Every Day Devotion

Romans 3:10 [10] as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; (ESV) Just how wicked are you? Has anyone ever asked you that question? I imagine you might even be a bit offended at the suggestion that you are wicked. Humanity has a great struggle coming to terms with the reality of our own wickedness. We instinctively like to think that we are basically good, not realizing that the notion of our goodness is part of our fallen nature. My favorite preacher of all history is the great late Charles Spurgeon. He is considered to be the "Prince of Preachers." He is likely the most quoted preacher in pulpits across the world to this very day. I love the way that he described our human nature, including his own. Spurgeon said:  "You cannot slander human nature; it is worse than words can paint it.” Imagine that the vilest words used in human language do not do enough justice to the evil nature that resides in each one of us. I dare say that this concept is hard fo...

Romans 3:9 [9] What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, (ESV) There have been a few times when I have participated in celebrating a Passover feast. It was rich with historical and theological meaning. There are many traditions and celebrations in the Jewish faith that are very beautiful and meaningful. The Apostle Paul was a Jew. He would have been very familiar with all of the traditions of his faith. Listen to Paul describe his background: Acts 22:3 [3] “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated at the feet of Gamaliel according to the strict manner of the law of our fathers, being zealous for God as all of you are this day. (ESV) For Paul to say that he was educated at the feet of Gamaliel might be similar to someone saying that they had a Doctorate degree from Harvard University. He was highly educated in all manner of the Jewish Law. He was zealous...

Romans 3:7–8 [7] But if through my lie God's truth abounds to his glory, why am I still being condemned as a sinner? [8] And why not do evil that good may come?—as some people slanderously charge us with saying. Their condemnation is just. (ESV) There is an age-old criticism of those who believe in salvation by the grace of God. Man's heart is full of pride. That pride does not want to give God all the credit for the purchase of our salvation. If you doubt me on this just listen to "Christians" talk about their works. They love to tell you about how they spend money helping the poor, donated funds to the church, built things for homeless, etc. Those who believe in some sort of involvement of works when it comes to salvation look at those who believe in salvation by God's grace and they are incensed. They look at sinful people simply being forgiven as an act of God. They see no human works that purchased that salvation. They focus on the sinfulness of the o...

Romans 3:5–6 [5] But if our unrighteousness serves to show the righteousness of God, what shall we say? That God is unrighteous to inflict wrath on us? (I speak in a human way.) [6] By no means! For then how could God judge the world? (ESV) The Apostle Paul had his critics. This should come as no surprise. Paul is challenging Jews and Gentiles alike. He is telling the Jews to abandon the Jewish Law. He is telling the Gentiles to abandon their idolatry. Together, all of them are invited to place their faith in Jesus Christ, who died for the sins of all; Jews and Gentiles. One of the criticisms of Paul's teaching is that he was condoning sin. For the Jews they see Paul as not holding them to the strict following of the Old Testament Law. For the Gentiles he tells them they can be completely forgiven of their grievous sins that were against God, even though they did not have the Law that the Jews had. Paul poses an argument to his critics. He is basically saying, "If al...

Romans 3:3–4 [3] What if some were unfaithful? Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God? [4] By no means! Let God be true though every one were a liar, as it is written, “That you may be justified in your words, and prevail when you are judged.” (ESV) Today I read some remarks posted on a social media site. They were made by a bitter man who grew up in the church and now takes every chance he can to mock Christianity. As a pastor's son he saw the hypocrisies of many in the church and it affected him Sounds familiar to what is going on in our verses today.. Paul knows full well that the Jews had for the most part been unfaithful. They were a terrible example to the rest of the world. What is Paul's response? The faithlessness of man does not nullify the faithfulness of God. This throws out the world's biggest argument against Christianity. People reject Christ because they have met unfaithful Christians Suppose every single Christian you ever met wa...

Romans 3:1–2 [1] Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision? [2] Much in every way. To begin with, the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God. (ESV) In the previous verses the Apostle Paul has been pretty harsh on his own people. He has pointed out that many of the Jews were nothing but hypocrites. They received the Law and held that fact over the heads of their Gentile counterparts. Instead of themselves obeying the Law, they lived just as ungodly as the Gentiles they were judging. So, what advantage is there in being a Jew? That is a fair question. The Jews have suffered more persecution than any people group in the history of the world. Even after the terrible holocaust in the last century we still see the Jews fighting for their lives in the Middle East. Anti-semitism seems like it will never go away. So, what is the advantage? Paul answers his own question. There is much advantage! The Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God. What does...

