Category: Romans - Wittenberg Door Campus Ministry

Romans 3:19-28 - Lectionary for Reformation Day

10/20/2021

10/20/21
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

Justification by grace through faith apart from the works of the law. This is the call of the Lutheran Reformation, articulated clearly for us in Romans 3:19-28.

Why is this such a big deal? Chiefly because it runs counter to all our natural inclinations. We want to think of ourselves as good people. Yet in verse 19 we read that God's law, in effect, tells us to be silent before God. In response to God's demands, every one of us fails. Every. Last. One. "Wait a minute," you say. "God wouldn't command something we aren't able to do. That would be cruel!" Or possibly the entire point of God's commands is to show us that we can't earn salvation on our own, that we stand accused of sin, and that we need a savior.

If we stop trying to justify ourselves, we are left with the only option being that of Abraham, who believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness. If we stop trying to justify ourselves we see that the Lord is the one who justifies us. It is not by our imperfect obedience, but by Jesus' perfect obedience applied to us.

Paul makes this clear. In verse 22 it is God's righteousness, given through Jesus. In verse 24 it is a gift of God. In verse 25 it shows God's forbearance.

We can't boast in ourselves. Salvation, if it is from God, must be from Him as a gift, not as anything we earn. It's delivered by faith.

God's command, then, points us to our need for grace. That's Reformational thinking. No, rather, that's Christian thinking. We are saved by his grace as a free gift. Never by our works. May God be the one who justifies.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

Analysis Based on Sensible Chunks of Text

10/11/2021

10/11/21
Scholarly Reflections

Livesey, Nina E. "Sounding Out the Heirs of Abraham (Rom. 4:9-12). Oral Tradition 27:1 (2012), 273-290.

Livesey considers "oral cues such as repetition and word placement" (Livesey 2012, 273) as very important elements of reception of complex oral material. The auditor, thus, is a very active listener, possibly more so than a scholar reading a text. Sound mapping, identifying the natural breaks of the spoken material, proves useful in building an interpretive framework (Livesey 2012, 274). To assist scholars in their research, Livesey demonstrates with an analysis of Romans 4:9-12. The goal is to adequately identify the ethnic group referred to in the last phrase of verse 12.

At issue in the question of Romans chapter four is whether Paul considers both Jews and Gentiles to become heirs of Abraham on the same terms. At issue is a dative plural article which, if present, equates the Gentiles with the Jews on completely equal terms (Livesey 2012, 275). Livesey provides an extensive review of the challenge centered around the article, including a summary of the relevant critical apparatus in a number of Greek editions (Livesey 2012, 276). The article itself is not a matter of dispute, but whether it is appropriate to interpret the passage taking account of the article is the issue (Livesey 2012, 277).

Livesey maintains that the use of the article "contributes to the balance and harmonic quality of the entire unit" (Livesey 2012, 278). The repeated reference to the uncircumcised in the passage shows them to be a principal focus.

After providing a Greek and English text which divides the material into sensible chunks (the term I have typically used as a language educator), Livesey observes that the emphasis is on the uncircumcised throughout (Livesey 2012, 280). Not only do we see this in the vocabulary but also in the rhythm and harmonious arrangement of the words. The placement of the word δικαιοσύνην ("righteousness") in the second period associates it with ἀκροβθστίαν ("uncircumcision") in the first period (Livesey 2012, 281). One of these two word units ("lexemes") ends all but the last two periods. The hiatus before the first use of Abraham's name here also draws him into the passage as the critical figure of both righteousness and uncircumcision (Livesey 2012, 282). In the end, Abraham received the sign of circumcision after he received righteousness by faith. The purpose, judging from this passage, was so he could "be the father to all those who trust through foreskin, or while they are themselves in foreskin" (Livesey 2012, 283). The use of the article creates the rhythmic pattern needed to complete the sound set up by the words for righteousness, circumcision, and uncircumcision (Livesey 2012, 284). It rightly contributes to drawing our attention to the uncircumcised as recipients of righteousness.

Romans 6:1-5 - Lectionary for the Martyrdom of John the Baptist

8/25/2021

8/25/21
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

Jesus loves to forgive sin. Maybe you think that's great news. I do too. But why is it such a good thing? Theologian Michael Horton says frequently that the reason matters. Do we say, "Jesus loves to forgive and I love to sin, so it work out great!"?

The apostle Paul will have none of it. In Romans chapter six he uses probably the most forceful way there is in Greek to say that we don't continue in sin. He then reminds the Romans that as they believed in Crhist and were baptized they "died to sin" (v. 2). They were buried in baptism, which the Lutheran Reformers said was the equivalent of drowning the sinner.

Where does this break down? If we read ahead to Romans chapter seven Paul recognizes that even though he hates sin, he is still drawn to it. That old sinner Paul, though drowned in baptism, swims awfully well.

Let's be really clear. We don't drown anyone in baptism. The water is symbolic of drowning, and also of washing. But we do believe, with the historic church, that the water along with God's Word does have an effect. It delivers God's promise of forgiveness, and does it in a very concrete way, a way commanded by Jesus and affirmed by all Christian practice.

Have you been united with Christ in baptism? Then live as an heir of his resurrection. What, then, do we do when we realize our sin? We ask forgiveness and we strive again to live as his people, who have died to sin and live to righteousness.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

Romans 8:28-39 - Lectionary for James the Elder

7/28/2021

7/28/21
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

There's so much to focus on in Romans chapter 8, we could never exhaust it all. I want to focus on just one little portion today. It's easily overlooked. All things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to his purpose.

