The Reality of the Inner Conflict
7: 14-17

The reality of the inner conflict DIG: Why does Paul introduce a first person plural here? In what way is the Torah spiritual? Prior to Paul’s conversion, how must he have felt about the inner turmoil described here? How did he try to deal with it (Philippians 3:4-6)?

REFLECT: In light of your own struggles with sin, how do you feel about Paul’s struggle? How is this a model for a healthy, realistic self-image? How are you doing with the wrestling match on a scale of one to ten? If you fall, what can you do to get back on your feet?

Our sin nature and our spirit are in a wrestling match; it is a constant, life-long struggle.

Throughout these verses Paul continues to write in the first person singular, as he portrays his own typical experience as an observant Messianic Jew. Yet, here, he breaks this pattern with a first person plural: We know. This serves to draw the readers of his letter into the discussion.¹⁸⁶

We know that the Torah is spiritual (7:14a). This means that the Torah deals with our inner being, the spiritual part of us, as well as with the other actions. In the original giving of the Torah in Exodus, the emphasis was on the outward actions. But when Moshe restated the Torah in Deuteronomy, the spiritual emphasis is clearly stated (see the commentary on Deuteronomy, to see link click Cn – Circumcise Your Hearts). And when Yeshua gave His sermon on the mount (see The Life of Christ Cz – Introduction to the Sermon on the Mount), He emphasized the spiritual aspect of the Torah as well.

But I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to my old [sin nature] (7:14b). It is important to note that the apostle doesn’t say he is actively involved in a specific sin, but that he continually has to live with his old [sin nature] inherited from Adam. He has already explained that the old [sin nature] had died with Yeshua (6:5), and he received a new divine nature at salvation. From then on, he had a choice. He could choose to obey the old [sin nature] or his new divine nature. That was the nature of his inner conflict, and that is the nature of our inner conflict. Even as an apostle of Yeshua Messiah he possessed a remnant of the sinfulness that characterizes all human beings, including those of us who, in Messiah, are saved from its total mastery and its condemnation (8:1).

Just because we struggle with sin doesn’t mean we are not saved. It takes self-control and discipline to overcome the temptations that the world around us presents. Messiah fought and won that final battle over sin, but we need to apply that victory to our daily lives. Satan loves to whisper in our ear, saying we deserve this or that and making evil look like a reward. Often, we find a set of legalistic rules easier to follow than examining and changing our wrong attitudes and actions. In Chapter 8, Paul will give us some very valuable information about how to overcome sin.¹⁸⁷

We must always remember that our spirit, our inner self, has been completely and forever cleansed of sin. We have been justified (see Ay – The Definition of Justification). It is for that reason that, at death, we are prepared to enter God’s presence in perfect holiness and purity. Because our spiritual rebirth has already happened, our flesh, with its [sin nature], will be left behind.

In one of the most famous passages in Romans, Paul now graphically portrays the reality of this inner conflict. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do – I do not do, but what I hate – I do (7:15). Paul wonders why he can’t control the advance of sin within him. He has the right attitude – he wants to do what is right and good. Every mature believer is aware that his life falls far short of God’s perfect standard of righteousness and that he falls back into sin with disturbing frequency. Yet he cannot be happy with his sin, because it is contrary to his new nature and because he knows that it grieves his Lord as well as his own conscience. This is not to say that believers have a split personality, because we do not. Salvation makes us whole. But it does indicate that our mind, will, and body can be controlled either by the old [sin nature] or the new divine nature, either by the flesh or the Ruach.¹⁸⁸ The reality of this inner conflict is that the battle with our [sin nature] is strenuous and life-long.

When we do succumb to the old [sin nature], Paul gives us the antidote: If we claim not to have sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. But if we acknowledge our sins, since YHVH is trustworthy and just, he will forgive them and purify us from all wrongdoing (First John 1:8-9).

And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the Torah is good because it points out my sin. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is my [sin nature] living in me (7:16-17). This does not mean that Paul was avoiding personal responsibility for his actions; he was speaking of the inner conflict between his godly desires and the [sin nature] within him.

The question people in the world need to ask themselves is this, “Is it working for me?”

Dear Holy and Wonderful Heavenly Father, I love You and want to please You so please help me to have Your same attitude about sin’s awfulness. Let love be without hypocrisy—detesting what is evil, holding fast to the good (Romans 12:9). Sin broke God’s original loving relationship with man when Adam and Eve chose to follow their own way. Sin hurts any relationship. When a child sins against his parents, he is still their child but there is a separation, a wound between them that needs healing. Praise You, Yeshua, for healing that separation wound between mankind and God by Your death on the cross as the sacrificial Lamb of God (John 1:29) who bore the sin punishment of mankind. He made the One who knew no sin to become a sin offering on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God (Second Corinthians 5:21).

I want to be careful to not sin because sin hurts you and me. I am very concerned about family members and friends who claim to be “Christians” but who live in continual sin and it does not bother them. I do not mean that they sin once in a while, everyone sins some, but when a sin is brought before their eyes, they would rather ignore it and concentrate on God’s love. They forget that You are a Holy God. Their pride is big. Children, let no one mislead you! The one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as Yeshua is righteous.  The one who practices sin is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. Ben-Elohim appeared for this purpose – to destroy the works of the devil (First John 3:7-8).

