Romans Chapter One Part Two

It has been some time since my last installment of this study through Romans. With so few comments, I figured that no one was interested. Wife and I continued to study through the scripture at three chapters a day, taking a test at the completion of every book to assist in our retention. We had found a Bible trivia book with the questions divided by the books of the Bible. After testing and reading the answers, we would go over the questions and references together. This proved valuable not only for our edification but also because we found many incorrect answers in the answer key and some incorrect questions. Between this and other studies, the publishing of my notes seemed less than profitable. But recently as we drew our through the Bible study to a close, I discovered how to check page view statistics as opposed to relying on notes and it turns out that the Romans post was the number one viewed post even after it had fallen from the front page. So as a test of whether it was just a fluke here are the rest of my notes from Romans chapter 1. Whether they will be followed by Romans chapter 2 will depend on the response.

(06/03/10) Rom. 1:11-12
It speaks here of imparting a spiritual gift. Perhaps he is speaking of confirming that which seems to be present in them on an individual basis, but as we see with Timothy, gifts of the spirit may be given with the anointing and laying on of hands of the eldership. Either way, I find the purpose of spiritual gifts of more interest than the way in which they were obtained or imparted. At the end of verse 11, Paul says, “so that you may be established.” While at times it has been overemphasized, the importance of knowing your place in the body of Christ cannot be denied. We feel useless and without purpose, wondering what it is God desires of us- missionary, preacher, funding and support? One thing I knew long ago is that God desires more from each one of us than to faithfully sit down on Sunday morning. As James says, our faith is an active faith; without action our faith is dead. But, how shall we act? Shall we try our hand in every avenue until we find out which one we’re best suited for? Shall we grow stale and stagnant waiting for our opportunity to present itself? In any case, every stone must be laid on the sure foundation. Until your foundation is sure in the doctrine of Christ, you will not be suitable to be placed. Many of us may feel like the bricks are piled in the temple awaiting placement. If that is so, perhaps the only thing to do is to ask the master builder about the place He has set for us. Not yet established, I find the waiting difficult. Paul also addresses the benefit of knowing ones place. It is for mutual encouragement and edification. Sadly, many times today, we have the desire to be greatly esteemed rather than the desire to do God’s will. But which is more essential to a battle, the general that divides the forces, or the blacksmith that sharpens the swords? The one is of greater esteem. Unless both commit themselves to the perfection of their craft, the battle is lost. Prominence does not equal importance. Just as a painter with great hand eye coordination would accomplish little without a properly functioning stomach, even so the body of Christ is crippled when members fail to fill their roles. But when we work together, with an understanding to fill our role to the best of our ability, regardless of position, there is great reward.
Rom. 1:13
Paul assures them that he has cared for them from their inception; however, for a yet undisclosed reason he was hindered but is now on his way. What a joy to finally be on the way that God has long ago set you! Some missionaries are told years in advance that they are going somewhere. Many brothers express their doubt if your departure is not immediate. It is important that we that are sent do not allow ourselves to be discouraged. If God has told us where we are going, we need to take the time He has given us to prepare.
Rom. 1:14-15
As he says here, Paul in his ministry thus far has set the example to cross every cultural and physical barrier. There is no partiality with God for where you grew up or how rich or educated you were. The only thing that matters on judgment day is “are your sins cleansed by the blood of Christ?” Now I have heard it said that when Paul is speaking of being a debtor here, he is speaking of “paying forward” (as opposed to “paying back”) his eternal debt to Christ. But my initial understanding was from purely the physical aspect in that Paul also took his sustenance from those he taught and in that way he was in their debt. But, as Christ said the worker is worthy. His hosts may even have been so hospitable as to send him on his way with provision. It is a sad truth that many, if not most, unbelievers are more hospitable than the pillars of the faith today. Hospitality is not paying for someone’s hotel or giving them money; it is taking them into your home and sharing life with them. If you are too private to be hospitable, maybe you’re hiding something you ought to be expelling.
Rom. 1:16-17
Verse 16 is pretty self-explanatory, but to build on it, verse 17 goes on to say, “For in the gospel of Christ the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith. As it is written, the just shall live by faith.” One must have faith to understand justice. It is unreasonable to our human minds that justice can be served if the offender is not the one to pay the debt. Therefore, without faith on both parties, the gospel cannot be effectively communicated. The words of the faithful may only begin to stir the mind of those who reject until enough faith has grown that the words may be established. It is then that the gospel can be communicated from the faith of the believer to the faith of the seeker. Thus, from faith to faith.

Again feel free to leave a comment, on or off topic, and if you would like me to continue to publish my notes, leave a note to that effect in the comment box or simply make your opinion known on the Romans study pole, but remember no vote is a “no” vote.