Romans 2:29 [29] But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God. (ESV) When we think of what defines being a Jew we might be missing the point of what Paul is saying in this verse. We can consider people being descendants of those born in Israel. We can think of those who celebrate Hanukkah and other Jewish holidays. We can even think of the covenant that God made with Abraham that he would be the father of many nations. Abraham was the father of all the Jews. While the Jews were very proud of their lineage a Jew is more than just a physical descendant of Abraham. Paul is saying that a true Jew is one inwardly. Being a descendant of Abraham, celebrating feasts, attempting to keep the Law, or even the physical act of circumcision does not make one a true Jew. It is a matter of the heart. This fact of faith being a matter of the heart and not physical works is one that was lost on m...

Romans 2:28 [28] For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. (ESV) I remember being very excited on Halloween night as a child. We never celebrated anything that was dark or evil. We celebrated chocolate! As a young boy I was able to put on a mask and a costume and for one evening I was someone else. I remember being Fred Flintstone one year. I may have looked like him, but no one really thought a cartoon character had come to life. It was just a costume. It is one thing for a small child to use their imagination and a clever mask and think that they are something that they are not. It is quite another for an adult to put on an outward display and somehow think that they are something that they are not. Paul is making the case here that this is essentially what many of the Jews were doing. The Jews very much liked to "look the part." From a physical standpoint they were circumcised. They would also be seen at the feasts...

Romans 2:25–27 [25] For circumcision indeed is of value if you obey the law, but if you break the law, your circumcision becomes uncircumcision. [26] So, if a man who is uncircumcised keeps the precepts of the law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision? [27] Then he who is physically uncircumcised but keeps the law will condemn you who have the written code and circumcision but break the law. (ESV) Let's just rip off the band-aid. Circumcision is a topic that Paul will spend a lot of time on in this letter to the Romans. This act of cutting of the male foreskin was an integral part of the Jewish Law given by God. In this physical act Israelite children were set apart as belonging to God. One of the primary differences between Jew and Gentile was this physical act. What had the Jews done with this rite of circumcision? They had insisted on the physical act while ignoring the heart of the Law. If you go back and read the history of the Jewish people you find...

Romans 2:24 [24] For, as it is written, “The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.” (ESV) The Apostle Paul refers to a passage in Isaiah 52:5 which talks about the way Israel's captors would blaspheme God's name when they had the people of Israel in captivity. The reason the people of Israel were in captivity in the first place was because of their disobedience to God's Law. God always used foreign powers to bring punishment to His people. The people of Israel had great disdain for Gentiles. It may be due to the fact that their Gentile captors caused them much pain in the past. The primary reason that the Jews despised the Gentiles was that they were not the recipients of the Law. The Jews were so proud of having the Law, yet they did not live up to it. So, the Jews, who loved the Law, ended up in Gentile nations because of their own disobedience. They looked down their noses at the Gentiles for not keeping the Law. Yet, for all of their ser...

Romans 2:23 [23] You who boast in the law dishonor God by breaking the law. (ESV) There is a major difference between those who are truly righteous and those who are self-righteous. Those who are truly righteous look at the perfect Law of God and they are brought to their knees. They realize that God's holy requirements are so foreign to their wicked heart that they cry out to God and ask for forgiveness and help. Those who are self-righteous are naive enough to think that somehow they are good in themselves and are thereby capable of keeping God's righteous laws. Instead of being humbled by the law they are full of pride and arrogance, trusting in themselves without asking God to forgive them and help them to please Him. Paul says in this verse that those who are boasting in the law are dishonoring God. Why? Because they are breaking his law. They want all the credit for righteousness, but they are incapable of it. When they do fall, God is dishonored. Think about it...