Please develop in me, in family and in friends a deeper awareness of doing anything, big or small that offends You, God, in any way, for You are so awesome! I want to please You in everything I do, even in my thoughts and finances. In Yeshua’s holy name and power of His resurrection. Amen

Bibliography

Anderson, Neil, Who I Am In Christ. Ventura: Regal, a division of Gospel Light, 2001.

Barclay, William, Letters to the Romans, Philadelphia, Westminster Press, 1957.

Boettner, Loraine, Roman Catholicism. Phillipsburg: The Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Company, 1962.

Briscoe, Stuart, Mastering the New Testament: Romans. Dallas, Word, 1982.

Brown, Michael L., Our Hands Are Stained With Blood: The Tragic Story of “The Church”
and the Jewish People, Shippensburg, Destiny Image Publishers, 1992.

Coleman, Lyman, Serendipity Bible for Groups, New International Version, Serendipity House, Littleton, Colorado, 1988.

Cranfield, C. E. B., Romans A Shorter Commentary. Grand Rapids, Eerdmans, 1985.

Dallas, Joe, The Gay Gospel? Eugene, Harvest House Publishers, 2007.

Erickson, Millard, Christian Theology. Grand Rapids, Baker Book House, 1985.

Fee, Gordon and Stuart, Douglas. How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth. Grand Rapids, Zondervan, 1982,

Freeman, James, Manners and Customs of the Bible. Plainfield, Logos International, 1972.

Fruchtenbaum, Arnold mp3

Fruchtenbaum, Arnold, The Feasts of Isra’el. Tustin, Ariel Ministries, 1984.

Gaebelein, Frank, general editor, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Volume Ten: Romans – Galatians. Grand Rapids, Zondervan Publishing House, 1976.

Gagnon, Robert A. J., The Bible and Homosexual Practice: Texts and Hermeneutics, Nashville, Abingdon Press, 2002.

jewinthepew.org

Kasdan, Barney, “The Jewish Context of the Book of Romans,” Messianic Jewish Institute of San Diego, Kehilat Ariel Messianic Synagogue, May 2018

Kasdan, Barney, God’s Appointed Customs. Baltimore, Lederer Books, a division of Messianic Jewish Publishers, 1996.

Kupelian, David, The Marketing of Evil. Nashville, WND Books, an imprint of Cumberland House Publishing, 2005.

Lucado, Max, Life Lessons from Romans. Nashville, Thomas Nelson, 2018.

MacArthur, John, Matthew 16-23. Chicago, Moody Press, 1988.

MacArthur, John, Romans 1-8. Chicago, The Moody Bible Institute, 1991.

MacArthur, John, Romans 9-16. Chicago, The Moody Bible Institute, 1994.

MacArthur, John, Romans: MacArthur Bible Studies. Nashville, Thomas Nelson, 2007.

MacArthur, John, Charismatic Chaos. Grand Rapids, Zondervan Publishing, 1992.

MacArthur, John, First Corinthians. Chicago, The Moody Bible Institute, 1984.

MacArthur, John, Hebrews, Chicago, Moody Bible Publishers, 1983.

Martin and Richards, The Book of Romans: The Smart Guide to the Bible. Nashville, Thomas Nelson, 2007.

McGee, J. K., Galatians for the Practical Messianic, McKinney, Messianic Apologetics, a division of Outreach Israel Ministries, McKinney, 2004.

McGee, J. Vernon, Romans Chapters 1-8. Nashville, Thomas Nelson, 1991.

McGee, J. Vernon, Romans Chapters 9-16. Nashville, Thomas Nelson, 1991.

www.MessianicGentiles.com.

Moo, Douglas, The Epistle of Romans NIC. Grand Rapids, Eerdmans Publishing, 1996.

Nadler, Sam, Messianic Foundations. Charlotte, Word of Messiah Ministries, 2010.myjewishlearning.com

Plumptre, E. H., Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers. Grand Rapids, Zondervan, 2012.

Shulam, Joseph, The Jewish Roots of Galatians, Jerusalem, Netivyah Bible Instruction Ministry, Jerusalem, 1977.

Stern, David, Jewish New Testament Commentary. Clarksville, Jewish New Testament Publications, 1992.

Rubin, Barry, The Complete Jewish Study Bible. Messianic Jewish Publishers and Resources, Clarksville, Maryland, 2016.

Rudolph, David, Director of Messianic Jewish Studies The King’s University, “Gentiles, Torah and the One Law Movement A Recommended Stance for Messianic Synagogues and Ministries.”

Walvoord, John and Zuck, Roy, The Bible Knowledge Commentary of the Old Testament. Wheaton: Victor Books, 1985.

Wiersbe, Warren, Romans: Be Right. Colorado Springs, David C. Cook, 1977.

Williams, Donald, Psalms 1-72, The Preacher’s Commentary. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1986.

Williams, Donald, Psalms 73-150, The Preacher’s Commentary. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1989.

Wuest, Kenneth, Wuest’s Word Studies: Romans, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1955.

