Greetings and salutations. I found it much easier to compose this study by interjecting my thoughts in (parentheses) within the text of scripture itself, as though I am reading it aloud and commenting as I go along. Which coincidently is what I am doing, you simply get the conglomerate commentary of countless passes and intermittent focus studies. I am using the KJV in this series of posts due to copyright restrictions on other translations. I personally use the NKJV as my primary English translation; feel free to reference any word for word translation that will aid in your understanding.
Romans 2 1Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things. (I am reminded of David’s dealings with Nathan the prophet where he quite literally condemned himself.) 2But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things.
(Paul is condemning hypocrisy, not right analysis of a brother’s character, convictions or lifestyle, which analysis as he makes clear is not according to our own evaluation and determination but according to the plain understanding of scripture. We are not fit to judge within ourselves. We are blind to our own hypocrisy. Man is as flawed as his fallen nature; being born human inhibits our ability to render sound judgments. We must depend on the given word of God to make the judgments; we simply point out what The Judge has already said. But remember the words of Christ, examine yourself first. Not as a constant rule before any situation but as a general principal become an expert at examining yourself according to scripture before you undertake the examination of others. In speaking of hypocrisy, is it not the common practice of man to judge according to our own understanding even the very word of God, deciding the relevancy of scripture passages to today, “This one is/ that one is not”? What judgment awaits those who regard themselves, whether knowingly or unknowingly, as the rule and establisher of truth “it is so because I said so”?... Idolatry of self!)
3And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?
(We are all subject to the judgments of God regardless, but when we subject others to our personal judgments disallowing liberty within scriptural guidance and insisting on total conformity, we are then making ourselves out to be the judge and thus usurping the rightful position of God within our own minds. A gross form of idolatry.)
4Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?
(In judging, men usually move on to condemnation, ignoring three elements of God’s character on which we are totally dependant but are, sadly, reluctant to extend to others. Namely:
Forbearance- God is willing to cleanse our sin even while we ignorantly continue in it until He takes over with a total character reformation.
Longsuffering- He patiently waits through our blasphemous rebellion until the day He draws us to Him, or our iniquity is full, but then it’s too late.
His Goodness- as the only one good, He is the standard we think we are. Man was created in God’s image - perfect, awesome, and altogether glorious, clothed in the shining light of His glory. Seeing His perfection then should drive us to repentance. When we consider our lowly estate and compare it to God’s unfathomable glory, then realize that He had His awe inspiring image in mind when He created us, we should drop to our knees and limitedly cry out, “Oh, what a FOOL I have been, to mar God’s image in choosing to sin!”)
5But after thy hardness and impenitent heart (as the Pharaoh of Moses’ time) treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;
(The self proclaimed judge heaps unto himself condemnation come judgment day.)
6Who will render to every man according to his deeds: 7To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life:
(To do well was the exact charge given to Cain before he killed his brother. To do well is to effectively execute the purpose for which you were created. As a lamp was created to light a room, so we are judged according to our created purpose, that purpose being to accurately reflect God, shining His light into a darkened world according to our particular calling. Being the represent image of God seems like a tall demand to most people, but be assured, its loftiness is only due to our depravity. This is what we were made for. A painted mirror can reflect just fine after a good cleaning.)
8But unto them that are contentious (Also translated self seeking), and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, 9Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile;
(Whatsoever you obey you are slaves to the same and to bind yourself to that which is contrary to the character of God is to proudly condemn yourself. This tribulation and wrath is a reference to what we know as hell. In Hebrew it is only referenced figuratively as gehenna or the refuse dump, the foul cesspool of a city’s waste. We are given many descriptions and figures in scripture even by Jesus to describe this place. Basically, it is the other option for eternity. Some have discounted or even denied its existence somewhat based on the common usage of pictures, symbols, and figures to represent it, saying, “The Bible’s description is only symbolic and has no relevance to reality.” Upon encountering this ideology a wise author once wrote, “The thing you must realize about symbols is that they are but a vague remnant of the reality they represent.” If the Bible’s description of hell, namely unquenchable fire, undying thirst, the pungent stench of sulfur, complete isolation, incredible pain crying out from every sensory nerve in your body, worms, disease and parasites ravaging your flesh, there is never a reprieve, no rest will ever come, no relief, no night to sleep nor day to wake just everlasting darkness, death shall not come though you would long for it and try to cause it, death has already come and went and now you only have eternity to look forward to in utter despair and anguish reaping the fruit of the seeds of corruption that you had sown in the sin of your life on earth.… If all of this is merely a symbol of the indescribable reality of hell, what tortures in actuality await the damned soul? And what more motivation do you need to proclaim the power of the Gospel to deliver us from such an end?)
