Romans 9.14-26
In 9.14-26: God's freedom to choose.
In verse 14: Paul anticipates criticism of his logic (3.3-5).
In verse 15: Ex 33.19.
In verse 16: God does not require human will or exertion to show mercy.
In verse 17: Ex 9.16.
In verse 19: Paul's imaginary dialogue partner responds.
In verses 20-21: The image of the potter and clay (drawn from Isa 29.16; 45.9) emphasizes God's sovereign power.
In verses 22-23: God can show wrath or mercy.
In verses 25-26: From both Jews and Gentiles, God can form a newly beloved people.
In verse 25: Heb 2.25.
In verse 26: Hos 1.10.
Comments or Questions..

Reading for September 4th

Read Romans 9.1-13

In 9.1-11.36: God's purpose for Israel.

In 9 1.-5: Blessings belonging to Israel.

In verse 5: Here the NRSV retains the ambiguity of the Greek.

Ordinarily, Paul uses such language of God rather than of Christ (1.25; 2 Cor 11.31).

In verses 6-13: Abraham's true descendants.

In verses 6-7: The earlier distinction (2.28-29) between physical and spiritual pedigree is now stated differently.

In verse 7: Gen 21.12.

In verse 8: Children of the promise are gentiles and Jews who, like Abraham, live by faith (4.16).

In verse 9: Gen 18.10.

In verse 12: Gen 25.23.

Like Abraham, Rebecca lived by faith.

In verse 13; Mal 1.2-3.

Comments or Questions..

Reading for September 3rd

Read Romans 8.26-39
In verses 26-27: The Spirit as intercessor.
In verse 26: Our weakness is being unable to say what we need.
Intercedes: The Spirit pleads our cause before God (Heb 7.25).
In verse 27: Here God knows the Spirit as thoroughly as the human heart (Ps 139.1-6).
Praying "in the Spirit" recognizes the Spirit's mediating role (Eph 6.18; Jude 20).
In verses 28-30: Being part of God's larger purpose.
The alternative readings yield significant differences.
The most believable of the three is: In all things God works for good.
In verses 29-30: The people of God rather than individuals are in view.
In verses 31-39: More than conquerors.
Central to this triumphant finale is what God did in Christ (vv. 32,34, 37, 39), aptly summarized in the final time: the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
In verse 32: Christ as God's sacrifice is in view (8.3).
Everything else includes protective care from suffering (v. 35) and cosmic threats, present and future (vv. 37-39).
In verse 33: God's elect are God's people (8.28-30).
In verse 36: Ps 44.22.
Comments or Questions..

Reading for September 2nd

Read Romans 8.12-25

In verses 12-17; living as God's children.

In verses 12-13: Living according to the flesh leads to various forms of self-gratification, deeds of the body.

In verse 14: This is especially true of Christ (8.3; Lk 4.1-13).

In verses 15-17: The ability to cry, "Abba Father!" derives from the spirit of adoption.

The Spirit's co-testimony does not result from the prayer, as it does in the NRSV text.

The prayer preserves the Aramaic language of Jesus (Mk 14.36; Gal 4.6).

In verses 18-25: Present sufferings and future glory.

In verse 18: Sufferings and glory develop 8.17.

Believers share both experiences with Christ.

In verse 19-25: The creation is the whole created order.

In verse 20: Subjected to futility: The creation story is in view, especially Gen 3.17-19.

In verse 22: The whole universe is viewed as a woman in labor, giving birth to new life (Gal 4.19).

In verse 23: First fruits of the Spirit: In the Old testament, what was harvested first were the "first fruits," and indication of more to come (Ex 23.16).

Similarly, the Spirit is understood here as a foretaste of the future glory.

In verse 24: 2 Cor 4.18.

Comments or Questions..