End Notes

Romans from a Jewish Perspective
1. The Bible Knowledge Commentary: New Testament, by John Walvoord, Victor Books, Wheaton, Illinois, 1983, page 435.

2. Ibid, page 435.

3.The Complete Jewish Study Bible, Rabbi Barry Rubin, General Editor, Hendrickson Publishers Marketing, Peabody, Massachusetts, 2016, page 1605.

4. The Bible Knowledge Commentary: New Testament, by John Walvoord, Victor Books, Wheaton, Illinois, 1983, pages 436-437.

5. Ibid, page 427.

6. The Message of Acts, by John Stott, Inter-Varsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois, 1990, page 213.

7. Wuest’s Word Studies: Romans in the Greek New Testament, by Kenneth Wuest, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1955, page 12.

8. The Jewish Context of the Book of Romans.mp3, by Rabbi Barney Kasdan, Kehilat Ariel Messianic Synagogue, San Diego, California.

9.The Letter from Yeshua’s Emissary Sha’ul to the Messianic Community in Rome, by David Stern, The Jewish New Testament Commentary, Messianic New Testament Publications, Clarksville, Maryland, 1992, page 327.

10. Romans 1-8, by John MacArthur, The Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, Illinois, 1991, pages 16-17.

11. Romans 1-8, by J. Vernon McGee, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, 1991, pages 24-25.

12.The Epistle to the Romans, by Douglas Moo, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1996, pages 53-53.

13.The Purpose Driven Life, by Rick Warren, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2002, page 229.

14. Romans 1-8, by John MacArthur, The Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, Illinois, 1991, pages 33-34.

15. Romans 1-8, by J. Vernon McGee, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, 1991, page 28.

16. Romans 1-8, by John MacArthur, The Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, Illinois, 1991, pages 36-37.

17. The Purpose Driven Life, by Rick Warren, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2002, page 238.

18. Romans 1-8, by J. Vernon McGee, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, 1991, page 29.

19. Romans, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum audio series, rom01.mp3.

20.The Epistle to the Romans, by Douglas Moo, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1996, page 60.

21. The Purpose Driven Life, by Rick Warren, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2002, page 140-141.

22. Romans: Be Right, by Warren Wiersbe, David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1977, page 22.

23. Romans 1-8, by John MacArthur, The Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, Illinois, 1991, pages 36-37.

24. Romans: Be Right, by Warren Wiersbe, David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1977, pages 22-23.

25. Romans, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum audio series, rom01.mp3.

26. Life Lessons from Romans, by Max Lucado, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, 2018, page 6.

27. Romans 1-8, by John MacArthur, The Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, Illinois, 1991, page 50.

28. The Letter from Yeshua’s Emissary Sha’ul to the Messianic Community in Rome, by David Stern, The Jewish New Testament Commentary, Messianic New Testament Publications, Clarksville, Maryland, 1992, pages 329-330.

29. jewinthepew.org

30.The Jewish Context of the Book of Romans.mp3, by Rabbi Barney Kasdan, Kehilat Ariel Messianic Synagogue, San Diego, California.

31. gotquestions.org

I. The Universal Need of Mankind

32.The Epistle to the Romans, by Douglas Moo, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1996, page 96.

33.The Letter from Yeshua’s Emissary Sha’ul to the Messianic Community in Rome, by David Stern, The Jewish New Testament Commentary, Messianic New Testament Publications, Clarksville, Maryland, 1992, page 331.

34. Romans 1-8, by John MacArthur, The Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, Illinois, 1991, page 79.

35.The Epistle to the Romans, by Douglas Moo, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1996, page 106.

36. Christian Theology, by Millard Erickson, Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1985, page 173.

37.The Epistle to the Romans, by Douglas Moo, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1996, page 107.

38. Ibid, page 110.

39.The Marketing of Evil, by David Kupelian, WND Books, an imprint of Cumberland House Publishing, Nashville, Tennessee, 2005, page 35.

40. Romans 1-8, by John MacArthur, The Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, Illinois, 1991, page 105.

41. Ibid, page 107.

42. The Gay Gospel? How Pro-Gay Advocates Misread the Bible, by Joe Dallas, Harvest House Publisher, Eugene, Oregon, 2006, page 205.

43. Romans 1-8, by John MacArthur, The Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, Illinois, 1991, page 109.

44. Life Lessons from Romans, by Max Lucado, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, 2018, pages 8-9.

45. Romans 1-8, by John MacArthur, The Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, Illinois, 1991, pages 112-113.

46. Ibid, pages 113-117.

47. Ibid, pages 118-120.

48.The Jewish Context of the Book of Romans.mp3, by Rabbi Barney Kasdan, Kehilat Ariel Messianic Synagogue, San Diego, California.

49.The Book of Romans, the Smart Guide to the Bible, by Gib Martin and Larry Roberts, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, page 28.

50. The Purpose Driven Life, by Rick Warren, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2002, page 232.

51.The Complete Jewish Study Bible, Rabbi Barry Rubin, General Editor, Hendrickson Publishers Marketing, Peabody, MA, 2016, page 1607.

52.The Jewish New Testament Commentary, by David Stern, Jewish New Testament Publications, Clarksville, Maryland, 1992, page 525.

