I Am A Jew, Inwardly

Romans 1
29 But 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.

At first reading, this passage about circumcision and circumcision of the heart left me without reaction. To me, circumcision is a medical procedure. I read this, and could not pull up any particular biblical meaning. With a little study, however, I came up with an Old Testament passage on this subject, and an explanation from John Gill.

Deuteronomy 10
16 Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiffnecked.

John Gill On Circumcision
Circumcision of the heart is a symbol of cutting off of pleasures and the removal of arrogancy, that grievous disease of the soul.

More From John Gill
Content not yourselves with, nor put your confidence in outward circumcision of the flesh. But, be concerned for the circumcision of the heart, removing whatever is disagreeable to the Lord, even all carnality, sensuality, hypocrisy, and arrogancy. And then, put there that which is well pleasing in his sight.

Powerful statement. Edifying. And humbling, in that I, so many times, just cannot figure out with the Bible says and what God is trying to tell me.

So, here is the lesson for me: the Bible shows us the many ways that man has glorified God. Some of these ways are physical, some are symbolic. Most important is that we do glorify God in some way.

Prayer On Family Duties

Psalms 88
3 For my soul is full of troubles: and my life draweth nigh unto the grave.
4 I am counted with them that go down into the pit: I am as a man that hath no strength:

Prayer
Dear LORD, please give me the strength to perform the dreary duties assigned me this day....Amen.

Today is family issues day. Enough said....

Romans 1

Romans 1
17.... For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

And so, Romans is about justification.

More From Romans 1
29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,
30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:

And, it's also about sin.

But, in the end, Christian life is just the practical matter of living simply, humbly and righteously. And Paul wants to help.

And Finally From Romans 1
11 For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established;
12 That is, that I may be comforted together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me.

Well Doing

Romans 2
5 ....God
6 ....will render to every man according to his deeds:
7 To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life:
8 But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath,
9 Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile;

Hints on living well and avoiding God's wrath on the "evil day."
Continue "well doing." And. Don't be contentious, at work, at home, and in your case, especially, at church.

Introduction To Romans

Romans 1
7 To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called [to be] saints....

I decided to read Romans a few weeks ago and, since then, spent some time reading the history of the time. Here are a few things that caught my attention.

Romans was written before two critical events of early Christianity: the Great Fire of Rome and Destruction of Temple. For comparison, Revelations was written after these two events.

Romans was probably written during the last years of the reign of Claudius. Though, it may have been written during the first few years of Nero's reign. There is no agreement on the historical facts.

There may have been very few Hebrew Christians in Rome when Romans was written. At some point Claudius may have removed the Jews from Rome because of unrest caused by the Christians in the Jewish community. Again, there is no agreement on the historical facts.

According to Suetonius, Claudius was extraordinarily fond of games. Rome of the first century kind of reminds me of America with it's foot ball, base ball, NASCAR culture.

For perspective - here is a time line for the book of Romans.

35 A.D. Paul's Conversion.
41 A.D. End Caligula's reign. Beginning of Claudius reign.
44 A.D. James the Great (Son of Zebedee) was beheaded in Judea.
50 A.D. Council of Jerusalem.
54 A.D. End Claudius' reign. Beginning of Nero's reign.
54 A.D. Philip the Apostle was crucified in Hierapolis.
56 A.D. The book of Romans written in Corinth.
57 A.D. Arrest of Paul in Jerusalem.
60 A.D. Matthew the Evangelist killed in Ethiopia or in Macedonia
60 A.D. Paul goes to Rome.
62 A.D. James the Just, crucified and stoned in Jerusalem.
64 A.D. Great Fire of Rome. Nero starts persecution of Christians.
65 A.D. Saint Jude was crucified, in Lebanon, buried in Rome.
67 A.D. Paul beheaded in Rome.
67 A.D. Saint Peter, crucified upside-down, in Rome.
68 A.D. End Nero's reign.
68 A.D. Saint Mark was dragged in the streets until his death in Alexandria.
70 A.D. The destruction of the second temple.
72 A.D. Thomas the Apostle was killed by a spear in Mylapore, Madras, India.
74 A.D. Simon the Zealot was crucified in Armenia (?).
80 A.D. Matthias was stoned and beheaded Jerusalem (or Georgia).
84 A.D. Luke the Evangelist was hanged, near Boeotia, Greece.
100 A.D. John the Evangelist (John of Patmos?) may not have been martyred.
Mid to late first century. Saint Andrew, St. Peter's brother, was crucified in Patras, Greece.
First Century. Saint Bartholomew flayed alive and crucified,in Albania.

More From Romans 1
15 So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also.

Some Thoughts On The Samaritan Woman At The Well

John 4
16 Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither.
17 The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband
18 For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly.

Jesus is a diamond; so many facets. In this chapter He seems understanding of this woman, with too many men in her life, and a Samaritan.

Question. Who is a candidate for salvation?

More From John 423 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

Here Jesus teaches this Samaritan woman, who will then spread the word. And He makes salvation sound so simple.

Question. What is the process of salvation?

More From John 440 So when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them: and he abode there two days.
41 And many more believed because of his own word;
42 And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.

