undeserving

Diversity. Unity. Fidelity.

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1 I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church at Cenchreae, 2 that you may welcome her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints, and help her in whatever she may need from you, for she has been a patron of many and of myself as well.

3 Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, 4 who risked their necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks but all the churches of the Gentiles give thanks as well. 5 Greet also the church in their house. Greet my beloved Epaenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in Asia. 6 Greet Mary, who has worked hard for you. 7 Greet Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen and my fellow prisoners. They are well known to the apostles, and they were in Christ before me. 8 Greet Ampliatus, my beloved in the Lord. 9 Greet Urbanus, our fellow worker in Christ, and my beloved Stachys. 10 Greet Apelles, who is approved in Christ. Greet those who belong to the family of Aristobulus. 11 Greet my kinsman Herodion. Greet those in the Lord who belong to the family of Narcissus. 12 Greet those workers in the Lord, Tryphaena and Tryphosa. Greet the beloved Persis, who has worked hard in the Lord. 13 Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord; also his mother, who has been a mother to me as well. 14 Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers who are with them. 15 Greet Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints who are with them. 16 Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you. – Romans 16:1-16 ESV

Phoebe, Prisca, Aquila, Epaenetus, Mary, Andronicus, Ampliatus, Urbanus, Stachys, Apelles, Aristobulus, Herodian, Tryphaena, Tryphosa, Rufus, Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, Phililogus, Julia, Nereus, and Olympas. That’s quite a list. Paul took the time to include the hard-to-pronounce names of 24 people to whom he wished to express his personal greetings.

Since Paul had never been to Rome, it is unclear how he knew some of these individuals. In a few of the cases, Paul had met them before. Phoebe, the woman to whom he sent his letter, was an active member of the church in Cenchreae, a port city of Corinth. She was most likely a Gentile and had been a patron to many in the church. Evidently, she was from the wealthier upper class, but had used her resources to assist others in the church in Corinth. Paul had also enjoyed a prior relationship with the husband-and-wife team of Prisca and Aquila; they had worked alongside him in his missionary journeys.

After this Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. And he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome. And he went to see them, and because he was of the same trade he stayed with them and worked, for they were tentmakers by trade. – Acts 18:1-3 ESV

This couple, who had been forced to leave Italy because of an edict of the emperor Claudius, had risked their lives for Paul and made an impact on the Gentile churches. They were now back in Rome and continuing their efforts to grow the church and spread the gospel throughout the city.

Most of the people on Paul’s list remain unknown to us, but they provide a glimpse into the makeup of the local churches in Rome. It is interesting to note that verse 1 of Romans 16 is the first time in his letter that Paul uses the word “church.” The Greek word ekklēsia was used in reference to any gathering, congregation, or assembly. It literally means “called out” and was used to refer to any group called out for a meeting for deliberation. It was the perfect designation for the people of God, those who had chosen to follow Christ as their Savior. They had been called out by God and were to remain in the world, but not be of the world.

In the prayer Jesus prayed in the garden on the night of His betrayal, He emphasized the called out nature of His followers.

“They do not belong to this world any more than I do.” – John 17:16 NLT

“And the world hates them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world.” – John 16:14 NLT

Paul’s list contains the names of those who had been called out by God to be a part of His universal church. They were people of all walks of life. There were Romans and Greeks, freedmen and slaves, the wealthy and the poor, the influential and the insignificant. There were men and women, young and old, the educated and the illiterate. All had been placed into local congregations by the grace of God and because of their faith in Jesus Christ, His Son.

As Paul so painstakingly explained in his letter, there was no reason for anyone in the body of Christ to boast; at one time, they had all been equally guilty and worthy of God’s condemnation. None had earned favor with God because of their own self-manufactured righteousness. There was no one whose wealth or social influence had earned them brownie points with God. Every one of them had received their justification before God the same way, by placing their faith in the righteousness of Christ; none had been more righteous than another. Their sinfulness was equally condemning in God’s holy eyes, but He had extended His grace and mercy. Paul made this point earlier in his letter.

We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God freely and graciously declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. – Romans 3:22-24 NLT

Every individual Paul lists was dear to him. Each had a unique name and personality and had come to faith in Christ in their own way. They brought different talents and spiritual gifts to the body of Christ and had their own individual role to play within their local congregations. But at the end of the day, they were one. They shared a common faith in a common Savior and shared a common bond with every other believer.