Do all things work together for good? Not necessarily. For people who don't love God and who aren't living according to his purpose, they might not work for good. They might just work for evil!

Before anyone despairs, saying, "I thought I loved God but bad things have been happening in my life so maybe I don't actually love God!" let me point out that if you are concerned in this way, if you care what God may be saying to you or doing in your life, it is evidence that you do love God. We live in a sin-cursed world and we don't always see the way things work together for good.

What is God's purpose in this? It is in verse 29. He is busy conforming his people to his image. What does this mean? It means that Jesus, the one who loved us and who lived a life of perfect holiness, trusting God the Father in all things, is making us into people who are also in perfect fellowship with God. He wants to be "the firstborn among many brothers." This means he plans to raise you and me from the dead in the last day, made into the image of God, raised in his perfect righteousness.

At that time, not only will all things be working together for good for us, but we'll see them in action. His purpose will be finally accomplished.

In the meantime, we take courage from this passage. Can anything separate us from God's love in Christ? Nothing at all. He is working in us and in many others by his love to build us into the people he would have us be in eternity. It will all work.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

Romans 12:9-16 - Lectionary for Visitation

6/30/2021

6/30/21
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

Historic Christian church services frequently begin with a confession of sin. In fairly general terms we confess that we are sinful, that we fail to do some good things, that we do some bad things, and that we don't love God or our neighbor perfectly. The majority of Christians around the world also have a custom of private confession, in which the individual comes to the priest or pastor and makes confession of sin, receiving forgiveness, or absolution.

What if we don't think we have anything to repent of? What if we are fairly pleased with the way our life is lived?

On one level that's good. Really. I know you thought that I, as someone who certainly confesses that we all have a sinful nature that we can't overcome by any of our efforts, would immediately condemn people who are pleased with their lives. Not at all. If your life is absent from glaring sin and offense, that's a good thing. You are likely to be respected in the community, your family, friends, co-workers, and employers or employees are probably going to find it easy to get along with you, and your life won't have the kind of troubles that some lives do. It's good.

It doesn't mean that you have nothing to confess, though. We all have something to confess before God, and in the presence of our confessor. Let's unpack just a couple of verses, Romans 12:9-10, to see how.

"Let love be genuine." Do I really do this? Or do I pretend that I love God and my neighbor. Have I ever been guilty of this? What if my enemies are in my face. Do I love them regardless? Or do I need God's forgiveness for my attitude toward some people and situations?

"Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good." Again, though I avoid a lot of evil things, do I really hate them, or do I secretly or publicly wink at them and excuse them. Am I concerned about the harm that evil practices can inflict on others? Even if I am safe from some of the evils that could kill me, am I bothered enough that those evils can kill? Considering drug use, physical abuse, poverty, and disease, am I willing to rescue others? Am I willing to work for good no matter what the consequences to me might be?

"Love one another with brotherly affection." Even the person I don't like? And what if my brother happens to be one of those people I don't like? Can I then dislike everyone else? No, maybe I'd better not make those concessions. I need to love others like I would love a brother who is very close to my heart. Even if it means doing something to help them.

"Outdo one another in showing honor." Even for those I don't respect? But . . . but . . . but . . .

We have plenty to confess. What's the good news in this passage? It is that Jesus is the one who forgives our sin. He shines his light on our lives and uses convicting words like these to confront us with our sin. But he is the forgiving Lord who has loved us as we are to love one another.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

Romans 8:12-17 - Lectionary for Pentecost Eve

5/19/2021

5/19/21
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

There's a pretty big branch of modern American Christianity that seems obsessed with the Holy Spirit. They want to have the victory of God in the Spirit, to walk by the Spirit, and to do great things in the power of the Holy Spirit. Often they look for powerful and, frankly, noisy demonstrations of the spiritual ife.

In Romans 8:12-17 Paul pictures life by the Spirit as something which isn't as showy. It's more like life in a family, where you call out to your father with your needs. You trust that your troubles can be cared for.

When I had small children, they would show their parents things that they wouldn't reveal to anyone else. They would tell about their cares, their fears, their little victories, their hurts. They would take their parents into their confidence.

This is the spirit of adoption Paul is talking about. We can turn to the loving care of the Holy Spirit when we are afraid, when we are disappointed, when we are in doubt. We can bring our joys and our trials before God. And we can know that by the Holy Spirit everything will be all right. We know that the Holy Spirit is always going to be watching over us. He will always be guarding us. He will care for our treasure. He will pick us up when we fall, and it's a good thing, since we fall all the time. He will provide for our needs, since we aren't able to do for ourselves.

Rather than depending on ourselves, walking by the flesh, which leads to death, we depend on the Holy Spirit, walking by the Spirit, on the path that leads not only to eternal life, but to being heirs of God's promises.

Would you like the riches of God? They are yours. You don't have to be shouting about it. Just ask. The Lord will give you all you need, as you live in his household as his child.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

Romans 4:13-18 - Lectionary for Joseph, Guardian of Jesus

3/3/2021

3/3/21
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

We humans have a reflex which makes us relate cause and effect to one another. In particular, we want to receive God's promises as a result of our obedience. The apostle Paul describes this in terms of law and gospel, or law and promise. If we receive God's promises on the basis of our obedience, the result is not a promise after all.

