GRINDIT podcast

Paul is explaining to the Jews that they can not obtain salvation by keeping the law and doing works to earn it. If they want a relationship with God and be a part of His kingdom, then they must have faith in their Messiah, Jesus because he has done what the law could not do—forgive sin. In this chapter, Paul gives a great definition of grace: God’s undeserved kindness. The Jews thought they deserved everything they received from God because of the covenant He made with Abraham but Paul tells them differently. God doesn’t owe you anything but because of His kindness, His grace,, He has chosen you. Do you know that God has chosen you? He has! He loves you and wants to have a relationship with you but in order to have one, we have to accept the sacrifice He has provided through His Son, Jesus.

Paul is having a discussion with some Jews at the church in Rome and he is pleading with them to be saved, to give their lives to Jesus because that is the only way they are getting into the kingdom. He tells them they must call on his name and believe in their hearts which is something hard for them to do because many of the Jews see Jesus as a blasphemer and they will not dare mention his name much less put their faith in him! And Paul tells them they have “misdirected zeal” and the faith they are putting in the law needs to be directed to Jesus, their Messiah, who did what the law could never do…forgive them of their sin.

Can you imagine being taught something for thousands of years and all of a sudden, this cat comes along and says, “That’s the way yall used to do it, but not anymore. If you want to be a part of the kingdom, then you got to take part of a new covenant. That old one ain’t cutting it anymore. The new covenant between God and man is based off my body and my blood and you must accept my sacrifice and follow me. If not, you ain’t getting in.” This is difficult for many of the Jews because they thought Jesus was a blasphemer and they wouldn’t even speak his name in reverence for God! Here’s Paul saying, “You have to quit trusting the law God gave to Moses thousands of years ago and put your trust in Jesus because to get into the kingdom, you got to have faith, not works.”

Do I have a choice in whether or not I go to heaven? Or is there a certain few, the ones God selects that is getting in? This is a question we answer in today’s podcast. The Jews had a hard time worshipping with the Gentiles. After all, they have not liked each other for hundreds of years. The Jews were God's chosen and the Gentiles were left out! So now that the two have become one, it brings up a deep subject with Paul giving the Jews some examples from their very own heritage, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, and Rebekah. What the Jews find out is that God has now shown mercy to other people besides the Jews and they don't like it! Who are we, the clay, to question what the Potter does?

We are tackling a very deep subject in the next two podcasts: the Sovereignty of God. What does it mean that God is sovereign and what does it mean for you and me? Do we have any say in anything or is God just sitting up there in heaven with a game controller and playing with our lives like a video game? People have written books on this subject but we’ll break it down to help you understand that God is for you, not against you and you do have a choice; you do have a say in the matter. You can choose to be on the winning team and say “Hallelujah…Thank you Jesus!”

Paul mentions something at the end of chapter 8 and also in Ephesians that so many have misunderstood and that is the doctrine of Predestination. Many believe that it doesn’t matter how we live our lives because God has already decided who is getting into Heaven and we have no say in it. Is this true? Do we not have a choice in the matter? If you put what Paul says in context, along with other scriptures, including some that Paul wrote himself, predestination will make sense. Yes, it is true that only certain ones are getting into Heaven, but the good news is, the invitation is sent out to everybody. We all have a choice to make: either to accept Jesus as our lord and Savior, or reject him.

Imagine your mind having a steering wheel and there is a fork in the road ahead. The road to the left leads to hell and the road to the right leads to heaven. If the power of sin has control of your thoughts, then you will automatically steer in the direction to the left. You will take the road that leads you farther away from God when you choose sin. If the Holy Spirit is dominating your thoughts, then you will steer to the right because you will take the road that leads you closer to God…Every…Time…In fact, Paul says if we don’t have the Holy Spirit living inside of us, controlling our thoughts, then we cannot please God!

Guilty! That’s what the Judge says and the sentence has been given. We are guilty of sin and the penalty is death, separated from God and if we die in that condition, we will be separated from Him for eternity! But we don’t have to be because God has provided everything we need to be saved, to be forgiven of our sin that separates us from Him. He put on flesh, walked this earth for 33 years, lived among us, was tempted in every way we are, and he never gave in to any temptation. Instead, he willingly gave his life as a sacrifice for our sin on a cross and he has satisfied the payment that was required for you and me to make it into heaven! Paul says if we belong to Jesus, then there is no more condemnation. Our penalty has been paid and we are set free. The guilty sentence has been changed and overturned to Not Guilty!

There is a major struggle going on in our minds, even if we follow Jesus. We want to do what is right but we continue to do what is wrong. Paul says he even struggles with the power of sin and he says, “Who will deliver me from this body of death?” The Romans had a way of punishing a person who committed a crime and caused someone to die. They strapped the dead person to the body of the one who committed the crime. The stench of death would be everywhere they went and they could not escape what they had done. Paul says this is what sin is, it’s nasty, it’s horrid, and the only way we can be set free from the bondage of sin is Jesus!

When we speed down the road to fast, we get pulled over by a cop and they give us a ticket. Why? Because there is a law, it is right there in plain sight on a sign that says “Speed Limit 35”and we broke the law, therefore, we pay the consequences. We disagree with that law, we may be in a hurry and have a reason to drive faster than the law allows, but the law is there for a reason. God placed laws in the lives of the Jews way back in Genesis and they were given for a reason. The law showed them how God expects them to live so they can be holy like him. The problem is, they couldn’t do it! Not one person because of the power of sin. This is why Jesus, the only one who did keep the law of God perfectly, had to die and be our sacrifice. He set us free from the power of sin!