Romans 2:22 [22] You who say that one must not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? (ESV) Nobody likes a phony. I remember in the 1980s there were a number of television evangelists who were found to be having adulterous relationships. These men were condemning all kinds of people who were involved in moral sin, but all the while they themselves were guilty of committing the same sins. Some things never change. There was sin thousands of years ago. There were self-righteous people who were condemning others for committing sin. The same people who were condemning others of sin were guilty of the same sin. This phony self-righteous hypocrisy was offensive to the people of the Apostle Paul's day and it is offensive when it happens to us today. I do not want to diminish sin in any way, but the biggest problem we have is thinking that we are somehow above it. When we begin to criticize others for their failings we forget that we are...

Romans 2:21 [21] you then who teach others, do you not teach yourself? While you preach against stealing, do you steal? (ESV) Have you ever known someone who seems to be always pointing out everyone else's faults? Do you find yourself wanting to hang around them all the time? Or would you rather avoid them like the plague. I am going to assume you would rather not be around them. The Apostle Paul used to be one of those people. That was when he was a Pharisee. Then Christ changed him. The Pharisees were the teachers of the Law. It might have been one thing if they simply taught the Law. There was certainly a need for the people of Israel to know God's Law. The problem with the Pharisees was that they not only taught the Law, they added to it! They added so many burdensome laws that it was even more impossible to keep them. In fact, the Pharisees did not keep the Law. Paul says to those who are so adamant about teaching others all of the profound wisdom they have obtai...

Romans 2:19–20 [19] and if you are sure that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, [20] an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of children, having in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth— (ESV) If is a very small word. It is a very effective word in communicating. You know that where there is an "if" there is a "then." We will look at the "then" in the next verse. But for now, let's continue to look at Paul's development of the "if." He is talking about the Jews who had the Law and felt that they were in some way spiritually superior. If you are a guide to the blind, a light to those in darkness, an instructor of the foolish, teacher of children, and having the embodiment of knowledge and truth. That's quite a collection of attributes. You can detect from Paul's words that this obsession with the Law had one very negative consequence. It developed a heart full of pride. Pa...

Romans 2:17–18 [17] But if you call yourself a Jew and rely on the law and boast in God [18] and know his will and approve what is excellent, because you are instructed from the law; (ESV) I remember when personal home computers first became a thing. I remember the Commodore 64 computers, and others that followed. During that time people learned how to write some basic computer commands for their home computers. I remember using a lot of "If - Then" statements. In this passage of Scripture Paul is writing a big "If - then" statement. He starts with "If you call yourself a Jew." Over the next few verses we will see Paul building his "If" to be followed by a "Then" in verse 21. Let's look at the beginning part of his "If" statement. If you call yourself a Jew, and you rely on the law and boast in God, and know his will, and approve what is excellent. Paul is alluding to the arrogance of those who claim to follow the ...

Romans 2:16 [16] on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus. (ESV) In general, most people think they are pretty good. In fact, one of the most dangerous beliefs that plagues our culture is that man is by nature good. The reality is, man is not good. This is one of the dominant themes of Paul's letter to the Romans. Paul will remind us again and again that the heart of man is wicked and in rebellion to God's Law. In the previous verses Paul has described the law of our conscience. Whether you were a Jew and had the Law that God gave to the nation of Israel, or whether you were a Gentile, apart from God's Law you still had some kind of innate code and sense of right and wrong. At times it would condemn you and at times it would excuse you. Paul says that there is a day coming when we will all be exposed for the sinners that we are. He mentions "that day," when God will judge the secrets of men. When Paul mentio...

Romans 2:15 [15] They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them (ESV) We often hear that we are all born in God's image, but we struggle to fully understand what that means. The Apostle Paul helps us to understand one concept of being born in God's image by telling us about our conscience. Each person is born with some level of conscience, that is, an innate sense of right and wrong. Our conscience is God's law, at least natural law, that is written on the hearts of all mankind. The very first human child, Cain, experienced the work of conscience after he had murdered his brother Abel. He cries out, "Am I my brother's keeper?" (Genesis 4:9). Indeed, he was his brother's keeper. He was responsible for breaking God's law, which was written on his heart. Atheists can claim that there is no God, yet this nagging thing we call consc...