Rather than gaining an inheritance on the basis of obedience to the law, the Christian looks for an inheritance which comes entirely from God's promise. Paul says this is the faith of Abraham. Abraham received his promise from God, based on God's grace, not Abraham's obedience. He believed and received.

God's promise is for his people who believe God is able to do all things by his own mercy. This is the Gospel.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

Romans 8:31b-39 - Lectionary for Eve of the Circumcision of Christ

1/5/2021

1/5/21
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

What can separate the Christian from God's love in Christ? Not even the year 2020. The eve of the circumcision of Christ is also civil New Year's Eve, a time when many people, Christians and non-Christians alike, consider new beginnings. Things that went wrong in the past? Well, maybe we can do better in the future.

Christians may face disappointment. No, actually, Christians are no strangers to disappointment. We endure turmoil, cycles of poverty, loss of income and businesses, loss of wealth, and death of family members and friends just like everybody else. But there's a special hope the Christian has.

All the troubles Paul mentions in Romans 8? We face them, but we know that Jesus has faced them already, for us. He has not only faced them, but he died for them. Then he was raised from the dead, victorious over all of them.

The Christian has a living hope of resurrection. No matter the trials, and Paul lists an impressive pile of trials, Christ has overcome them and he can bring us right through them to the end, our resurrection.

We are not just conquerors. We are more than conquerors, because Jesus has loved us. Nothing will separate the Christian from God's love in Christ. Nothing.

We remember that when our Lord was circumcised on the eighth day, he was named Jesus, the one who saves from sin. Compared to that, nothing else is a problem for him. The Christian stands in Christ's love. Beloved and rescued. That's us. It's all the hope we need.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

Romans 10:8b-18 - Lectionary for St. Andrew - November 30

11/25/2020

11/25/20
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

There is no distinction. All who call on the Lord Jesus will be saved. It doesn't matter if you are Jew or Greek, male or female, slave or free. It doesn't matter if you are healthy, wealthy, beautiful, or intelligent. It doesn't even matter if none of the last four descriptors fits you. The Gospel is summed up in Romans 10 as the good news that Jesus saves those who call on him. It's as simple as that!

If this good news is the good news the whole world is waiting for, there's one more important element, which is brought up in Romans 10. It's a little bit of a chain of events.

Calling on Jesus does no good if we don't believe Jesus. If we call on him so as to curse or grumble, we are not calling on him as the savior.

Nobody is going to believe Jesus without knowing about him.

Nobody is going to know about Jesus without someone preaching. The Bible doesn't expect that reading a message about Jesus will be the normal way of coming to faith. It has no expectation that handing a person a copy of the Bible will convert that person. Rather, we speak about who Jesus is, how he is God incarnate, and what he has done, how he took our sins upon himself so as to suffer and die and thus satisfy the wrath of God against sin. The message goes out verbally, normally through speaking, though that speaking may well be informed and illustrated with a print resource, like a copy of the Bible. But the work of proclaiming the truth orally is very important.

The final step of Paul's argument here is that the person who is going to preach needs to be sent. The pattern of the New Testament is that teachers and preachers would be sent out by the elders of a church congregation or by other teachers and preachers, especially by the apostles.

The Christian evangelist has the best news in the world. This message is delivered by someone who is sent with the Gospel, by people who can assure the message is accurate, and who can arrange some form of spiritual care for all who believe. In this way we can work toward the goal of bringing the Gospel to the whole world.

Everyone who believes. It's a promise of God. Maybe some of my readers will be among those evangelists sent out with the Gospel to bring people to faith in Christ.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

Romans 9:30-10:4 - Lectionary for Trinity 10

8/12/2020

8/12/20
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

God works by God’s rules, not by our inclinations. We find this over and over again in Scripture. Today’s reading from Romans 9:30-10:4 is no exception. God is working by his rules and principles.

The big picture, the one which virtually everyone will miss, given enough opportunity, is that salvation is by grace through faith, not of our works. That’s the idea that the Gentiles were able to grasp. In fact, they found it amazingly liberating. Really? You mean all the sacrifices that we have done in the past, trying to appease one deity or another, trying not to be noticed by those we didn’t sacrifice to, keeping our heads down in hope that we will slip by without being noticed by some angry god or another, all that was useless? Exactly. All it did was to add to your anxiety and fear.

Salvation by grace through faith leaves fear behind. It takes away all the reason for fear and doubt. It leaves salvation up to God’s goodness, not up to my goodness.

Where do we go wrong with this? It’s a matter of our natural desire. We always seem to want to earn our own way, prove our own goodness, show that we are really a lot better than God seems to think we are. Romans 9:31 points out that the Jews, by trying to keep the law and earn their way to heaven through the law, failed in exactly that way. God’s law was to lead to righteousness, but it is a standard which only Jesus could ever keep. The law of God points us to our failure, not to our success. It points us to our need for a savior.

Trusting in Jesus is the only way of salvation. There is no other. We should find this to be a liberating message. We receive salvation in the way God has described it. We don’t have to make up our own system and outdo God at his work. We are recipients of his mercy. So we allow it to be by mercy, not by our effort.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

Romans 8:12-17 - Lectionary for Trinity 8

7/29/2020

7/29/20
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

Okay, I admit it. I’m really tired of the way my world is functioning right now. In my country, we are suffering from deep divisions between those who are fearful for their lives, their livelihoods, and all things in the future and those who are probably not careful enough of their lives, their livelihoods, and all things in the future. But what has me really provoked is that there are so very many who, in Paul’s terms from Romans 8:12-13, are living according to the flesh and have placed all their hopes, dreams, and fears in this earthly life.