53. Galatians for the Practical Messianic, by J. K. McKee, Messianic Apologetics, a division of Outreach Israel Ministries, McKinney, Texas, 2004, page 45.

54.The Jewish Roots of Galatians, by Joseph Shulam, Netivyah Bible Instruction Ministry, Jerusalem, 1977, pages 41-42.

55. Romans 1-8, by John MacArthur, The Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, Illinois, 1991, pages 152-153.

56. Ibid, page 154.

57. Ibid, page 156.

58. The Book of Romans, the Smart Guide to the Bible, by Gib Martin and Larry Roberts, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, page 33.

59. Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers, by E. H. Plumptre, Zondervan Publishing House, 2012.

60. The Letter from Yeshua’s Emissary Sha’ul to the Messianic Community in Rome, by David Stern, The Jewish New Testament Commentary, Messianic New Testament Publications, Clarksville, Maryland, 1992, page 336.

61. Romans 1-8, by John MacArthur, The Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, Illinois, 1991, page 159.

62. The Letter from Yeshua’s Emissary Sha’ul to the Messianic Community in Rome, by David Stern, The Jewish New Testament Commentary, Messianic New Testament Publications, Clarksville, Maryland, 1992, page 336.

63. The Complete Jewish Study Bible, Rabbi Barry Rubin, General Editor, Hendrickson Publishers Marketing, Peabody, MA, 2016, page 1608.

64.The Jewish Context of the Book of Romans.mp3, by Rabbi Barney Kasdan, Kehilat Ariel Messianic Synagogue, San Diego, California.

65. Romans 1-8, by John MacArthur, The Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, Illinois, 1991, page 179.

66. The Jewish Context of the Book of Romans.mp3, by Rabbi Barney Kasdan, Kehilat Ariel Messianic Synagogue, San Diego, California.

67. Romans 1-8, by John MacArthur, The Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, Illinois, 1991, pages 182-186.

68. Ibid, pages 187-190.

69. Ibid, pages 190-193.

70. The Letter from Yeshua’s Emissary Sha’ul to the Messianic Community in Rome, by David Stern, The Jewish New Testament Commentary, Messianic New Testament Publications, Clarksville, Maryland, 1992, page 346.

II. The Universal Solution: Justification

71.The Epistle to the Romans, by Douglas Moo, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1996, page 218.

72. Romans: MacArthur Bible Studies, by John MacArthur, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, 2007, page 23.

73. Romans: Be Right, by Warren Wiersbe, David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1977, page 59.

74. Romans 1-8, by John MacArthur, The Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, Illinois, 1991, pages 197-198.

75.The Letter from Yeshua’s Emissary Sha’ul to the Messianic Community in Rome, by David Stern, The Jewish New Testament Commentary, Messianic New Testament Publications, Clarksville, Maryland, 1992, pages 345-346.

76. Ibid, page 347.

77. Romans 1-8, by John MacArthur, The Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, Illinois, 1991, pages 205-206.

78.The Letter from Yeshua’s Emissary Sha’ul to the Messianic Community in Rome, by David Stern, The Jewish New Testament Commentary, Messianic New Testament Publications, Clarksville, Maryland, 1992, page 349.

79. Life Lessons from Romans, by Max Lucado, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, 2018, page 24.

80.The Complete Jewish Study Bible, Rabbi Barry Rubin, General Editor, Hendrickson Publishers Marketing, Peabody, MA, 2016, page 1609.

81. Ibid, page 1610.

82. Romans 1-8, by John MacArthur, The Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, Illinois, 1991, page 215.

83. Romans, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum audio series, rom00.mp

84. Life Lessons from Romans, by Max Lucado, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, 2018, page 25.

85. Romans, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum audio series, rom00.mp3

86.The Letter from Yeshua’s Emissary Sha’ul to the Messianic Community in Rome, by David Stern, The Jewish New Testament Commentary, Messianic New Testament Publications, Clarksville, Maryland, 1992, page 353.

87.The Feasts of Isra’el, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, Tustin, California, 1984.

88. Romans 1-8, by J. Vernon McGee, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, 1991, page 75.

89. Romans 1-8, by John MacArthur, The Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, Illinois, 1991, pages 232-233.

90.The Letter from Yeshua’s Emissary Sha’ul to the Messianic Community in Rome, by David Stern, The Jewish New Testament Commentary, Messianic New Testament Publications, Clarksville, Maryland, 1992, pages 353-354.

91. Romans 1-8, by J. Vernon McGee, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, 1991, page 78.

92.Wuest’s Word Studies: Romans in the Greek New Testament, by Kenneth Wuest, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1955, page 67.

93.The Jewish Context of the Book of Romans.mp3, by Rabbi Barney Kasdan, Kehilat Ariel Messianic Synagogue, San Diego, California.

94.The Book of Romans, the Smart Guide to the Bible, by Gib Martin and Larry Roberts, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, page 53.

95. Romans: Be Right, by Warren Wiersbe, David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1977, page 51.

96.The Letter from Yeshua’s Emissary Sha’ul to the Messianic Community in Rome, by David Stern, The Jewish New Testament Commentary, Messianic New Testament Publications, Clarksville, Maryland, 1992, page 354.

