Bible Study Forum - Romans 1 and Intro

Just prior to leaving Arizona the wife and I decided we needed to study together more. We chose a section of scripture we are both shamefully poor on, the epistles. And what better place to start than with the first one? We immediately started in on Romans 1 about a month after deciding to do so, since then we have been consistent in studying together one day in a month’s time. We wanted to study daily together but it seems that with children and other responsibilities our energy was quite spent and the day drew to a close before affording us the opportunity. The few days we have studied was due to the inability of one of us to wait for the other and usually me keeping wife awake with a rambling exposition of the next verse. Knowing this study time to be of the utmost importance I will endeavor to streamline our activities and place this in a priority position. After all as the priest of the home my wife and children are my first priority in discipleship among other areas. We decided early on to take notes through our study and the wife has recently encouraged me to publish them so that others may be encouraged and edified as we have been. To all who care to read this, feel free to leave notes and pull in scriptures on or off subject. Many of you likely will have already known what we find and see this as elementary explorations, our intent is that this can be yet another venue for iron to sharpen iron. So pardon the informality from here on out these type of posts will mostly consist of our personal notes.

3-14-10
Romans 1:1 We see Paul introduced as a bondservant of Jesus Christ. A bondservant is not his own man. He was bought at a price and his will has no bearing on his course of action. Rather his actions are determined by the will of his master. Paul was specifically chosen, while yet a sinner, to be Christ’s apostle to the gentiles. “Separated to the gospel of God,” not “for” as though the gospel had a benefit in Paul’s service, but “to,” as in Paul was to be cultivated in close contact with the gospel that he may become the express image and embodiment of that which it sets forth.

Romans 1:2 Reveals that the entire redemption plan was thought out and foretold by the prophets to whom God revealed it, which we have preserved for us in the Old Testament Scriptures.

Romans 1:3 The central focalpoint of the foretold redemption plan was the messiah, Jesus Christ, our Lord. (As Paul is primarily concerned with the will of his master, so ought we to be, as our Master and position under Him are the same as Paul’s, though our chosen purpose may be different.) And, as foretold, Jesus was born in the lineage of David, according to the flesh, establishing His right to the throne of Israel.

Romans 1:4 And declared beyond contestation to be the Son of God by His resurrection from the dead by the power of the Spirit of holiness.

4-12-10
Romans 1:5 Are grace and apostleship given because of one’s obedience to the faith or to promote obedience to the faith? Either way, the characteristics of a fully discipled individual include obedience and being non-discriminatory in regards to nationality.

Romans 1:6 Paul here touches on the purpose of apostleship as reproduction. As he addresses that they are among the “all” other nations and they, just as he, are the called of Jesus Christ.

Romans 1:7 Verse seven finally gets to whom we are talking about, the Roman Christians, called to be saints (set apart). The saved of Rome were called to live visibly and in all other ways separate from mainstream Roman society, and yet among them in that society, so that their difference might be seen. Paul greets them with a blessing, though a stern rebuke immediately follows.

5-30-10
Romans 1:8 Paul recognizes and exemplifies the order in which we have access to God. Jesus Christ is our mediator. No one comes to the Father for any reason except through Him. Paul thanks God for the reputation of these Roman Christians. Though they tolerated filthy behavior that we will see as the book continues, they had a reputable faith throughout the entire Roman empire. Many churches today are tolerant of that which they ought not be, but whether tolerating or expelling of unrighteousness, the faith of the body of Christ in general is less reputable than that of these early Christians who do not even yet know their place in the body, as we shall see in verse 11. Living in a society destitute of the truth of God, their faith in the true God provokes them to actions which set them apart from the society in which they live, which society could clearly see and identify the difference between the average Roman and the sanctified of Christ.

Romans 1:9 Basically, Paul is saying, “If you don’t believe what I’m about to say, ask God; He’ll back me up on it.” Then he specifies the God of whom he speaks by relating back to his bondservanthood to the gospel of His Son. Moving into verse 10, Paul prays incessantly to visit the Roman Christians and with a longing, as that of a grandparent who longs to see a new grandchild, Paul longs to see these fledgling Christians whom he has never met. This should serve as an example for us. The body of Christ ought to love each other enough to long to meet each other, even over long distances, for fellowship and mutual edification.

A Medical Science Lesson For You

Well, folks. It turns out we will not be having a baby this December. Wait a second! Before you get too concerned and upset, you should know a few things. The Lord is in control of the womb and the timing of all blessings thereof, whether they survive the womb or not. We trust to Him the care of all of our children. According to the midwife we saw, my body released what is known as a blighted ovum. This is a deformed egg that she said does not get fertilized or implant, but causes an empty sac to form with a small placenta (about the size of a large lime). The body releases all of the pregnant hormones and thinks it is pregnant, but there is no baby. After a while the body figures out that there is no baby and stops producing the hormones for pregnancy, thus releasing the egg and other tissues in the uterus. This is similar to when a chicken lays an eggshell with nothing in it... only different. According to everything else we read online and other people's doctors, conception does occur, but due to the genetic issues of the egg the baby dies before it has a chance to grow into anything that looks like a baby. We are resting in the knowledge that the Lord knows exactly what happened when and He takes care of our little ones.

Things we have learned from all of this:
1) Mama needs to take better care of herself when it gets hot around here (I don't drink enough water).
2) There is a wonderful midwife near us in Versailles who is quite informative and helpful.
3) Seeing an empty womb on an ultrasound machine when you are expecting to see a baby is a very strange feeling.
4) God is good and has great plans for us. He knows what He is doing, whether or not we do.

So, we anxiously await the arrival of our next little blessing, whenever the Lord should decide to bless us with another, if the Lord should decide to bless us with another. We just wanted to update everyone. We are all doing well. Feel free to comment and let us know how you are doing. Thank you all for your prayers and concern. We love you!

Praise the Lord for His goodness and timing,
My Family
Wife Speaking