Christians are to be operating in a different world, an altogether different world. Yes, we’re told to love and serve our neighbor, and we need to take that very seriously. But at the sae time we are to recognize that our hope is not in this world, in our safety, in our health, in our bank accounts, our governmental stability, or any of that. It all passes away. It’s really useful in the here and now. And we don’t want to leave a mess for our children, our grandchildren, or anyone else’s children or grandchildren. But if we are wanting to talk about matters of life and death, we need to understand those things rightly.

The apostle Paul tells the Romans that Christians find their security, their worth, their value, in Christ. The Christian is an heir of God. God’s kingdom is a place of mercy and grace. It operates in this world through that very Gospel promise, that Jesus has taken the place of sinful humanity by living a perfect life and dying a perfect death on the behalf of those who hate him. Any message less than the Gospel is ultimately going to be worthless.

So what do Christians do in a time of pandemic? We confess that we live in a world in which the curse of sin has brought death into being. We recognize that there will always be suffering and death. We love and serve our neighbors. If that means wearing a mask to try to protect our neighbor, we put the mask on. If we think the mask will bring some comfort to our neighbor, we put the mask on. If we think the mask is causing anxiety because our neighbor is going to be afraid of death, maybe we take the mask off and speak words of life. We need to be speaking those words of life through a mask or without a mask. We go to work, as it is a way of loving and serving our neighbor. We keep things clean because we think there are certainly some illnesses, whether COVID or something else, which would be bad for our neighbor. But above all, we live and speak according to the Gospel.

What hope is there for those who are suffering from illness, from isolation, from depression, from fear? The very same hope of the Gospel. Jesus came to live, die, and rise from the dead in your place, as the firstfruits of the resurrection, so you, believing on him, could have eternal life and hope. We are not of this world. It doesn’t define us. God defines us.

I hope all my readers will look to Jesus, the Christ, as their hope. Go to church, whether in person or online. Receive the Word of God faithfully. As the opportunity presents itself, receive the Sacraments, tactile administrations of God’s Word. And let your value be tied up in the presence of the living God, who has loved you and chosen you to be his heir. This world and its dysfunction isn’t eternal. Look to the eternal.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

Romans 6:19-23 - Lectionary for Trinity 7

7/22/2020

7/22/20
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

The Bible pictures all of humanity as being in some sort of servitude. Speaking to the Romans, a culture where slaveholding was very common, the apostle Paul uses the very familiar terms of slavery. When the Romans were in sin, they were slaves to sin. They have been purchased out of that condition and are now slaves of God. He doesn’t picture the Christians as entirely free agents. That would be to say they serve themselves and thus are still slaves to sin, as the world became a slave to sin in the Fall.

When we are purchased by God, we no longer serve sin. We serve God. Rather than working for evil we work for good. Rather than working for unrighteousness we work for righteousness. Rather than receiving wages of sin, which lead to death, we receive wages of righteousness, leading to sanctification - being holy before God.

By the way, from an historical perspective, it was perfectly normal for slaves in the Roman world to receive some wages. They weren’t that much, but a person who was careful could usually purchase his own freedom after several years’ servitude. Slavery was not race-based but was culturally and politically based. Nations threatened or overcome by Rome would send slaves to Rome.

The beauty of being a slave of God is the value God has placed upon us. He gave his life, in the death of Jesus, God the Son, to purchase you and me. He gives us freedom from the tyranny of sin. He gives us eternal life as opposed to eternal death. And there is no reason why anyone in his right mind would want to buy his way out of such a situation. We have the riches of God in Christ. We are presented before him in holiness.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

Romans 6:1-11 - Lectionary for Trinity 6

7/15/2020

7/15/20
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

Romans 6:1-11 always caused me problems before I was a Lutheran. It’s one of the passages that Lutheran theology brought into focus for me. Here’s why. With a non-sacramental view of baptism, thinking that the water can’t actually do anything, and thinking that baptism is our declaration of grace God has previously given us, the idea of baptism as death and resurrection doesn’t make much sense. If it’s our work, then we are saying that we are able to rise from the dead, presumably without God’s help.

Sorry, but that which is dead never brings itself back to life. It’s rare enough for someone to die and another person’s work to bring life again. But if you die you are not capable of bringing yourself back to life. If baptism is a symbol of death and resurrection, we can’t possibly be the ones accomplishing it. It must be done by someone else.

In Romans 6 the Christian is the passive recipient of God’s work of baptism.

I remember well belonging to a Baptist community in which people would speak of “following the Lord in baptism.” This makes baptism into an act of my obedience. Yet the idea of following the Lord is right. The hope of our baptism has a lot to do with the fact that Jesus has been raised from the dead. This gives us the hope that we will also be raised from the dead. But again, we don’t raise ourselves from the dead. Jesus is raised by the power of the Holy Spirit. So are we. We follow Jesus as passive recipients.

Does baptism need to be by immersion? After all, it signifies burial. However, there are examples in Scripture of large numbers of people being baptised in areas where water might not be superabundant. There is also that one troublesome variant reading that speaks of Jews baptising their dining couches.

