Reading for August 7th

 Read Romans 4.1-15. In verses 1-8: The example of Abraham. In verse 3: Gen 15.6. In verses 14-15: Righteousness may be seen as an earned wage given to one who works or as a gift freely bestowed to the one who trusts in God who accepts sinners. In verses 7-8: Ps 32.1-2. In verses 9-12: When Abraham received God's blessing. The sequence of events in Genesis is critical to Paul's argument. Which was the more defining moment for Abraham? Faith (Gen 15.6) or circumcision (Gen 17.1-14)? Faith since it came first. Thus Abraham is better seen as the ancestor of all who believe (Jews and gentiles) rather than the ancestor of the circumcised (Jews only). In verses 13-15: God promise through faith, not Mosaic Law. In verse 13: The promise of many descendants through Isaac experienced through righteousness of faith is given in Genesis (15.1-6; 18.18; 22.15-18). It did not come through the law of Moses, which came much later. Since The promise is linked more closely to faith than it is to the law, it is best experienced not by adherents of the law but by those living in the faith. In verse 15: Without law, there is not sense of violation (Gal 3.19). Comments or Questions..

Reading for August 6th

 Read Romans 3.21-31. In verses 21-26: Experiencing God's righteousness through Christ. In verse 21: The righteousness of God: God's integrity and ability to set things right. Verses 22, 26: To have faith in Jesus Christ means Christ is the object of faith: Believers regard him as God's agent or redemption (v. 24). To have the faith of Jesus means Christ is the example of faith: His fidelity reveals God's integrity and displays the type of faith for which believers should strive (Gal 216, 20; 3.20). In verses 27-31: Faith and law. In verse 27: Boasting putting confidence inhuman achievement instead of divine power (1 Cor 1.29, 31). In verse 28: Those verses compactly summarizes Paul's position (Gal 2.16). In verses 28-30: Two waves of being religious, or relating to God, are contrasted: Through works of the law (of Moses) and the law (principle) of faith. Paul insists that Jews (the circumcised) of gentiles (uncircumcised) relate to God the same way: Through ... faith (v. 30). In verse 31: Overthrow the law probably expresses the view of Paul's critics. His claim to uphold the law is developed in ch. 4. Comments or Questions..

Reading for August 5th

 Read Romans 3.1-20. In verses 1-8: Answering Jewish objections. In verse 2: Scripture contains the oracles of God, what God has spoken to Israel (Deut 4.7-8; Ps 147.15, 18-20). In verses 3-7: God's reliability is variously described as faithfulness, justice, truthfulness. In verse 4: One psalm finds humans unreliable (Ps 116.11), another regards God as an honest judge (Ps 51.4). In verse 8: This criticism is answered more fully in ch. 6. In verses 9-20: No one has the moral advantage. In verse 9: Jews and Greeks include everyone (1.16). In verses 10-18: Various biblical quotations are grouped together to show that all ... are under the power of sin. In verses 10-12: Eccl 7.20; Ps 14.1-3. In verse 13: Ps 5.9; 140.3. In verse 14: Ps 10.7. In verses 15-17: Isa 59.7-8: Prov 1.16. In verse 18: Ps 36.1. In verse 20: Ps 143.2; Gal 2.16. Comments or Questions.

Reading for August 4th

 Read Romans 3.17-29. In verses 17-24: Inconsistent behavior condemned. In verses 17-18: Jewish identity is closely linked to Torah observance. In verse 19: Isa 42.6-7. In verses 21-23: These rhetorical questions directly indict those who boast in the law yet flagrantly violate its teachings. Stealing and committing adultery as forbidden in the Decalogue (Ex 20.1-17; Deut 5.1-21). In verse 24: Them quotation is based on the Greek version of Isa 52.5. See Ezek 36.20. In verses 25-29: What really defines a person. In Gen 17.1-14 required male circumcision as a sign of God's covenant with Israel. It indicated willingness to observe Torah (Gal 5.3). Uncircumcised gentiles who fulfill the moral requirements of Torah are, in a spiritual sense, circumcised, and more commendable than Jews who violate Torah. Circumcision ... of the heart suggests an obedient spirit (Deut 10.16; 30.6). Comments or Questions..

Reading for August 3rd

 Read Romans 2.1-16. In verses 1-11: God's wrath against religious people. The language shifts to direct address, from they and them in 1.18-32 to you. Whoever you are (vv. 1, 3), literally, "O man!," is an open-ended charge against religious people who do the very things they condemn in others. Such people think God's kindness gives them slack rather than reason to change their lives (repentance, v. 4). Like those whom they condemn (1.18), they too will experience God's wrath and fury (v. 8; see 5.9; 12.19). Day of wrath , see Zeph 1.14-16; Rev 6.17. At the final judgment, God will render impartial judgement. V. 6 quotes Ps 62.12: see Prov 24.12. Good and evil cut across ethic lines (vv. 9-10). In verses 12-16: Doing what the law requires. In verse 12: Experiencing the harsh effects of sin and developing a sense of moral accountability before God do not derive exclusively from the law of Moses. This is something all people experience, both gentiles who live apart the law and Jew who live under the law. In verse 16: The day of judgment, 2 cor 1.14; Phil 1.6, 10. Comments or Questions..

Reading for August 2nd

 Read Romans 1.18-32. In 1.18-8.39: God purpose and character revealed in Christ. In 18.18-32: God's wrath against sinful humanity. Gentiles are nor mentioned specifically in 1.18-32, but they appear to be in view (see 1.30; God-haters; 2.14; 3.9). Paul thinks humanity can know God through creation. Yet rather than honoring God properly as creator, people devised in appropriate forms of worship: images of humans and animals (v. 23). Such worship is misguided because it gives honor to mortal things rather than exclusive honor to the immortal God (v. 23). Worshiping creatures instead of the creator is here seen as the ultimate lie. Closely associated with idol worship were sexual practices regarded by Jews as impure and degrading to the body (vvv. 24-25). Failure to acknowledge God leads to debased thinking and immoral behavior that destroys meaningful relationships among friends and family, leading to chaos within society (1 Cor 6.10-11; Gal 5.19-21). Paul repeatedly emphasizes that God gave them up ... (vv. 24, 26, 28), suggesting God's disgust with such arrogant, socially destructive behavior. Comments or Questions..

Reading for August 1st

 Read Romans 1.1-17. In 1.1-15: Greeting and prayer of thanksgiving. In 1-7: Greeting. The writer Paul identifies himself and his mission as they relate to Christ and God. Grace and peace combine standard forms of gentile and Jewish address. This greeting is longer than most because Paul is writing to a church he has not yet visited and he wants to align himself with early Christian belief (vv. 2-6). In 8-15: Prayer of thanksgiving. Opening thanksgivings in Pauline letters often set the mood for the rest of the letter and signal key themes. Paul's mission to the Gentiles reflects a central concern of the letter (v. 13). There is no hint that he will reach Rome as a prisoner, as in Acts depicts (Acts 28). In verses 16-17: Purpose. These verses, which actually concludes the prayer of thanksgiving, summarize the main themes of the letter. I am not ashamed means "I have confidence in." The gospel, the good news about Jesus Christ, tells a story about God's saving activity. It stems from God and expresses God's power to transform human lives. It also reveals the righteousness of God, either God's character as on who is reliable and trustworthy or what is given by God who sets things right. The proper response to God's action in Christ is faith, which is both the means (through faith) and the end (for faith) of life before God. The Older Testament quotation is a distinctive Pauline rendering based upon on Hab 2.4. Comments or Questions..