Here, the Samaritans believed on his word.

Questions. Were they saved? Were they baptized? Did they profess their faith in Jesus for the remission of their sins?

And FinallyI have come to the conclusion that, in daily Bible study, it's more important to get questions on the table, for consideration and meditation, than it is to come up with slick, quick, pat, biblical answers. At some point in time, the Holy Spirit will help you with the final, appropriate answer.

Yoke Of Jesus

Matthew 11
28 Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Jesus is a diamond; with so many facets.

In this chapter He is loving. So comforting as we live through the trials and tribulations that are apart of life.

But we must not forget. There is a judgement to come.

Saints And Sinners

Isaiah 33
14 The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?

Above is God's message on the fate of sinners, followers of the Antichrist.

More From Isaiah 33
15 He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil;
16 He shall dwell on high: his place of defence shall be the munitions of rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure.

This is God's message on the fate of God's saints. And, it highlights some pitfalls in a Christian's life.

In this passage we have God's message to the Hebrews of Isaiah's day and to Christians today. And the message, particularly the message to sinners, is easier to digest when it is wrappped in obtuse, complex layers of theology. This truth, is just painful to read....

The Prophecy Of Calamities And The Remnant

Isaiah 24
1 Behold, the LORD maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof.
2 And it shall be, as with the people, so with the priest; as with the servant, so with his master; as with the maid, so with her mistress; as with the buyer, so with the seller; as with the lender, so with the borrower; as with the taker of usury, so with the giver of usury to him.
3 The land shall be utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled: for the LORD hath spoken this word.

I thought this passage needed a second look.

More From Isaiah 24
14 They shall lift up their voice, they shall sing for the majesty of the LORD, they shall cry aloud from the sea.

And More From Isaiah 24
23 Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the LORD of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously.

When comparing these verses my question is - Who is the remnant? And, what is the standard used to determine who is the remnant? I look at the world today and think that, at the end, the remnant may be a few righteous Jews and a few Bible-believing Christians.

Reading and re-reading this chapter, studying it, is such a wonderful experience. I'm not sure the answers to the questions are that important. Reading, studying your Bible, being filled with the Holy Spirit....That's important....

The Prophecy Of Calamities

Isaiah 24
1 Behold, the LORD maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof.

This passage, maybe more than any other, should be written on the hearts of men, all men. It contains a prophecy of calamities that should come upon the whole world, and the inhabitants of it, for their sins.

More From Isaiah 24
15 Wherefore glorify ye the LORD in the fires, even the name of the LORD God of Israel in the isles of the sea.

But here, we see hope - for the remnant. But our prayers are made in a sea of burning destruction.

And so, we live in fear. And wonder. Will God, in the end, have mercy on our poor souls....

I First Read Romans In The 1990's

Romans 1
15 So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also.

I first read Romans in the 1990's.

Looking back, I learned some things from that experience. First, I was not quite ready to read it. Second, the sentences are long, convoluted and, in many cases, baffling. Third, Paul talks alot, alot about the Jews. I may not have learned much. Actually reading Romans was a bewildering experience. But, it certainly did not discourage me from further Bible study.

One other thing.  For some reason, I found comfort in those long, convoluted and baffling sentences.  Something about the rhythm of the words in sentences that seemed not to end.

More From Romans 1
11 For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established;
12 That is, that I may be comforted together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me.

Blessed Assurance - For The People Of God

Isaiah 32
13 Upon the land of my people shall come up thorns and briers.....
15 Until the spirit be poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness be a fruitful field, and the fruitful field be counted for a forest.
16 Then judgment shall dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness remain in the fruitful field.
17 And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever.

At first, I thought this was about the second coming. Then I thought it had something to do with the coming reign of Hezikiah. On some level I'm sure it does. Upon further reflection, however, it more and more appears to predict the coming of the church age - when - with righteousness - we can have blessed assurance....for ever....

With a verse like this. What a great way to start the day....

Hezikiah And A Man

Isaiah 32
1 Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in judgment.
2 And a man shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.

Two questions. Who is the king? Who is "a man."

The king, I think, is Hezekiah. Or, any great, righteous leader in the church age. A man, I think, is Jesus, before his first coming. And here, even as the Messiah not yet come, he is a source of strength to the Hebrews in Isaiah's time, or a righteous leader in the church age.

The lesson
We do have a source of comfort in troubled times, when tempests blow, when water is scarce, when we are weary with the cares of life. Jesus Christ....

Hallelujah

Isaiah 26
19 Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead.

It was a long, cold, dark winter. But today, it's finally spring. The sun is just coming. Red, orange, purple, brilliant. It's going to be a good day....

Oh, and don't forget. Jesus is coming....

Good Friday

John 19
5 ....Behold the man!

It's good Friday. And I'm trying to think about, comprehend the sad, gruesome circumstances surrounding the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross.

But I can't. All I can think about today, riding on the train, heading for work, is the result. That I can stand in church, worship him, and sing....

Hymn

There is power, power, wonder working power
In the blood of the Lamb;
There is power, power, wonder working power
In the precious blood of the Lamb.

I'll be going to church tonight.