Paul sent greetings to them from all the churches of Christ, so they would know they were not alone. They were part of a much larger family made up of individuals who bore different names but shared their belief in the risen Christ.

We are the called-out ones. We live in the midst of a world that hates us because we share a common love for Christ. We don’t belong here; we are aliens and strangers living in a land that is no longer our home. But we are brothers and sisters in Christ, compatriots who share a love for the cause of Christ and the Kingdom of God. We are in this together because God has placed us together into the body of Christ. May we learn to look past our diversity and embrace our unity through a growing desire for mutual love and fidelity

Father, while this list can be easily overlooked or dismissed as irrelevant, it provides a much-needed reminder of the diversity of the church. You have called out people from every nation, tribe, and tongue to be part of the body of Christ. We come from different cultures, speak different languages, and reflect the multidimensional nature of humanity. But we have been unified by our common faith in Your Son. As Paul put it, You use the church to display Your wisdom “in its rich variety to all the unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 3:10 NLT). The gospel is color blind and uninfluenced by the cultural criteria that divides humanity. Peter was right when he wrote, “I see very clearly that God shows no favoritism. In every nation he accepts those who fear him and do what is right” (Acts 10:34-35 NLT). You are no respecter of persons. You see everyone as a sinner in need of a Savior. Which is why You sent Your Son to serve as the sinless sacrifice to pay mankind’s debt.. You did that for all, regardless of their perceived righteousness or wretchedness. You knew that all had sinned and fallen short of Your glorious standard. So, You came up with a way for sinners to be saved — whether they were rich, poor, male, female, slave, free, Jew, or Gentile. And You included me in that number and placed me in Your family. And I am so glad You did. Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.22

Our Promise-Keeping God

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1 I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! For I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. Do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he appeals to God against Israel? 3 “Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have demolished your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life.” 4 But what is God’s reply to him? “I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” 5 So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace. 6 But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace. – Romans 11:1-6 ESV

Is God done with Israel? Has their rejection of His Son as their Messiah put them on His permanent “naughty” list and denied them any opportunity to be restored to a right relationship with Him? Paul would say confidently and emphatically, “No!” and he used himself as living proof.

If God was done with Israel, Paul would never have come to know Christ as His Savior. After all, he was a Jew himself.

“I am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, and I was brought up and educated here in Jerusalem under Gamaliel. As his student, I was carefully trained in our Jewish laws and customs. I became very zealous to honor God in everything I did, just like all of you today.” – Acts 22:3 NLT

“I was circumcised when I was eight days old. I am a pure-blooded citizen of Israel and a member of the tribe of Benjamin—a real Hebrew if there ever was one! I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience to the Jewish law.” – Philippians 3:5 NLT

Paul argued that he and the other believing Jews in his audience were not the last of their kind. He used the story of the prophet, Elijah, to drive home his point. Elijah had defeated the prophets of Baal and, as a result, came under the wrath of the wicked queen, Jezebel. She put a bounty on his head, and Elijah was forced to run for his life. When God confronted Elijah and asked him why he was running from the queen, Elijah responded: “I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away” (1 Kings 19:10 ESV).

Elijah and God had this conversation two times in the narrative. Then God informed him, “Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him” (1 Kings 19:18 ESV). In other words, God knew something Elijah didn’t know; he was not the last man standing. Despite his feelings of isolation and intimidation, Elijah was not alone. There were others who, like Elijah, had refused to abandon God.  

And Paul’s conclusion was, “It is the same today, for a few of the people of Israel have remained faithful because of God’s grace—his undeserved kindness in choosing them.” (Romans 11:5 NLT). While the majority of Israel had rejected Jesus as their Messiah, there were some who had chosen not only to recognize Him, but to accept Him as their Savior. And Paul couldn’t resist the urge to remphasize that their salvation was the result of grace, not works.

The very existence of this faithful remnant in Paul’s day was proof that God had not abandoned His people; He was not done with them yet. And, later in this chapter, Paul explains what God has planned for His people in the future. Chapters 9-11 form a cohesive unit in which Paul focuses on Israel, the chosen people of God. In chapter nine, Paul reveals God’s past grace in His sovereign selection of Israel as His people. In chapter ten, Paul addresses the present reality of Israel’s refusal to respond to God’s provision of grace, as revealed in His Son’s death. And finally, in chapter eleven, Paul outlines God’s future plans for Israel.