97.The Jewish Context of the Book of Romans.mp3, by Rabbi Barney Kasdan, Kehilat Ariel Messianic Synagogue, San Diego, California.

98.The Letter from Yeshua’s Emissary Sha’ul to the Messianic Community in Rome, by David Stern, The Jewish New Testament Commentary, Messianic New Testament Publications, Clarksville, Maryland, 1992, pages 354-355.

99. Ibid, page 356.

100. Life Lessons from Romans, by Max Lucado, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, 2018, page 33.

101.Wuest’s Word Studies: Romans in the Greek New Testament, by Kenneth Wuest, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1955, page 72.

102. Romans 1-8, by John MacArthur, The Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, Illinois, 1991, page 263.

103. Romans: Be Right, by Warren Wiersbe, David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1977, page 53.

104.The Letter from Yeshua’s Emissary Sha’ul to the Messianic Community in Rome, by David Stern, The Jewish New Testament Commentary, Messianic New Testament Publications, Clarksville, Maryland, 1992, page 356.

105.Ibid, page 357.

106. Romans 1-8, by J. Vernon McGee, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, 1991, page 86.

107. Ibid, page 273.

108.Wuest’s Word Studies: Romans in the Greek New Testament, by Kenneth Wuest, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1955, page 77.

109. Romans 1-8, by John MacArthur, The Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, Illinois, 1991, page 275.

110. Ibid, page 277.

111. Ibid, page 279.

112.The Purpose Driven Life, by Rick Warren, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2002, page 119.

113.The Book of Romans, the Smart Guide to the Bible, by Gib Martin and Larry Roberts, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, page 65.

114. Romans: Be Right, by Warren Wiersbe, David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1977, page 61.

115.The Book of Romans, the Smart Guide to the Bible, by Gib Martin and Larry Roberts, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, page 66.

116.The Purpose Driven Life, by Rick Warren, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2002, page 197.

117. Romans 1-8, by John MacArthur, The Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, Illinois, 1991, page 283.

118. Ibid, 1991, page 285.

119.The Purpose Driven Life, by Rick Warren, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2002, page 78.

120. Romans 1-8, by John MacArthur, The Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, Illinois, 1991, pages 285-286.

121.The Purpose Driven Life, by Rick Warren, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2002, page 79.

122. Romans, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum audio series, rom00.mp5

123. Romans 1-8, by John MacArthur, The Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, Illinois, 1991, page 286.

124. Romans 1-8, by J. Vernon McGee, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, 1991, page 89.

III. The Universal Analogies

125.The Letter from Yeshua’s Emissary Sha’ul to the Messianic Community in Rome, by David Stern, The Jewish New Testament Commentary, Messianic New Testament Publications, Clarksville, Maryland, 1992, page 358.

126.The Book of Romans, the Smart Guide to the Bible, by Gib Martin and Larry Roberts, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, pages 69-70.

127. Romans 1-8, by John MacArthur, The Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, Illinois, 1991, pages 292 and 294.

128. Ibid, page 295.

129. Christian Theology, by Millard Erickson, Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1985, pages 638-639.

130. myjewishlearning.com

131. Romans 1-8, by John MacArthur, The Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, Illinois, 1991, page 299.

132.The Epistle to the Romans, by Douglas Moo, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1996, page 337.

133. Romans 1-8, by John MacArthur, The Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, Illinois, 1991, pages 303-304.

134.The Epistle to the Romans, by Douglas Moo, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1996, page 338.

135. Romans 1-8, by John MacArthur, The Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, Illinois, 1991, page 305.

136. First Corinthians , by John MacArthur, The Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, Illinois, 1984, page 307.

137. Ibid, pages 438-439.

138. Romans 1-8, by John MacArthur, The Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, Illinois, 1991, page 307.

139.The Jewish Context of the Book of Romans.mp3, by Rabbi Barney Kasdan, Kehilat Ariel Messianic Synagogue, San Diego, California.

140.Wuest’s Word Studies: Romans in the Greek New Testament, by Kenneth Wuest, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1955, pages 90-92.

141. Ibid, pages 93-94.

142.Victory Over the Darkness, by Neil Anderson, Regal Books, A Division of Gospel Light, Ventura, California, 1990, pages 162-164.

143.Wuest’s Word Studies: Romans in the Greek New Testament, by Kenneth Wuest, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1955, page 95.

144.Ibid, pages 96-97.

145. God’s Appointed Customs, by Barney Kasdan, Lederer Books, a division of Messianic Jewish Publishers, Baltimore, Maryland, 1996, page 121.

146. God’s Appointed Customs, by Barney Kasdan, Lederer Books, a division of Messianic Jewish Publishers, Baltimore, Maryland, 1996, page 119.

147. Romans: Be Right, by Warren Wiersbe, David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1977, page 74.

148.Wuest’s Word Studies: Romans in the Greek New Testament, by Kenneth Wuest, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1955, page 98.

149.The Jewish Context of the Book of Romans.mp3, by Rabbi Barney Kasdan, Kehilat Ariel Messianic Synagogue, San Diego, California.

150.Wuest’s Word Studies: Romans in the Greek New Testament, by Kenneth Wuest, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1955, page 99.