How well do you know the story of Jesus’ birth?

Recently, some friends loaned us a copy of the book “Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes: Cultural Studies in the Gospels” by Kenneth E. Bailey. The author focuses on helping the western world understand some things about the Gospels that would be fairly obvious to someone from the middle east, but completely hidden to us. We have found it fascinating so far and wanted to share some highlights from chapter one to hopefully fascinate all of you as well (or at least give you something to read while you are on break).

As our title states, chapter one is about the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ birth. Bailey opens with an engaging line of thought, “Have the centuries added meanings to our understanding of the text that are not there? A diamond ring is admired and worn with pride, but with the passing of time, it needs to be taken to a jeweler to be cleaned to restore its original brilliance. The more the ring is worn, the greater the need for occasional cleaning. The more familiar we are with a Bible story, the more difficult it is to view it outside of the way it has always been understood. And the longer imprecision in the tradition remains unchallenged, the deeper it becomes embedded in Christian consciousness.” The birth of Jesus is such an account.

So, what are some of the concepts that may need a little cleaning?
1) Most homes in Bethlehem would have been open to Joseph, provided they had the space, due to his lineage. Not only was his family from Bethlehem, he was in the royal family (distantly of course). Extended family ties are strong and memories long in that part of the world. To turn away a descendant of David in the “City of David” would have been an unspeakable shame.
2) Due to Mary’s obvious pregnant condition, help would have been more readily available. Such communities do a really good job of taking care of expectant mothers.
3) Time allowing, if Mary and Joseph could not find anywhere in Bethlehem to stay, they could have gone the short distance to her cousin Elizabeth’s house and lodged there. How long were they in Bethlehem before Jesus was born anyway?
4) Joseph probably had ample time to find a place for his family to stay. Most dramas of Christ’s birth show Mary delivering the night they arrived in Bethlehem, but God’s Word says in Luke 2:6, “While they were there the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.” Sounds like they had time to settle in before the big event.

About this time, it is important to ask where we got the idea that Joseph and Mary arrived in Bethlehem late one night with Mary doubled over in intense labor pain, only to deliver Jesus a short while later in a cave with the animals. It turns out that about 200 years after the birth of Christ an anonymous Christian wrote a novel called “The Protoevangelium of James,” in which he expanded a bit on the details given in Scipture to provide a “fuller” picture of Jesus’ birth. The problem? This person apparently was not Jewish nor was he familiar with Jewish geography or customs. Among other things, the author of this book has Mary and Joseph traveling through the desert (in reality they traveled through rich farmland) with Mary in labor. She delivers in a cave just outside Bethlehem.

Probably the most fascinating part of the chapter for us though was the description of a typical peasant house in Bethlehem. The house was basically one large room where all of the families activities would take place. Off to one side or above the main house, there was usually another room, confusingly translated “the inn”, where guests were welcome to stay. The word used (katalyma) actually means place to stay as opposed to another word that would have been used for a commercial inn (pandocheion) a compound word meaning “all” and “to receive” or “anybody welcome”. Luke was clearly intentional in his use of these words in his gospel as we see pandocheion used in the parable of the good Samaritan, clearly referring to a commercial inn, and katalyma used when referring to the upper room of a man’s house in which Jesus ate the last supper with His deciples. Off to the other side of the house there would be a step down into what was referred to as the stable. This is where the animals would spend the night, both for their warmth and safety and that of the family. Next to the stable area in the main family room were one or two dug out areas in the floor. These were the mangers, where the feed for the animals would go. It fits naturally that a regular peasant family of Bethlehem, seeing Mary and Joseph in need but having already filled their guest room, invited the young couple into their family living space. While there, Mary’s due date came and she delivered Jesus, probably with the help of the women of the house and the local midwife, and laid him in the manger.





Another note of interest has to do with the shepherds. Shepherds were not high class citizens in Jewish society. When the angel gave them the good news, they were fearful until the angel mentioned that they would find the baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger, exactly like their children would be! They ran off to find him. Upon finding Him, if He were really in a cave with the animals, their Jewish hospitality instincts would have kicked in and they would have invited the family home to their own simple peasant houses. They did not, instead they left happily. Again, it would have been shameful for them not to extend hospitality to the family if they had better to offer. They did not offer so we can assume that what Mary, Joseph and Jesus already had was as good as anything they could offer. Another supporting note is that Matthew says the wise men came to the house where Jesus was. Most of us were taught that after the birth Joseph found better lodging for the family and they moved before the wise men arrived. Perhaps it is more plausible that they were in a house to begin with.

We are still reading through Chapter 2, so we cannot wholeheartedly recommend the whole book. But the first chapter was great and we look forward to reading the rest. Hope you’ve enjoyed our book report!
My Family
Parents Speaking