Paul paints a compelling picture of God’s matchless grace. While the people of Israel never deserved God’s favor, He had repeatedly displayed it — despite their ongoing rebellion and refusal to repent. Over the centuries, they had proved to be unfaithful and disobedient time and time again, but God never fully abandoned them. Even after sending them into exile for their rebellion, He graciously and mercifully restored them to the land. He kept a remnant alive and returned them to Jerusalem so that He might one day fulfill His promise to produce a descendant of David who would sit on the throne of Israel.

Even today, there are future plans concerning Israel that have yet to be fulfilled. At present, they are experiencing a temporary rejection by God. But as Paul will explain later in this chapter, that condition will one day be radically altered. Their rejection of Christ as their Messiah opened up a door for the gospel to be shared with non-Jews, “those who are not a nation” (Romans 10:19 ESV). God made the good news regarding salvation available to “those who did not seek me” (Romans 10:20 ESV). And those of us who have discovered the grace of God made possible through the death of Christ have much to be grateful for. We were totally undeserving of God’s favor, and yet He provided a way for us to be made right with Him.

When he wrote to the Gentile believers in Ephesus, Paul emphasized the incredible nature of their conversion.

Don’t forget that you Gentiles used to be outsiders. You were called “uncircumcised heathens” by the Jews, who were proud of their circumcision, even though it affected only their bodies and not their hearts. In those days you were living apart from Christ. You were excluded from citizenship among the people of Israel, and you did not know the covenant promises God had made to them. You lived in this world without God and without hope. But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ. – Ephesians 2:11-13 NLT

Paul wrote something similar to the believers in Colossae.

You who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions. Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault. – Colossians 1:21-22 NLT

As Gentiles or non-Jews, we have much to be grateful for. We must never forget that if God had not chosen Abraham and given him Isaac as his son, if He had not chosen Jacob over Esau, if He had not chosen David over Saul, and if He had not chosen to send His Son through the nation of Israel, we would never have heard the good news concerning Jesus. But our God is good and gracious, and He is sovereign over all. He knows what He is doing, and He is not yet done with Israel. Their rejection of Him has not resulted in their rejection by Him, because He is faithful, loving, and true. He will accomplish all that He has promised for them, in His time and according to His plan.

Father, Your grace truly is amazing. That You would deem to save any should astound and confound us. As David wrote in his Psalm, “The Lord looks down from heaven on the entire human race; he looks to see if anyone is truly wise, if anyone seeks God. But no, all have turned away; all have become corrupt. No one does good, not a single one” (Psalm 14:2-3 NLT). And Paul echoed those words when he wrote, “No one is righteous— not even one” (Romans 3:10 NLT). And yet, You poured out Your mercy and grace on Jews and Gentiles alike. You have redeemed a remnant of Your chosen people and You are far from done. You have made Your grace available to all humanity, but You have not turned Your back on the seed of Abraham. You will one day fulfill every promise You made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. You will redeem and restore a righteous remnant from among the 12 tribes of Israel. And this fact reminds me that You are faithful and fully worthy of my trust because You are not a man, so You do not lie. You are not human, so You do not change Your mind. You have never spoken and failed to act. You have never promised and not carried it through (Numbers 23:19 NLT). You are the promise-keeping God. 
Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.22

Weak, Unworthy, and Without Hope

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6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. – Romans 5:6-11 ESV

Peter tells us, “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit” (1 Peter 3:18 ESV).

The sinless one died for sinners. The innocent died for the guilty. The righteous sacrificed His life for the unrighteous, and not after we got our proverbial act together. Paul emphasizes the out-of-the-ordinary nature of this selfless, substitutionary act.

…most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. – Romans 5:7 NLT

As human beings, we would find it difficult, if not impossible, to give our lives even for someone whom we deemed to be righteous. We might do it, but we would have to give it some serious thought. But Jesus died for us while we were mired in our sinfulness. He didn’t die for us because we were righteous, but so that we might become righteous. In fact, when Jesus was asked why He hung out with tax collectors and sinners, He replied, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick…For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners” (Matthew 9:12, 13 ESV). That was the scope of His mission.