151.The Letter from Yeshua’s Emissary Sha’ul to the Messianic Community in Rome, by David Stern, The Jewish New Testament Commentary, Messianic New Testament Publications, Clarksville, Maryland, 1992, page 373.

152. Ibid, pages 373-374.

153. Hebrews, by John MacArthur, The Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, Illinois, 1983, page 255.

154. Romans: Be Right, by Warren Wiersbe, David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1977, page 76.

155. Romans, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum audio series, rom00.mp6

156.The Book of Romans, the Smart Guide to the Bible, by Gib Martin and Larry Roberts, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, page 85.

157.Ibid, page 84.

158.The Letter from Yeshua’s Emissary Sha’ul to the Messianic Community in Rome, by David Stern, The Jewish New Testament Commentary, Messianic New Testament Publications, Clarksville, Maryland, 1992, page 379.

159.The Book of Romans, the Smart Guide to the Bible, by Gib Martin and Larry Roberts, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, page 84.

160.Ibid, page 77.

161.The Letter from Yeshua’s Emissary Sha’ul to the Messianic Community in Rome, by David Stern, The Jewish New Testament Commentary, Messianic New Testament Publications, Clarksville, Maryland, 1992, page 374.

162.The Jewish Context of the Book of Romans.mp3, by Rabbi Barney Kasdan, Kehilat Ariel Messianic Synagogue, San Diego, California, 2018.

163. Romans 1-8, by John MacArthur, The Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, Illinois, 1991, page 342.

164. Wuest’s Word Studies: Romans in the Greek New Testament, by Kenneth Wuest, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1955, page 109.

165. The Letter from Yeshua’s Emissary Sha’ul to the Messianic Community in Rome, by David Stern, The Jewish New Testament Commentary, Messianic New Testament Publications, Clarksville, Maryland, 1992, page 379.

166.The Purpose Driven Life, by Rick Warren, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2002, page 82-83.

167. Romans 1-8, by John MacArthur, The Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, Illinois, 1991, page 347.

168. Answers to Tough Questions, by J. Carl Laney, Wipf & Stock, Eugene, Oregon, 1997, page 254

169. Romans 1-8, by John MacArthur, The Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, Illinois, 1991, page 351.

170. Romans: Be Right, by Warren Wiersbe, David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1977, page 79.

171. Romans 1-8, by John MacArthur, The Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, Illinois, 1991, page 352.

172. Life Lessons from Romans, by Max Lucado, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, 2018, page 41.

173. Romans 1-8, by John MacArthur, The Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, Illinois, 1991, page 359.

174. Romans: Be Right, by Warren Wiersbe, David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1977, page 85.

175.The Letter from Yeshua’s Emissary Sha’ul to the Messianic Community in Rome, by David Stern, The Jewish New Testament Commentary, Messianic New Testament Publications, Clarksville, Maryland, 1992, pages 375-376.

176. Romans, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum audio series, rom00.mp7

177.The Jewish Context of the Book of Romans.mp3, by Rabbi Barney Kasdan, Kehilat Ariel Messianic Synagogue, San Diego, California, 2018.

178.The Letter from Yeshua’s Emissary Sha’ul to the Messianic Community in Rome, by David Stern, The Jewish New Testament Commentary, Messianic New Testament Publications, Clarksville, Maryland, 1992, pages 376-377.

179.The Bible Knowledge Commentary: New Testament, by John Walvoord, Victor Books, Wheaton, Illinois, 1983, page 466.

180. Romans 1-8, by John MacArthur, The Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, Illinois, 1991, pages 372-372.

181.The Letter from Yeshua’s Emissary Sha’ul to the Messianic Community in Rome, by David Stern, The Jewish New Testament Commentary, Messianic New Testament Publications, Clarksville, Maryland, 1992, page 378.

182. Romans 1-8, by John MacArthur, The Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, Illinois, 1991, pages 373.

183. Letter from Yeshua’s Emissary Sha’ul to the Messianic Community in Rome, by David Stern, The Jewish New Testament Commentary, Messianic New Testament Publications, Clarksville, Maryland, 1992, page 337.

IV. The Spiritual Battle

184.The Book of Romans, the Smart Guide to the Bible, by Gib Martin and Larry Roberts, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, page 107.

185. Romans 1-8, by John MacArthur, The Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, Illinois, 1991, pages 378-379 and 381.

186.The Epistle to the Romans, by Douglas Moo, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1996, page 453.

187.The Book of Romans, the Smart Guide to the Bible, by Gib Martin and Larry Roberts, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, page 101.

188. Romans: Be Right, by Warren Wiersbe, David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1977, page 90.

189. Romans 1-8, by J. Vernon McGee, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, 1991, page 131.

190.The Preacher’s Commentary Psalms 1-72, by Donald Williams, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, 1986, page 388.

191. Romans: Be Right, by Warren Wiersbe, David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1977, page 91.

192. Romans 1-8, by John MacArthur, The Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, Illinois, 1991, page 389.

193.The Bible Knowledge Commentary: New Testament, by John Walvoord, Victor Books, Wheaton, Illinois, 1983, page 468.