Romans 2:14 [14] For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. (ESV) When we think of the Law we think of the current set of laws that govern us in our country. When we read of the Law in Scripture we are speaking of the Law given specifically to the Jewish people through Moses. This Law that was given to the Jews taught them how to treat the Lord and how to treat one another. The Gentiles had no such law. Gentiles are simply "non-Jews." The Apostle Paul describes these Gentiles as sometimes obeying the Jewish Law even though they do not have the Law nor do they know it. How is that possible? Because all people seem to have some sort of values that they try to live up to. A set of innate laws that we all seem to come wired with is a reflection of our maker. Even godless Gentiles are born in God's image. Man upholds things like honesty, justice, compassion, goodn...

Romans 2:13 [13] For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified. (ESV) Have you ever asked your child to do something only to find out that they never did it? If you are like me you would find that to be very frustrating, if not infuriating. I can remember many times my dad would tell me to do something. One thing I knew for sure. If he told me to do it, he expected complete and total obedience. To challenge him was not a good idea. When it comes to our relationship with earthly parents we seem to understand that the expectation of us is to do more than just hear words of instruction, but to put them into practice. For some reason, mankind seems to hear God's words of instruction, yet many times refuses to put the hearing into action. There are people who go to church regularly. They hear words of instruction. They are told what it means to have a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. They hear of th...

Romans 2:12 [12] For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. (ESV) We all love good news. Sometimes you have to hear the bad news before you hear the good news. That is the case with the book of Romans. The Apostle Paul is writing a complete theology of salvation, that is the good news. But before we get to the good news he defines for us the bad news. In particular, the bad news is that we are all under God's judgment. Paul gives different categories of people who will be judged. Let's start with the first category; those who sinned without the law. Paul is speaking of the Law that was given to Moses for the people of Israel. Those who lived before the Law was given do not get a free pass. They will be judged based on the more limited knowledge they did have. In Romans 1 Paul made the case that man, before the Law, was able to see God's revelation in what was made. Did ...

Romans 2:10–11 [10] but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. [11] For God shows no partiality. (ESV) Glory and honor and peace are for the recipients of those who do good. It does not matter if you are a Jew or a Greek. This sounds wonderful.  When the average person reads this, who really longs for glory and honor and peace, they would likely begin to do what they feel is good. There is one problem. Our definition of what is good and God's definition are not the same. It is interesting to note that verse 11 mentions that God shows  no partiality. Partiality is the fruit of comparing. Those who show partiality have compared themselves to others and deemed themselves better than the other. This fault of comparing ourselves is also at the root of our defining what is good. We think that we are good because we are better than someone else. For most people, comparing ourselves to others is the measuring stick we use to d...

Romans 2:9 [9] There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, (ESV) The Bible that we have today is a revelation. It reveals God to mankind. Within its pages you will discover the story of how God made a human couple in his image. That couple fell into sin and thereby condemned the whole human race with a sinful nature. God entered the picture in the person of Jesus Christ, who lived a perfect life and sacrificed that life at the hands of unjust men to purchase forgiveness for all who would believe. This revelation that has been given to us came at quite a price. God had chosen the Israelite people, the Jews, to be the first recipients of his message of salvation. What a distinct privilege it was for them to be chosen by God. Yet, we discover in the Gospels that Jesus came unto his own, but they did not receive him, but instead they had him nailed to the cross. Paul is talking about judgment for all mankind in thi...

Romans 2:8 [8] but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. (ESV) If you spend time listening to many of the self-help gurus in our society you will hear things like, "Stay away from anyone who does not celebrate you!" There is this fascination with helping people to realize just how awesome we truly are. We are told to follow our heart. We are instructed to find our inner royalty. It is striking how differently God looks at us. In this verse Paul gives instruction to the person who is looking within for their understanding of greatness. The one who is self-seeking is not praised for discovering their inner royalty. They are warned that God's wrath and fury awaits them. Instead of obeying their heart they should have obeyed God's truth. Paul says that the self-seeking man is not obeying the truth. What truth is he disobeying? Jesus would give a great answer to that question. When the Sa...

Romans 2:7 [7] to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; (ESV) Who would not want eternal life? I would think something would be severely wrong with someone who does not want eternal life. As we look at this verse it would be easy for us to take a formulaic approach to understanding how to achieve eternal life. We would just need to be patient in well-doing, seeking glory and honor and immortality, and we will receive eternal life. As always, we need to dig a little deeper. There are principles of Scripture that need to be a part of our evaluation of this verse. The first thing that comes to mind when we look at this verse is "Who are these people who are demonstrating qualities of patience, well-doing, proper seeking of glory and honor and immortality?" Paul will make it very clear in later portions of this Book of Romans (Romans 3 in particular) that mankind is by nature evil. None of us has the cha...