The implications of this are staggering. We live in a world where justice is defined as everyone getting what they deserve. We are taught that any good we experience in this life is ultimately earned and a direct result of our good behavior. But Paul turns that philosophy on its head, saying that our salvation was the result of God’s mercy and love, as expressed through the sacrificial death of His own Son. Rather than giving us what we deserved: death, God gave us what we didn’t deserve: eternal life through faith in His Son.

We deserved condemnation, but He provided pardon. We merited alienation from Him, but He made us His sons and daughters. We had earned His righteous wrath and just judgment, but He poured out His grace and forgiveness. And the amazing thing is that He did it out of love.

God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. – Romans 5:8 NLT

In his late-night discussion with the Pharisee, Nicodemus, Jesus attempted to explain His God-given mission to save the world.

“…this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.” – John 3:16-17 NLT

Years later, the apostle John would record his post-resurrection understanding of what Jesus accomplished through His death.

God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. – 1 John 4:9-10 NLT

Christ died for the ungodly. However, despite this gracious act of kindness, humanity refuses to come to grips with its own ungodliness. We struggle with the idea that we are sinners in need of a Savior. We hate the thought of being helpless, weak, and unable to save ourselves. We desperately want to believe that we can somehow earn our way into God’s good graces. But Paul will have none of it, because God refuses to grade on the curve or lower His standards in order to allow men to squeeze in under the bar.

It was the death of Jesus, His shed blood and broken body, that makes our right standing with God possible. Through the willing sacrifice of His own life, Jesus provided a way for sinful men to be made right with God and freed from ever having to face His righteous, holy wrath again. As Paul writes later in this same letter, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1 ESV).

We have been reconciled with God. At one point, we were His enemies, but now we are His children. Because of Christ’s death, we have had our broken relationship with God restored — in this life. Because of Christ’s resurrection and ascension, we are assured a permanent right standing with God — for eternity. We are saved from the eternal wrath of God; that is the eventual lot of all men who refuse to accept His gift of salvation made possible through the death and resurrection of His Son.

Paul tells us that this reality should cause us to rejoice because “we have now received reconciliation” (Romans 5:11 ESV). It was the ancient writer, Origen, who said, “Paul stresses the now in order to indicate that our rejoicing is not merely a future hope but also a present experience” (Origen, Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans). We are reconciled with God. We are free from His wrath. We are righteous in His eyes. We are no longer His enemies. We are justified by God. All these things are present realities that hold future significance.

Ambrosiaster, a Christian author who lived in the middle to late fourth century, provides a wonderful analysis of Jesus’ gracious act of kindness on our behalf.

“If Christ gave himself up to death at the right time for those who were unbelievers and enemies of God … how much more will he protect us with his help if we believe in him! He died for us in order to obtain life and glory for us. So if he died for his enemies, just think what he will do for his friends!” – Ambrosiaster, Commentary on Paul’s Epistles

God loved us while we were still mired in our sin. Christ died for us because we were sinners. And we can trust God’s love to carry us through to the very end. We can rest on the truth of Paul’s declaration, “God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns” (Philippians 1:6 NLT).

Father, it is so easy to overlook and underappreciate the significance of the gospel. Even as a believer, I am tempted to minimize my own sinfulness and elevate my self-righteousness. But before I came to faith in Christ, there was nothing redeemable about me. I had done nothing worthy of Your love, grace, and mercy. I was unworthy of being saved but fully deserving of Your righteous condemation. Yet, out of love, You opened my eyes to the truth of the gospel and my need for a Savior. You helped me see the wretchedness of my condition and my inability to do anything about it. Through Your grace, I was transformed from a sinner into a saint, from being Your enemy to being Your adopted son. And one day, You will complete the process of my sanctifaction with my glorification so that I can spend eternity with You. That truly is amazing!   Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.22

The Hypocrisy of a Holier-Than-Thou Attitude

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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. 2 We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. 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? 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? 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. – Romans 2:1-5 ESV

Paul was writing to the church in Rome, and, like many of the churches in those days, it was made up of converted Gentiles and Jews. Chapter one seems to be addressed to the former pagans or Gentiles. He wrote that he wished to come visit them so that he might “reap some harvest among you as well as among the rest of the Gentiles” (Romans 1:13 ESV). He made it clear to them that, like all men, prior to their conversion, they had been without excuse.