10But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile: 11For there is no respect of persons with God. (All are measured by the same rule.) 12For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law;
(When we stand before the seat of judgment, God will not need to accuse us. His very presence will reveal our fault, whether we know His laws or not; like a father that can give that penetrating look that says, “You know what you did, you know what you deserve, and that’s exactly what I’m gonna give you.” Praise God if you had a father that taught you that your actions have consequences.)
13For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified. 14For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: 15Which show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another; 16In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.
(To obey the rules without knowing the rules is not altogether difficult when you think about it, especially given the fact that Christ lives in us and the Holy Spirit guides us. But in all of that I would like to pose a question: what is “the work of the law” that is shown upon the hearts of Gentile believers? Upon much meditation I suggest that the work of the law is the desired purpose to which the law was written; that end being the embodiment and pursuit of God’s character manifest in the believer.)
17Behold, thou art called a Jew, and restest in the law, and makest thy boast of God, 18And knowest his will, and approvest the things that are more excellent, being instructed out of the law; 19And art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind, a light of them which are in darkness, 20An instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, which hast the form of knowledge and of the truth in the law.
(Notice here that Paul in no way discounts or diminishes the value of studying, applying, and teaching the law of God. In fact, he builds it up as something extremely profitable to the new believer. Why? In knowing His given law we learn of His revealed will for the people that are to be called by His name; not in the letter but in the ultimate intention of the law, as discussed above. All of the law is good for instruction and reproof in all matters of righteousness at the time it was written and even to today. I may at a later time study through the law with these verses along with 2Tim.3:15 as the heading verses, but that will be then and I’ll spare you the examples that spring to mind.)
21Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal? 22Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? (Remember: even to look on a woman to lust for her is adultery.) thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege? (Also translated “rob temples.”) 23Thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonourest thou God? 24For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written.
(Paul is encouraging self-examination. Are you a hypocrite? Do you practice what you preach in the fullness of its application? The nonbeliever can see right through your hypocrisy and it encourages them to blaspheme the God whose name you have defamed with your hypocrisy. Paul is not implying that we should keep silent in the face of the sin of others, but rather that we should be aware of our own sin as well as others and take a stand against all of it.)
25For circumcision verily profiteth, if thou keep the law: but if thou be a breaker of the law, thy circumcision is made uncircumcision. (Reference James 2:10-“For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.” Include context.) 26Therefore if the uncircumcision keep the righteousness of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision? 27And shall not uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfil the law, judge thee, who by the letter and circumcision dost transgress the law?
(“Righteousness of the law.” The law itself is not righteous, but rather produces righteousness in its “fulfillment.” The law itself can become an idol and a stumbling block, as it was in Jesus day, when one takes it as a list of regulations and not written toward a divine purpose beyond them.)
28For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: 29But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.
(This was not a new concept that Paul is introducing here, Jeremiah also spoke of the circumcision being of the heart. The circumcision of the flesh has always been a sign that you were in the lineage of God’s chosen people, but it will only be accounted to you for righteousness if you follow God, rather than that you are descended from someone who did. As John the Baptist said, “Do not think to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’” implying “That will not save you.” The purpose of the law was to produce character, the character of God. When Paul says Jew here think “heir of the promise,” for, as Paul says elsewhere, Abraham’s promise was to his seed, singular, that being Christ and we, whether Jew or Gentile, must be adopted in Christ to be an heir of Abraham’s promise.)
I hope this inspires you to read the whole Bible as profitable in all matters of life, as it has me. Until next time, Husband signing off
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
A New Post At Last!
No, there is not a problem with the link you have been using to check up on our blog. Yes, we are still alive and well here in Missouri. No, we have not forgotten about our good intentions of blogging updates and such often. Yes, we are finally updating the blog!