Romans 2:6 [6] He will render to each one according to his works: (ESV) There are passages of Scripture that if read without reading the rest of Scripture can hinder a proper understanding. This is one of those verses. Many will read that verse and suggest that we are made right with God by our works. In fact, they will look at their own collection of works and feel confident that they will be made right God. Is Paul really suggesting salvation is by works? We know that in Ephesians 2:8-9 the Apostle Paul tells the church at Ephesus, "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast." If we look at both of these passages together we cannot come up with an understanding that we are saved by works. The one who has been saved by the grace of God understands that their own works did not save them. But there is something else that happens in the life of one who has been ...

Romans 2:5 [5] But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God's righteous judgment will be revealed. (ESV) I was never very good at science. I believe my worst subject in school was chemistry. One of the things I do know is that if you do not properly recognize what different chemicals and chemical combinations will produce you could be in a whole lot of trouble. If I were a scientist I am fairly certain I would blow myself up. One of the subjects that mankind seems to fail at is the study of God. We tend to think of him as an old grandfather type in the sky. We do not recognize him as a holy and righteous judge. We also err in our evaluation of ourselves, particularly our sin. We think that our sin is not a big deal. We argue in our minds that we aren't really that bad. We certainly aren't as bad as our neighbor. To mix the fury of a righteous God with the built up pressure of a lifetime of unrepen...

Romans 2:4 [4] Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? (ESV) Have you ever looked at someone's lifestyle and wonder, "How do they get away with that?" Perhaps you have a neighbor who has been cheating the IRS for years and even laughs about it. Maybe you watch the news and see politicians living like they are above the law. It could be a rock star who should have died years ago with all his wild living, but he is still kicking! God's judgment is coming. In the previous verses Paul has not only established that we are deserving of judgment, but also he has assured us that God will judge. He is not slow, he is intentional. Someone who is living in their sin may mock God because they see no judgment for their sin. They misjudge the ultimate judge. God is patient with us. He is not rash with his judgment for a reason. He wants us to come to repentance. P...

Romans 2:3 [3] Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God? (ESV) No one likes a phony. Perhaps you have met a few in your lifetime. Consider the crusader against smoking that secretly smokes a pack a day in his private life. Or the preacher who rails against the immorality of his day while keeping several mistresses. Or the squeaky clean Sunday School teacher who gossips about everyone in the town. Phonies are people who judge others for doing the things that they claim to be against. They bring condemnation to others while ignoring the sin in their own lives that God has condemned. We are not called to be judges. There is only one judge, God himself. He will judge all people. He has not hired us out to do his job for him. God is looking for sincere hearts. As we look at those who have committed various sins we should be reminded of our own sin. We should humbly ask the Lord to give us c...

Romans 2:2 [2] We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. (ESV) Have you ever said to someone, "Don't judge me!"? I am sure that I have. We do not like to be judged. Some look at God in anger because they do not like to feel his judgment. The question we need to ask is whether or not God is right in bringing judgment. We might not like it, but is it justified? The Apostle Paul says, "the judgment of God rightly falls." That word "rightly" speaks to God's perfect righteousness. While we may not like his judgment because it counters our desire to live in willful sin, God is perfect in offering judgment. What makes him right? He is God! Everything that proceeds from him is perfect. There is no higher standard. Where we need to be very careful is when we somehow assume that we are to be the ones administering judgment on our brother or sister. When we do so we make judgments according to our standards. O...

Romans 2:1 [1] Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. (ESV) There is something in us that likes to compare ourselves to others. We love it when we hear of someone who has done some grave sin and we can pat ourselves on the back and say, "I would never do that." If you were to ask the average person on the street if they think they are a good person they would probably say yes. If you ask them why they will inevitably compare themselves to others. This insistence on righteousness based on comparing ourselves to others is not an adequate standard at all. Our standard of holiness is no where near God's standard. In this verse Paul condemns those who pass judgment on others. In so doing they condemn themselves. Those who judge are guilty of the same sins. At first we want to disagree with Paul. We have read the list of sins he me...