If, however, baptism is a consecration, similar to the anointing with oil or the sprinkling of blood received by the priests in the Old Testament, it makes perfect sense to sprinkle or pour some water onto the person. It doesn’t completely ruin the symbolism of death and resurrection, though it makes sense to dip the person under water if possible.

What’s critical here, though, is that in baptism we are united (passive) with God in Jesus’ death and resurrection. It certainly appears that something is being accomplished. Not to seem too scholarly, but that would seem to be the natural point of the verb type used. It seems to be a coinage around the time of the New Testament, and it’s what we call an “inceptive” verb. The “ize” in it (in the Greek also) is used normally to indicate an action which starts a different process or way of life. The word isn’t used for dipping a cookie in a cup of tea. It is used for putting someone in water to start that person’s Christian life.

Does God change us through baptism? Romans 6:1-11 certainly indicates that. We can know, then, as baptized children of God, that we have been placed under God’s protective hand and are partakers of his promises. It is not of ourselves. It is done by God.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

Romans 12:14-21 - Lectionary for Trinity 4

7/1/2020

7/1/20
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

Romans 12:14-21 speaks particularly of the Christian’s life in society. It can be summed up by describing the Christian as someone who is kind, helpful, and harmless. This is amazingly difficult in this sinful world. Paul tells us in verse 21, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (ESV). Why is this so difficult? Our evil world doesn’t want to be overcome with good. That makes for a world of trouble. Another reason it is difficult, possibly one more important for our consideration, is that the definition of doing good is muddled.

In verse 17 we are do consider “what is honorable in the sight of all.” Yet what one person thinks is honorable is considered dishonorable by another. We are very hard-pressed to find universal good, especially when we consider the variety of presuppositions about how good is to be done. I’ll draw a quick example from the current discussions in my native country. It is essentially universally agreed upon that good and affordable health care is a good thing. There may be a few dissenting voices, but they are remarkably few. However, this concept brings up countless questions. How is good health care defined? What makes it affordable? Are there some medical procedures that should be provided free to the patient? If so, what? Does the patient pay directly for health care, or is funding generally to be taken care of on the basis of a large group of people so as to spread the financial risk out? Is health care financing something to be provided by government or through free enterprise? Who gets to determine pricing? How is health care service reimbursed to providers? Who gets to judge what appropriate care standards are? How can that be enforced? Disagreements abound in all those matters. Yes, we think good and affordable health care is a good thing. Yet as soon as we start discussing the details, we are likely to find deep disagreements, which make it hard to fulfill the command in verse 17.

The definition of doing good is then muddled. How do we live this passage out? In a word, we live it out badly. Something is going to fall apart somewhere. We really can’t avoid that.

As always, then, we see that the law of God points us both to God’s perfect will and to our failure to do God’s will. We are directed, again and again, to our need for a savior, someone who is able to grant us forgiveness as we come, repentant of our inability to do what is good.

In the end, we don’t overcome evil with good. But God does. He is the one who can forgive, heal, and restore us. We do what we can. We try to do good, and sometimes we are remarkably close to success. Yet it is in Jesus and his forgiving love that we can actually stand before God, called his children, knowing that he will work through us for the good of our world.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

Romans 11:33-36 - Lectionary for Trinity Sunday

6/3/2020

6/3/20
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

For Trinity Sunday our Epistle features what is probably a piece of writing that is older than the rest of the letter to the Romans. In Romans 11 verses 34-36 are typically set off in a way that suggests a quotation, but the quotation is not from anything in the Old Testament. Many scholars would suggest that these passages were theological statements used by the early Christians in their worship, which were then included in the New Testament writings because the familiar snippet accurately reflected what the author wanted to express. By the time Paul is writing Romans they aren’t old enough to be considered ancient, but they may have dated back to the earliest weeks and months of the Christian period, some twenty or so years before the apostle wrote the letter.

Who has known the mind of the Lord? Who is worthy to correct God. Really, who is qualified to say, “God’s Word says [fill in a moral or ethical statement] but we actually know [fill in the opposite]? That’s the work of those who deny the Holy Spirit. It says that God really didn’t know what he was talking about and that if the people he was inspiring to write an authoritative account of his will failed to understand something he was unable to prompt them in the right direction. It’s the height of arrogance, for it places our human reason on the throne and says that God, the creator, redeemer, and sustainer of all is answerable to my inclination.

Really? Do we think we give anything to God so that he owes us something in return? Christianity has always confessed that everything that is good comes from God’s gracious hand, including the things we need and the things we don’t need, in times of poverty and in times of abundance. And we think we are in a position to bargain with God, to loan him something and make him repay?

No, we can do nothing of the sort, nor should we try. All that we have comes from God. We simply return to Him what he has let us borrow.

The entire idea is summed up by the fact that all glory goes to God, forever. We may come up with some sort of glory that seems, at times, to be ours. This is because we are created in the image of God. But it’s just a faint reflection of God’s glory. It’s just enough light to make us think it would be good to have more light.

God’s riches, yes, that’s what we need. And the Lord has graciously poured out those riches upon his people, giving them the gifts they need. Thanks be to God.

Back to the fact that we were apparently quoting something? As long as there has been Christianity, there have been people proclaiming God’s glory. We join with countless other people to do the same.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

Romans 5:1-5 - Lectionary for Lent 2

3/4/2020

3/4/20
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

It has happened many times, but I recall one time in particular when an elderly lady pressed me for an answer to a problem which was bothering her. In essence, her question was how I managed to be confident in my faith in Christ while she faced turmoil and doubt. Our reading from Romans 5 speaks to this issue. We are told that we have peace with God because we have been justified by faith. Knowing that Jesus has delivered us from sin and separation from God, we can stand before God and before the whole world in confidence. Our security comes from the completed work of Jesus, who lived a perfect life, died on our behalf, and rose as the victor over death. This is a security that nothing can overturn.