194. Romans 1-8, by John MacArthur, The Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, Illinois, 1991, page 391.

195.The Letter from Yeshua’s Emissary Sha’ul to the Messianic Community in Rome, by David Stern, The Jewish New Testament Commentary, Messianic New Testament Publications, Clarksville, Maryland, 1992, page 379.

196.The Book of Romans, the Smart Guide to the Bible, by Gib Martin and Larry Roberts, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, page 104.

197. Romans 1-8, by John MacArthur, The Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, Illinois, 1991, pages 392-393.

198.The Book of Romans, the Smart Guide to the Bible, by Gib Martin and Larry Roberts, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, page 107.

199. Romans: MacArthur Bible Studies, by John MacArthur, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, 2007, pages 62-63.

200.The Bible Knowledge Commentary: New Testament, by John Walvoord, Victor Books, Wheaton, Illinois, 1983, page 469.

201. Romans: MacArthur Bible Studies, by John MacArthur, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, 2007, pages 57-58.

202.The Epistle to the Romans, by Douglas Moo, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1996, page 473.

203.The Letter from Yeshua’s Emissary Sha’ul to the Messianic Community in Rome, by David Stern, The Jewish New Testament Commentary, Messianic New Testament Publications, Clarksville, Maryland, 1992, pages 380-381.

204.Victory Over the Darkness, by Neil Anderson, Regal Books, A Division of Gospel Light, Ventura, California, 1990, page 112.

205. Romans 1-8, by John MacArthur, The Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, Illinois, 1991, page 405.

206. Strange Fire, by John MacArthur, Nelson Books, Nashville, Tennessee, 2013, page 56.

207.Victory Over the Darkness, by Neil Anderson, Regal Books, A Division of Gospel Light, Ventura, California, 1990, pages 112-113 and 115.

208.Wuest’s Word Studies: Romans in the Greek New Testament, by Kenneth Wuest, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1955, pages 132.

209. Romans 1-8, by John MacArthur, The Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, Illinois, 1991, page 420.

210.The Jewish Context of the Book of Romans.mp3, by Rabbi Barney Kasdan, Kehilat Ariel Messianic Synagogue, San Diego, California, 2018.

211. Wuest’s Word Studies: Romans in the Greek New Testament, by Kenneth Wuest, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1955, pages 132-133.

212. Romans 1-8, by John MacArthur, The Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, Illinois, 1991, page 420.

213.The Bible Knowledge Commentary: New Testament, by John Walvoord, Victor Books, Wheaton, Illinois, 1983, page 470.

214.Romans 1-8, by John MacArthur, The Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, Illinois, 1991, page 421.

215. Ibid, page 422.

216. Ibid, pages 424-425.

217. Psalms 73-150, The Preacher’s Commentary, by Donald Williams. Thomas Nelson, Nashville, TN, 1989, page 346.

218. Romans 1-8, by John MacArthur, The Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, Illinois, 1991, pages 426-427.

219. Ibid, page 430.

220.The Purpose Driven Life, by Rick Warren, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2002, page 118.

221. Strange Fire, by John MacArthur, Nelson Books, Nashville, Tennessee, 2013, pages 57, 190, and 204.

222.The Bible Knowledge Commentary: New Testament, by John Walvoord, Victor Books, Wheaton, Illinois, 1983, page 471.

223. Romans 1-8, by J. Vernon McGee, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, 1991, page 151.

224.The Bible Knowledge Commentary: New Testament, by John Walvoord, Victor Books, Wheaton, Illinois, 1983, page 471.

225. Romans 1-8, by J. Vernon McGee, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, 1991, page 152.

226. Romans 1-8, by John MacArthur, The Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, Illinois, 1991, pages 454-455.

227. Ibid, pages 456-458.

228.The Bible Knowledge Commentary: New Testament, by John Walvoord, Victor Books, Wheaton, Illinois, 1983, page 472.

229. Romans 1-8, by John MacArthur, The Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, Illinois, 1991, page 465.

230. Ibid, pages 467-468.

231. Romans, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum audio series, rom00.mp8.

232.The Purpose Driven Life, by Rick Warren, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2002, pages 195-196.

233. Strange Fire, by John MacArthur, Nelson Books, Nashville, Tennessee, 2013, page 211.

234. Wuest’s Word Studies: Romans in the Greek New Testament, by Kenneth Wuest, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1955, page 145.

235. Strange Fire, by John MacArthur, Nelson Books, Nashville, Tennessee, 2013, pages 210-211.

236.Victory Over the Darkness, by Neil Anderson, Regal Books, A Division of Gospel Light, Ventura, California, 1990, page 122.

237. Romans 1-8, by J. Vernon McGee, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, 1991, page 160.

238.The Bible Knowledge Commentary: New Testament, by John Walvoord, Victor Books, Wheaton, Illinois, 1983, page 474.

239. Victory Over the Darkness, by Neil Anderson, Regal Books, A Division of Gospel Light, Ventura, California, 1990, page 122.

240. Life Lessons from Romans, by Max Lucado, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, 2018, page 50.

241. Romans 1-8, by John MacArthur, The Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, Illinois, 1991, pages 502-504.

242.Victory Over the Darkness, by Neil Anderson, Regal Books, A Division of Gospel Light, Ventura, California, 1990, pages 126-127.

