A Spirit of Unity (Romans 15:5-13)
All of us are different. We come from different families, backgrounds, experiences, traditions and cultures. As a result, we not only have different tastes and preferences, we also think differently. Sometimes we lack the very concepts or point of view which are necessary to comprehend what the other person is saying. Even the followers of […]
For Our Neighbor’s Good (Romans 15:1-4)
People come from many different backgrounds and cultures. Our customs, practices and ways of thinking are different. Because of these differences it can sometimes be difficult to understand one another, let alone accept one another. Sometimes there are misunderstandings even among people who share the same background and who love one another. This is true […]
Acting In Love (Romans 14:13-23)
Jesus said that the world would be able to recognize who His followers are by their love. “A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. All men will know that you are my disciples if you love one another.” (John 13:34-35 NIV) As […]
Disputable Matters (Romans 14:1-12)
The Apostle Paul teaches us that if we love one another we will not need rules and regulations to restrain our actions. To the followers of Christ in Rome he writes, “Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.” (Romans 13:10 NIV) However, this still leaves us with […]
The Fulfillment of the Law (Romans 13:8-14)
Most human activities tend to become more complex over time. For example, think of a sport or a game. In the beginning the rules were quite simple: Move the ball forward until you can pass it through the goalposts. But as situations arose which the inventors did not anticipate, they added more rules. Each circumstance […]
Governing Authorities (Romans 13:1-7)
We serve a God who is loving, kind and merciful. The Old Testament writers repeatedly assure us that He does not treat us as our sins deserve. We see this most clearly in the fact that God sent Jesus Christ to redeem us from our sin. Jesus takes the penalty for sin upon Himself for […]
Cling To What Is Good (Romans 12:9-21)
The Gospel – that is the death, burial and resurrection of Christ – should have a profound effect on our lives. Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf is the strongest expression of God’s love for us and of His mercy. Because God has shown us His love and mercy, we also ought to show love and […]
Living Sacrifices (Romans 12:1-8)
The theme of the first 11 chapters of the Apostle Paul’s inspired letter to the followers of Christ at Rome is God’s mercy in granting salvation to sinners. Without God’s mercy, all of us would perish because we fall short of God’s expectations and standards. This raises a question. How should we respond to the […]
Mercy On Them All (Romans 11:25-36)
We enjoy stories in which the characters overcome seemingly impossible odds. They face a situation which threatens to overwhelm them or destroy them and there is no way out. Then, when hope is almost gone, the consequences of a choice made much earlier change the situation and provide a solution. We like to read about […]
Riches For The Gentiles (Romans 11:11-24)
It is probably true that almost all people live with a sense of failure. Very few of us are able to accomplish everything we would like to do. Even the things we do accomplish rarely reach the level of perfection we would like. In a more profound sense, we fail to reach our full potential. […]