Rather than asking how the Christian can be secure and confident, it may be better to ask how the Christian can be lacking in security. After all, God has made his promises, which will not fail.

Our doubts do come to the surface, though, especially when we endure suffering. After all, it hurts! We don’t want to deal with suffering, disappointment, loss, and illness. What confidence can we find in the midst of those trials?

The apostle gives us great hope, though it doesn’t bypass suffering. Suffering leads to endurance. Endurance leads to character. Character leads to hope. Hope does not disappoint. But, sadly enough, there seems to be only one way to get to an enduring hope, and that is through suffering, endurance, and character. We never want to endure suffering. Building endurance is hard work. Character doesn’t appear overnight. But it is all part of the path. The Lord protects His people as they grow to maturity in Him. It isn’t easy. But it is still a matter of God’s promise.

We stand in the promises of God. He will never let us down.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

Romans 15:4-13 - Lectionary for Advent 2

12/4/2019

12/4/19
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

This week’s Epistle, from Romans 15:4-13, calls the Romans to receive each other as Christ has received them. In our postmodern West, this sort of call receives praise, especially from theologically progressive people as well as from those who take joy in deriding Christianity. “After all,” they say, “those killjoy Christians think you can reject some people even though Christ welcomes everyone.” This line of reasoning quickly becomes a warrant to reject all calls to repentance and forgiveness, the heart and center of the Christian message. On the contrary, these voices would like us to say that everything is all right and that as long as you are a welcoming person (welcoming according to their definition, which changes frequently), there’s no place for a change in lifestyle, ethics, or beliefs. Everything goes.

The apostle Paul doesn’t fall for that kind of logic, not for a moment. He goes on to describe how Christ has welcomed people. And how is that? By showing God’s truth. By calling people to receive God’s mercy, which specifically implies a condition requiring mercy. By ruling over Jew and Gentile alike, conforming them all into God’s image. Jesus’ welcome is for everyone, yes. But Jesus’ welcome is a transforming kind of welcome. He calls all people, not just some, to repent of their reliance on themselves and their own righteousness, to trust in his mercy, and to believe he is able to deliver them from sin and every evil. God’s welcome redeems people so as to forgive them and change their lives. Our welcome is to be just the same.

What, then, is our prayer during this season of Advent? That we may be God’s instruments to bring the redeeming love of Christ into every situation, calling our world to prepare themselves for the coming of the Lord. Even so, come quickly, Lord.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

Romans 13:8-14 - Lectionary for Advent 1

11/27/2019

11/27/19
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

“Love is the fulfilling of the law” (Romans 13:10b, ESV). This sounds so easy, but in reality it is deadly difficult. How do we love one another? Just a verse earlier, the apostle Paul told us how, by summarizing what we might call the ethical law. God has given commandments, cited here, about adultery, murder, theft, and covetousness. He then sums up those commands by telling us to love one another. Yet we don’t love one another by simply allowing everyone to do whatever seems like a good idea at the moment. We don’t love one another by encouraging people that if it feels good it’s all right. There’s a fundamental dignity to a society made of people who are created in God’s image. An important part of loving one another is guarding dignity for all those people.

This is, or at least should be, at the root of Christian striving for moral and ethical behavior. When we do whatever we can to protect the institution of marriage, we are helping to safeguard the dignity of those who are married, as well as those who are not married, as they may be tempted toward adultery. When we try to protect life from conception to natural death, we are helping protect people from being murdered, as well as to protect some from becoming murderers. There’s a natural human dignity which deserves protection, and certainly the unborn and some elderly or seriously ill people are not in a position to protect that dignity. When we insist that property rights are property rights, we are guarding against theft, whether by neighbors, strangers, or governments. When we try to bring hope and cheer to those who have little, or when we try to show contentment with what we have we are guarding against the harm done to ourselves and others by covetousness. All this can be seen as a way of loving our neighbors.

Christians are often mocked for attitudes which seem stodgy or prudish. Fine! Yet I encourage everyone to think about how those attitudes can be for the good of our neighbor. We love and serve our neighbors by showing the dignity which we are persuaded God has shown us, a sense of order which will be good for everyone who lives in this fallen world. A little love and respect goes a long way!

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

Romans 10:8b-13 - Lectionary for Lent 1C

3/6/2019

3/6/19
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the three-year lectionary.

Please forgive the fact that I’m going to talk like a seminary professor for a bit. We’ll get to the conclusion quickly. Romans 10:9 explains the quotation in the second portion of verse 8, from Deuteronomy 30:14. The word is near you. What word is that? The specific word of the Gospel proclaimed by the apostles and others. Then we have verse 9, which is typically not translated very well. Why is it not translated very well? I can’t assign a motive to the translators. Granted, the word translated as “if” may well mean “if.” But in the construction used here, it means something rather closer to “since.” The conclusion, “you will be saved” is predicated on a reality, not a possibility. Idiomatic Greek would have used a different “if” to show the possibility.