For all those who check up on us regularly and have been disappointed to find no new posts in quite a while, here is a long awaited recap of life around here. Many of you were aware that we had taken the position of houseparents with a local Pregnancy Help Center and Maternity Home back in October. For a number of reasons, we resigned our post as of January 6 and came home to our little cabin in the woods. While our time has certainly not been uneventful or altogether easy (what with a blizzard and all, snowing in our truck for nearly three weeks), we have been enjoying spending time together as a family and working around the property.
Regarding home/property improvement projects we have now completed the woodshed and the outhouse (except for the curtains, which have been cut and just need to be sewn up). The girls are fond of the outhouse and especially enjoy opening the door and windows by themselves to look out and talk to us in the garden. Their very handy daddy installed a rope on the door that allows them to pull the door closed without having to hold onto it and maneuver the stairs at the same time. Even our little one can take herself potty now, which she does seemingly on a whim when we are working or playing outside.
We have also nearly completed a sizeable porch. Of course, my love did most of the actual construction, but the girls and I had a grand time painting the floor of the porch to protect it from the mud and the rain. All that is left here are the hand rails and a more official step (the cinder blocks we are using are sufficing quite nicely for now however). Eventually, we will have a washer and dryer set up on the porch as well, but for now we just have the dryer. We are quite blessed to have been able to purchase a fairly large generator to run these kinds of appliances and provide a greater energy output when we really need it. The biggest blessing in the generator is that it came with an electric start option, so even Mama can turn it on. (I still have not managed to start the pull start generator.)
Always mindful of my needs and desires, Husband lovingly installed a deep double sink in the kitchen. Indoor drainage is a convenience I had really come to miss and am quite thankful to have again. We found a great, brand new stainless steel sink at the Habitat for Humanity Restore for $35. About a week ago we saw the same sink at Lowe’s for $157. Even with all of the plumbing to drain it to the proper spot outside, we did not come anywhere near the regular asking price of the sink. Thrift stores are wonderful places.
We are currently working on setting up a nice, large garden spot out in front of the house. We have two of our wide rows completed and several small planters around the house. This project is progressing nicely, though a little slower than we would like to see. There are a lot of tree roots, rocks, vines, rocks, weeds, and did I mention rocks? Husband is great with a pick axe and the girls are wonderful at rock relocation. Their favorite gardening project is actually putting seed in dirt. We bought a little green house box to keep inside that they planted with tomatoes, tomatillos, various kinds of peppers, melons, and even some flowers. They were thrilled when the first sprouts appeared and just had to spend some time laying on the floor staring into the propped open box.
After all of their hard work, winter lasted longer than anticipated and most of these sprouts did not survive. However, our outside plants have come up and are doing well. The girls love to exclaim about the newest growth they can find.
We were able to get 14 fruit trees in the orchard area near our home, so we are looking forward to some homegrown fruit this year (provided we can keep the squirrels and raccoons out of it). We have peaches, cherries, nectarines, apples, and apricots.
All of the wet and wintery weather has really taken its toll on our easement, so reconstruction is an ongoing project as well. When we are not in the garden or out and about, we are probably working on getting the easement driveable again. But for now, walking to the top when we have to go places is proving enjoyable and we are all benefitting from the extra exercise. A friend with a tractor is planning on coming over very soon to work with Husband on this one.
Our most recent additions are half a dozen ducks and a dozen chicks. They are happily residing in our hillbilly chicken coop (aka the old camper shell from the truck) and we are working on a bigger coop for them that should be ready in plenty of time for them to be big enough to need it.
Life is a constant spelling bee for Mama since McGee is loving letters and words of all types. Different types give her trouble though (font types that is). One man’s I looks a whole lot like another man’s l or 1. She will get it though and her little sister usually sits in on our lessons, so by the time she can talk she will be able to spell.
Baby #3 is doing well also. With just under two months to go we are looking forward to the arrival and beginning to think about gathering baby things (onesies and sleepers and such). Firstborn daughter still insists this little one is a brother, so we really have no need to settle in on a girl name. We have it narrowed down to two just in case.
