The Weekend Bible Study - with Ronald L. Dart

I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart. Romans 9–11 shows us that Paul had not expected the lack of response (or even hostile response) he received in synagogues all over his mission field. Here, he shares with us the thought process he went through trying to understand their reaction.

He begins with the emphatic assertion it would not necessarily be the natural children of Abraham who are God’s children, but the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring. Why is this important? Remember, Paul is thinking of his readers in mostly Jewish terms. Why? Well, because at this time most of the Christians in the world were Jews. Those who weren’t were often "God-fearers"—associated with Judaism and synagogue before they ever became Christians. To them he says:

[…] I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh: Who are Israelites; to whom pertains the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises; Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen. Not as though the word of God has taken no effect. For they are not all Israel, who are of Israel: Neither, because they are the descendants of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall your descendants be called. That is, They who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the descendants.

Romans 9:2–8 KJ2000

What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? Know you not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that from now on we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin.

Romans 6:1–7

All of us go through stages of learning in our Bible study. Each time we read something like Paul’s letter to the Romans, we see it with new eyes. Unless, of course, we feel as though we have been given approved explanations and put them in a box, put a ribbon on it, stick it on a shelf, and lay it aside. If you don’t do that—if you keep if open to where you can see it—you’ll learn some things.

The problem with dogma is it tends to prevent growth. A given doctrine or dogmatic reading of a passage leads us to think we have arrived. And in this life, folks, we never arrive at our final destination. And what I’ve found is that cultivating an open mind is an important element of continuing to grow.

Now, I’ve done Romans before. I taught it in college for about seven years; I’ve done it in The Life and Teachings of Paul; I’ve done in on radio in the Christian Origins series; and yet every time I come back in here the idea develops further. Peter understood this about Paul’s letters, writing:

And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him has written unto you; As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable twist, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction. You therefore, beloved, seeing you know these things beforehand, beware lest you also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness. But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever. Amen.

2 Peter 3:15–18

I don’t want to suggest that there aren’t places where we know exactly where we are, and the 3rd chapter of Romans closed with a mile marker—it’s unmistakable—as we begin today’s study in Romans, chapter 4.

The second chapter of Romans begins with a Therefore. Any time you see that in Paul’s letters, you need to pay attention, because it means what follows depends on what has just been said. Paul does that a lot, and the people who put in the chapter breaks seem to miss it a lot. (Nevertheless, we won’t quibble on that.)

It comes on the heels of paragraph that began in chapter 1, verse 28. We’ll go back there briefly.

Furthermore, since they [Gentile philosophers] did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.

Romans 1:28–32 NIV ’84

Back in the good, old days in the heyday of Biblical scholarship (especially those German schools of scholarship) lots and lots of people were doing computer analyses on Paul’s epistles and said, Well, we don’t think Paul wrote all of his epistles. We t

Links to the articles quoted by Ron are below: Peggy Noonan - My Brothers and Sisters Thomas Friedman - The Source of Muslim Rage

Navigation << Palestine #3

Navigation << Palestine #2 Palestine #4 >>

Navigation << Palestine #1 Palestine #3 >>

Allow us to extend apologies in advance, for today we are enlisting all of you as active participants in a real estate case. You are being empaneled as a jury to deliberate a significant matter concerning a vast piece of land. Picture this expanse: it