Why does this matter? The passage is used often to persuade people that they need to make a decision to believe Jesus. It is also used to cause people to question whether their decision was good enough. It is used to plant doubt in troubled consciences. I hope that was not the intention of the many translators who have maintained the “if”, but I cannot speculate fairly. I do know, based on the grammatical structure, that it was not the apostle’s intention. He wrote this as assurance. “You believe Jesus? God’s Word is near you, in your heart, and in the last day you can have confidence that you will be saved.” Jesus is the Lord of salvation, for all who believe on him, Jews and Greeks alike. He pours out his riches of salvation. He delivers the one who trusts on him safely to his final destination as an heir of all heaven’s blessings in Christ.

This word of Gospel, that Jesus lived a perfect life on your behalf, that he died in your place, that he was raised from the dead bodily to foreshadow your bodily resurrection, that he ascended to heaven to prepare a place for you, that word of Gospel is all yours, since you have believed. How well do you have to believe? That’s a matter of no consequence. How well did Jesus purchase your salvation? He has done it. And if, as the Romans who received this letter could, you can say that it is your confession, even if you think your faith is feeble, since you have believed, you will be saved. Take courage and enjoy the Word of God near you, in your heart.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

Romans 6:1-11 - Lectionary for Epiphany 1C

1/9/2019

1/9/19 - This is an encore post. The post originally appeared 1/4/18.

Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the three-year lectionary.

The Christian confesses that his life of sin is buried and dead. It’s in that order, too. While we generally think that you die first, then you are buried, in baptism, according to Romans chapter six, we die when we are buried in baptism. We live again afterward. It is a strong picture of Christ’s death and resurrection.

The life we live as Christians, then, as baptized people, is a life governed by Jesus’ resurrection. It’s a life of immortality, here and now. While this doesn’t mean that we will not become old, sick, injured, or otherwise brought to death, we receive the promise that in Christ we will live on. The slavery to sin and death has ben broken.

Why does the apostle remind us of this? It only takes a little thought to make sense of that. It’s because we are so very good at forgetting our identity. We may be dead to sin, but our sinful “old man” seems to have trouble getting the message. Martin Luther famously taught that we remember our baptism every day because, even though the our sinful nature has been drowned in the water of baptism, it still seems able to swim.

Eventually, as we look to Christ’s resurrection, we do start to find our identity. And it is a glorious identity. It’s the identity of Jesus, the Second Adam, the one without sin, the one who will live forever in glory. May the Lord continue making this plain in us.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

Romans

6/7/2018

Thursdays are for the New Testament
6/7/18
Carson, D.A., and Douglas Moo An Introduction to the New Testament - Second Edition. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2005. "New Testament Letters" Carson & Moo pp. 331-353
"Romans" Carson & Moo pp. 391-414

p. 391 "Romans is the longest and most theologically significant of the letters of Paul, 'the very purest gospel' (Luther). The letter takes the form of a theological treatise framed by an epistolary opening and closing. The opening contains the usual prescript and thanksgiving and is concluded with a transitional statement of the theme of the letter: the gospel as the revelation of God's righteousness, a righteousness that can be experienced only by faith."

On pp. 391-392 Carson and Moo outline the body of the book in four parts: "The gospel as the righteousness of God by faith (1:18-4:25). . . The gospel as the power of God for salvation (5:1-8:39) . . . The gospel and Israel (9:1-11:36) . . . The gospel and the transformation of life (12:1-15:13)."

Romans claims Pauline authorship, a claim which is not seriously disputed. Dating is a bit more complicated. Paul discusses the fact that he is going to Jerusalem and that he wishes to go to Rome on his way to Spain. Carson and Moo consider that the most likely place of authorship was Corinth, from where Paul may well have gone toward Jerusalem about 57.

The situation of the church at Rome is also possibly problematic. Carson and Moo do not think that Peter is likely to have founded a church in Rome prior to the time Paul would have written Romans. They also do not think it likely that Paul would make a visit such as he describes in Romans 1:8-15 to a church founded by another apostle. Rather, they suggest that the church in Rome was founded by Jews who had been present in Jerusalem at Pentecost.

Carson and Moo discuss the text of Romans on pp. 398-401. There are some suggestions of interpolations and redactions, mostly spurred on by the doxology found in 16:25-27, which "is omitted in some manuscripts and appears at different places in others" (p. 399). Carson and Moo consider that the text has always had all sixteen chapters and that it is simply slightly uncharacteristic of Paul's letters, but not necessarily inauthentic.

As to the genre of Romans, it is more like a treatise of doctrine than a personal or typical epistolary letter. The purpose is clearly to lay out doctrines in detail. Numerous possible purposes for composition have been put forward. There are few statements about the purpose of the letter, though it is clear that Paul is intending to introduce his plan to visit. We may find it more fruitful to look at multiple reasons for writing, based on the different types of information contained in the letter.

The theme of Romans has likewise shifted in scholarly opinion. Interestingly enough, Carson and Moo trace the locus of the theme moving from near the beginning, with the Reformational focus on justification by faith, to the union of Christ and the Church in chapters 6-8, to salvation history in 9-11, and to exhortations to unity in 14-15. Currently all four positions are alive.

In summary, the book seems to have undergone lively and varied scholarly discussion. It is a lively and varied book which lends itself well to such research and commentary.

Romans 5:1-11 - Lectionary for Lent 2B

2/21/2018

2/21/18
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the three-year lectionary.