I think that about sums it up. Until next time,
My Family
Wife Speaking
For all those who check up on us regularly and have been disappointed to find no new posts in quite a while, here is a long awaited recap of life around here. Many of you were aware that we had taken the position of houseparents with a local Pregnancy Help Center and Maternity Home back in October. For a number of reasons, we resigned our post as of January 6 and came home to our little cabin in the woods. While our time has certainly not been uneventful or altogether easy (what with a blizzard and all, snowing in our truck for nearly three weeks), we have been enjoying spending time together as a family and working around the property.
Regarding home/property improvement projects we have now completed the woodshed and the outhouse (except for the curtains, which have been cut and just need to be sewn up). The girls are fond of the outhouse and especially enjoy opening the door and windows by themselves to look out and talk to us in the garden. Their very handy daddy installed a rope on the door that allows them to pull the door closed without having to hold onto it and maneuver the stairs at the same time. Even our little one can take herself potty now, which she does seemingly on a whim when we are working or playing outside.
We have also nearly completed a sizeable porch. Of course, my love did most of the actual construction, but the girls and I had a grand time painting the floor of the porch to protect it from the mud and the rain. All that is left here are the hand rails and a more official step (the cinder blocks we are using are sufficing quite nicely for now however). Eventually, we will have a washer and dryer set up on the porch as well, but for now we just have the dryer. We are quite blessed to have been able to purchase a fairly large generator to run these kinds of appliances and provide a greater energy output when we really need it. The biggest blessing in the generator is that it came with an electric start option, so even Mama can turn it on. (I still have not managed to start the pull start generator.)
Always mindful of my needs and desires, Husband lovingly installed a deep double sink in the kitchen. Indoor drainage is a convenience I had really come to miss and am quite thankful to have again. We found a great, brand new stainless steel sink at the Habitat for Humanity Restore for $35. About a week ago we saw the same sink at Lowe’s for $157. Even with all of the plumbing to drain it to the proper spot outside, we did not come anywhere near the regular asking price of the sink. Thrift stores are wonderful places.
We are currently working on setting up a nice, large garden spot out in front of the house. We have two of our wide rows completed and several small planters around the house. This project is progressing nicely, though a little slower than we would like to see. There are a lot of tree roots, rocks, vines, rocks, weeds, and did I mention rocks? Husband is great with a pick axe and the girls are wonderful at rock relocation. Their favorite gardening project is actually putting seed in dirt. We bought a little green house box to keep inside that they planted with tomatoes, tomatillos, various kinds of peppers, melons, and even some flowers. They were thrilled when the first sprouts appeared and just had to spend some time laying on the floor staring into the propped open box.
After all of their hard work, winter lasted longer than anticipated and most of these sprouts did not survive. However, our outside plants have come up and are doing well. The girls love to exclaim about the newest growth they can find.
We were able to get 14 fruit trees in the orchard area near our home, so we are looking forward to some homegrown fruit this year (provided we can keep the squirrels and raccoons out of it). We have peaches, cherries, nectarines, apples, and apricots.
All of the wet and wintery weather has really taken its toll on our easement, so reconstruction is an ongoing project as well. When we are not in the garden or out and about, we are probably working on getting the easement driveable again. But for now, walking to the top when we have to go places is proving enjoyable and we are all benefitting from the extra exercise. A friend with a tractor is planning on coming over very soon to work with Husband on this one.
Our most recent additions are half a dozen ducks and a dozen chicks. They are happily residing in our hillbilly chicken coop (aka the old camper shell from the truck) and we are working on a bigger coop for them that should be ready in plenty of time for them to be big enough to need it.
Life is a constant spelling bee for Mama since McGee is loving letters and words of all types. Different types give her trouble though (font types that is). One man’s I looks a whole lot like another man’s l or 1. She will get it though and her little sister usually sits in on our lessons, so by the time she can talk she will be able to spell.
Baby #3 is doing well also. With just under two months to go we are looking forward to the arrival and beginning to think about gathering baby things (onesies and sleepers and such). Firstborn daughter still insists this little one is a brother, so we really have no need to settle in on a girl name. We have it narrowed down to two just in case.
I think that about sums it up. Until next time,
My Family
Wife Speaking
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