God had revealed Himself to them through His creation, and had made His “invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature” (Romans 1:20 ESV) clearly perceptible. Yet, like all men, they had rejected God’s revelation and had chosen to worship the creation rather than the Creator. And it had been the gospel that had revealed to them God’s power for salvation to everyone who believes. They had discovered that the righteousness God requires was available only through faith in His Son. They had once been under God’s wrath for their dishonoring and disregard of Him, and had been given up by God to reap the consequences of their darkened hearts and foolish choices. The city of Rome was still filled with tens of thousands of people living according to “the lie.”

But now, Paul turns his attention to another group within the church. They might be described as self-righteous religious snobs, those who were quick to consider themselves better than the pagans Paul had described. More than likely, Paul was speaking directly to the Jews who had accepted Christ as their Savior and Messiah. When they heard Paul describe those whom God had given up, they excluded themselves from that list because they considered themselves to be God’s chosen people. They were descendants of Abraham, the recipients of God’s covenant promises. But Paul makes it clear that they, too, are without excuse. In fact, to a certain degree, the Jews were even more culpable because they had been given special revelation from God.

God had revealed Himself to Abraham and given him His covenant promises. Yahweh had used Abraham and his barren wife to create the nation of Israel, in fulfillment of His promise to make of Abraham a great nation. When the descendants of Abraham had ended up as slaves in Egypt, God had rescued them from their captivity and led them to the land He had promised them. On the way, He gave them His law and provided them with the sacrificial system as a means of receiving forgiveness for their sins so they could maintain a right relationship with Him. God also gave them the tabernacle in the wilderness and the temple in Jerusalem as places where His holy presence would dwell, and they could meet with Him. And yet, throughout their history, the Jews had continually sinned against Him. He had proven His existence to them time and time again, and they were fully aware of His divine expectations on them, but they had been incapable of keeping God’s law or of remaining faithful to Him.

Despite all this, the Jews of Paul’s day had become self-righteous and prideful because of their unique relationship with God. Their attitude had become like that of the Pharisee in the parable that Jesus had told.

“The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer: ‘I thank you, God, that I am not a sinner like everyone else. For I don’t cheat, I don’t sin, and I don’t commit adultery. I’m certainly not like that tax collector!’” – Luke 18:11 NLT

Because they were Abraham’s descendants, they viewed themselves as superior to the rest of humanity. But Paul warns them, “When you say they are wicked and should be punished, you are condemning yourself, for you who judge others do these very same things.” (Romans 2:1 NLT). They stood just as guilty as the pagans and were not exempt from the litany of sins found in Romans 1:29-31. They could not afford to consider themselves as somehow better than everyone else.

We can’t forget that this entire letter is ultimately about the gospel: “the power of God for salvation for everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16 ESV). It is about “the righteousness of God … revealed from faith for faith” (Romans 1:17 ESV). Paul’s whole point in the opening chapters of his letter was to prove that no one stands before God as righteous; all are without excuse, whether they are Gentiles or Jews.

Later in his letter, Paul writes, “Well then, should we conclude that we Jews are better than others? No, not at all, for we have already shown that all people, whether Jews or Gentiles, are under the power of sin. As the Scriptures say, ‘No one is righteous – not even one’” (Romans 3:9-10 NLT). Righteousness is not man-made; it is God-given. It is based on faith, not works, and has nothing to do with human merit. Instead, it relies on God’s mercy and grace.

Paul wanted the Jewish believers to know that they had been recipients of God’s kindness, forbearance, and patience. The fact that they still existed as a people had to do with God’s covenant promises, not their faithfulness or righteousness. He had continually rescued them from their own self-destructive tendencies so that He might fulfill His promise to send the Messiah as a descendant of David. When Jesus showed up on the scene as the Messiah, He called the people of Israel to repentance. And Paul says that God’s kindness, in the form of the Messiah, was meant to lead them to repentance. Yet Paul tells them, “But because you are stubborn and refuse to turn from your sin, you are storing up terrible punishment for yourself” (Romans 2:5 NLT). Why? Because the Jews failed to recognize their own sinfulness and need for a Savior. In pointing their finger at the sins of the pagans, they were missing the whole point. No one is righteous, no, not one.