It’s hard to visit with someone about Christianity for long before the person begins talking about the quality of your faith. In the Christian community we are rightly very concerned that Christians should be faithful to the Lord. We want to see people living a life of holiness and dedication to God. We shouldn’t be ashamed to talk about how important it is to devote ourselves to honoring God. Yet much of American Christianity makes a grave mistake by urging people to look to the quality of their repentance, the fervency of their prayer, and the wholehearted dedication of their entire being to Jesus as if we can earn God’s favor.

Our reading from Romans 5 shows how this is completely backwards. The Christian life is not about our dedication to Jesus or our self-sacrifice. It is about Jesus, who not only gave his life for others, but did so when they were hopelessly embroiled in sin. If any normal human were to be perfect, which will never happen, that person might consider, at least for a moment, giving his life for other people who are really good. But Jesus showed his love for us by giving his life for us while we were still sinners.

When we consider what it means to be a Christian, we need to focus on God’s work. It is through Jesus’ death for us while we were engulfed in sin and death that we can receive life. Should we try harder? Yes, we certainly should try to live a godly life, loving our neighbor as ourself. But that doesn’t contribute anything to our worthiness. It is only through Jesus’ righteousness that we are saved from sin and death. Our good works don’t benefit God in any way. They benefit our neighbor. May the Lord help us to see the work rightly and live in the freedom of Christ’s love for us.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

Romans 6:1-11 - Lectionary for Baptism of Our Lord, Series B

1/4/2018

1/4/18
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the three-year lectionary.

The Christian confesses that his life of sin is buried and dead. It’s in that order, too. While we generally think that you die first, then you are buried, in baptism, according to Romans chapter six, we die when we are buried in baptism. We live again afterward. It is a strong picture of Christ’s death and resurrection.

The life we live as Christians, then, as baptized people, is a life governed by Jesus’ resurrection. It’s a life of immortality, here and now. While this doesn’t mean that we will not become old, sick, injured, or otherwise brought to death, we receive the promise that in Christ we will live on. The slavery to sin and death has ben broken.

Why does the apostle remind us of this? It only takes a little thought to make sense of that. It’s because we are so very good at forgetting our identity. We may be dead to sin, but our sinful “old man” seems to have trouble getting the message. Martin Luther famously taught that we remember our baptism every day because, even though the our sinful nature has been drowned in the water of baptism, it still seems able to swim.

Eventually, as we look to Christ’s resurrection, we do start to find our identity. And it is a glorious identity. It’s the identity of Jesus, the Second Adam, the one without sin, the one who will live forever in glory. May the Lord continue making this plain in us.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

Romans 16:25-27 - Lectionary for Advent 4B

12/21/2017

12/21/17
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the three-year lectionary.

Our Epistle reading for this week is especially fitting to this year’s calendar. On the last Sunday of Advent, which is also Christmas Eve this year, we read from Romans 16:25-27. It points directly to the coming Lord, Jesus, the one whose “big” celebration begins in the evening.

Jesus is the fulfillment of all the Scriptures. He is the clear proclamation of God’s forgiveness. Through the history of the world he has been veiled in shadows and mystery, but at last, at the start of the first Christmas, he was revealed plainly. The Lord of all glory comes to draw all nations to himself. And, as we celebrate at Christmas, he comes in the person of a fragile newborn. Indeed, this is a great mystery, that the eternal God can be born, that the one who created and sustains all things by his powerful word can be an infant who doesn’t know how to speak.

In the incarnation of Christ, God does many impossible things, all at once. In short, he shows himself to be God. To him be all glory forever and ever.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

Just a Note - Romans 8:1-11

11/24/2017

11/24/17
The earliest Christians followed a Jewish tradition of pausing to pray, preferably together, first thing in the morning, about mid morning, at noon, about mid afternoon, and in the evening. “Just a Note” posts are brief observations made from Scripture readings not related to a lectionary. If I have one to post, it normally appears about 9:00 in the morning, at “the hour of prayer.”

Romans 8:1-11 speaks of the difference between thinking the thoughts of the flesh and the thoughts of the Spirit. For those who are in Christ, who are thinking according to the Spirit, there’s no condemnation. But what’s the difference? Really, how are we going to distinguish between thinking in the flesh and thinking in the Spirit?

This is a difficult idea. The challenge is compounded because of the tremendous influence of Gnosticism on culture. Many would like to suggest that the flesh is evil and the spirit is good. Then they will suggest that anything which is bodily is a bad thing. This immediately departs from Christianity, which confesses that Jesus came in bodily form, lived a sinless life in a body, was killed, buried, and resurrected from the dead in his body, and who ascended into heaven to rule . . . in a body. The body is not evil. That isn’t what Paul is talking about in this passage.

Maybe it has to do with thinking of earthly things. But again, Jesus is the one who created and redeemed all of the world, all the earthly things we depend on every day. He uses his people as good stewards of those earthly things. We can’t say they are evil.

When Paul uses the term “flesh” in this passage, he is referring to the thoughts and attitudes that deal with sin. He is saying that we need to be governed not by our sinful desires but by the desires of God. It’s as simple as that. We seek that the Lord would give us His mind and His desires. What do we find then? We find that there is no condemnation for us.

We can’t make a comprehensive list of what to think about or what to desire. We ultimately have to trust that the Holy Spirit will guide us. But we know that we should seek and desire the things which are pleasing to God as revealed in Scripture. So the life according to the Spirit rather than the flesh begins with reading what God’s Word has to say about God’s attitudes. May we be governed by Jesus our savior.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.