December 4, 2012

Paul affirms that he is “not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, ‘but the righteous man shall live by faith.’” (Romans 1:16-17) In this epistle, Paul systematically develops the themes of faith, righteousness, and the good news of Jesus Christ.

Romans 1:18 -32 describe how God has been revealed to all humans through creation. He laments that humans have turned from worshiping God to worshiping the creation “For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator;” (Verse 25) Paul then gets more specific as he describes how God has given men and women over to degrading passions. He concludes in verse 32 “and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.”

The book of Romans is a powerful teaching about God, developed logically and inspired by God’s Spirit through one of the great thinkers and witnesses to Jesus, the apostle Paul. Martin Luther studied this book and taught from it from 1510-1520 at Wittenburg. John Wesley was powerfully impacted by what Luther wrote in his introduction to the book of Romans when he heard a person reading from this introduction at a society (a small group meeting) on Aldersgate street, May 24, 1738.

As I prepare the content of the Life Group material for Spring Training, the Basics of Grace, I will draw from Luther’s intro to Romans, and his lifelong emphasis on salvation by grace through faith.

Guide me today Lord as I seek to grow in your righteousness, living by faith and not by sight. Use me as your shepherd of souls today, and every day on this journey toward eternity.

It rained overnight as a cold front is pushing down from the north. The rest of the day will be dry, and the temperature will rebound to 60, because this cold front is not artic but pacific. Yesterday I finished up with the outside lights, mowed the lawn for the last time, winterizing the mower, fired up the chain saw, cut some large walnut logs in half, and then sharpened the chain. Audrey and I started the day out to breakfast together, and then ran some errands. All in all, it was a good day off. Now I am ready for Tuesday, which is the first day of my work week. I will write the article for the pastor’s pen, prepare for worship planning, and after our meeting, I have the rest of the day to catch up on details, plan and prepare for the coming weeks and the new year.