Father, how easy it is to practice a form of spiritual one-upmanship. In our competitive mindset, we can always find someone whose sinful lifestyle makes us look good. Rather than acknowleding our undeserving nature and expressing gratitude to You for Your love, grace, and mercy, we try to make ourselves look better by looking down on others. But in our attempt to set ourselves up as spiritually superior, we prove our own hypocrisy and undeservedness. Bashing “sinners” has become a popular trend for Christians. Finding fault with unbelievers somehow makes us feel better about ourselves. But Paul reminds us, “When you say they are wicked and should be punished, you are condemning yourself, for you who judge others do these very same things” (Romans 2:1 NLT). We should know better because we know You. We should act differently because we have Your Spirit living within us. We are without excuse and in need of repentance. Forgive us of our pride, arrogance, and judgmental attitude. Continue to remind us that we owe everything to You. Your love for us is not based on our righteousness or super spirituality; it is based on the gift of Your Son. Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.22

No Room Or Reason For Pride.

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For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness. – Romans 12:3-8 ESV

Paul has spent the entire letter up to this point defending man’s justification based on the grace and goodness of God, not human effort. Both Jews and Gentiles are made right with God the same way – through faith in Christ alone. It is not based on heritage, race, background, income, achievement or any other human means of measurement. God has said, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion” (Romans 9:15 ESV). So Paul concludes, “then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy” (Romans 9:16 ESV). No one deserves God’s mercy. If we deserved it, it would no longer be mercy, because by definition, mercy is a choice, not an obligation. When Paul speaks of the mercy of God, he means “the mercy and clemency of God in providing and offering to men salvation by Christ” (“Greek Lexicon :: G1656 (KJV).” Blue Letter Bible. Web. 21 Dec, 2015. <http://www.blueletterbible.orghttps://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm&gt;). God’s mercy is undeserved. In fact, rather than giving us what we deserve, which is the essence of mercy, He gives us what we do NOT deserve: Grace, in the form of salvation and justification made possible through faith in His Son. And that grace is the work of God, not man. And Paul emphasizes that without God’s mercy, no man would ever experience a right relationship with Him. “For these is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is the Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:12-13 ESV).

So there is no reason for anyone to think more highly of himself. The Gentiles were not to become prideful because God had taken away the message of salvation from the Jews and given it to them. The Jewish believers were not to boast in their heritage as descendants of Abraham. None of that mattered. Instead, each was to “think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned” (Romans 12:3 ESV). Our place in the body of Christ is not based on the amount of faith we conjure up. It is not a competition and it not intended to be a comparison. We are in Christ because of the mercy and grace of God. We have been placed in the body of Christ by God, each “having gifts that differ according to the grace give to us” (Romans 12:6 ESV). Even our spiritual gifts have been given to us by God. We didn’t bring them with us. Spiritual gifts are not human abilities on steroids. They are supernatural enablements, provided by the Spirit of God. And they are intended for the building up of the body of Christ. Paul told the Ephesian believers that God “makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.” (Ephesians 4:16 NLT).

Our gifts are given to us by the grace of God, and we are to use them humbly and selflessly. They are given to us by God, not to boost our egos or inflate our sense of self-worth, but to build up the body of Christ. In the church in Corinth, Paul had to deal with a misuse and misunderstanding of the spiritual gifts, where they had turned them into badges of honor. The various gifts had become divisive, with members of the church bragging over the particular gifts that they had. Paul had to sternly remind them, “To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good” (1 Corinthians 12:7 ESV). Every one of them had a spiritual gift “empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills” (1 Corinthians 12:11 ESV). There was no reason to boast or brag. In fact, “God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body” (1 Corinthians 12:18-20 ESV).

Our salvation is the work of God. Our right standing before God is the result of His mercy, not our merit. Our place in the body of Christ was determined by Him, not us. Our spiritual gift was given to us by His Spirit and intended for the building up of the body of Christ. There is nothing about our relationship with Christ or our place in His family for which we have a right to boast. We should use our gifts “according to the grace given to us.” A recognition of God’s grace should always motivate our actions and attitudes. Like the psalmist, we should daily remind ourselves, “Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture” (Psalm 100:3 ESV). Not because we deserved it. But because of His marvelous grace.