243. Romans 1-8, by John MacArthur, The Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, Illinois, 1991, page 514.

V. The Centrality of Isra’el in the Plan of ADONAI

244. Romans, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum audio series, rom00.mp3

245.The Bible Knowledge Commentary: New Testament, by John Walvoord, Victor Books, Wheaton, Illinois, 1983, page 476.

246.The Letter from Yeshua’s Emissary Sha’ul to the Messianic Community in Rome, by David Stern, The Jewish New Testament Commentary, Messianic New Testament Publications, Clarksville, Maryland, 1992, page 386.

247. Ibid, pages 387-388.

248. Romans, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum audio series, rom00.mp9

249.The Bible Knowledge Commentary: New Testament, by John Walvoord, Victor Books, Wheaton, Illinois, 1983, page 477.

250.The Letter from Yeshua’s Emissary Sha’ul to the Messianic Community in Rome, by David Stern, The Jewish New Testament Commentary, Messianic New Testament Publications, Clarksville, Maryland, 1992, pages 390-391.

251. Answers to Tough Questions, by J. Carl Laney, Wipf & Stock, Eugene, Oregon, 1997, page 257.

252.The Purpose Driven Life, by Rick Warren, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2002, pages 252-253.

253.The Letter from Yeshua’s Emissary Sha’ul to the Messianic Community in Rome, by David Stern, The Jewish New Testament Commentary, Messianic New Testament Publications, Clarksville, Maryland, 1992, page 391.

254. Answers to Tough Questions, by J. Carl Laney, Wipf & Stock, Eugene, Oregon, 1997, page 258.

255.The Complete Jewish Study Bible, Rabbi Barry Rubin, General Editor, Hendrickson Publishers Marketing, Peabody, MA, 2016, page 1619.

256.The Letter from Yeshua’s Emissary Sha’ul to the Messianic Community in Rome, by David Stern, The Jewish New Testament Commentary, Messianic New Testament Publications, Clarksville, Maryland, 1992, page 392.

257. Romans, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum audio series, rom00.mp9

258.The Complete Jewish Study Bible, Rabbi Barry Rubin, General Editor, Hendrickson Publishers Marketing, Peabody, MA, 2016, page 1620.

259.The Letter from Yeshua’s Emissary Sha’ul to the Messianic Community in Rome, by David Stern, The Jewish New Testament Commentary, Messianic New Testament Publications, Clarksville, Maryland, 1992, page 394.

260.The Complete Jewish Study Bible, Rabbi Barry Rubin, General Editor, Hendrickson Publishers Marketing, Peabody, MA, 2016, page 1620.

261.The Book of Romans, the Smart Guide to the Bible, by Gib Martin and Larry Roberts, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, page 145.

262. Romans, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum audio series, rom00.mp10.

263.The Letter from Yeshua’s Emissary Sha’ul to the Messianic Community in Rome, by David Stern, The Jewish New Testament Commentary, Messianic New Testament Publications, Clarksville, Maryland, 1992, pages 395-396.

264.Wuest’s Word Studies: Romans in the Greek New Testament, by Kenneth Wuest, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1955, page 175.

265. Romans: A Shorter Commentary, by C. E. B. Cranfield, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1985, page 254.

266. Letter from Yeshua’s Emissary Sha’ul to the Messianic Community in Rome, by David Stern, The Jewish New Testament Commentary, Messianic New Testament Publications, Clarksville, Maryland, 1992, pages 397-399.

267. Romans, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum audio series, rom00.mp10.

268. Life Lessons from Romans, by Max Lucado, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, 2018, page 54.

269.The Letter from Yeshua’s Emissary Sha’ul to the Messianic Community in Rome, by David Stern, The Jewish New Testament Commentary, Messianic New Testament Publications, Clarksville, Maryland, 1992, pages 399-400.

270. Ibid, page 400.

271. Romans 9-16, by John MacArthur, The Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, Illinois, 1994, page 73.

272.The Letter from Yeshua’s Emissary Sha’ul to the Messianic Community in Rome, by David Stern, The Jewish New Testament Commentary, Messianic New Testament Publications, Clarksville, Maryland, 1992, page 401.

273. Romans 9-16, by John MacArthur, The Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, Illinois, 1994, page 76.

274. Ibid, pages 78-81.

275. Romans, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum audio series, rom00.mp10.

276. Life Lessons from Romans, by Max Lucado, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, 2018, page 59.

277.The Letter from Yeshua’s Emissary Sha’ul to the Messianic Community in Rome, by David Stern, The Jewish New Testament Commentary, Messianic New Testament Publications, Clarksville, Maryland, 1992, pages 402-403.

278. Romans, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum audio series, rom00.mp10.

279. The Letter from Yeshua’s Emissary Sha’ul to the Messianic Community in Rome, by David Stern, The Jewish New Testament Commentary, Messianic New Testament Publications, Clarksville, Maryland, 1992, pages 403-404.

280.The Complete Jewish Study Bible, Rabbi Barry Rubin, General Editor, Hendrickson Publishers Marketing, Peabody, MA, 2016, page 1621.

281. Romans, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum audio series, rom00.mp11.

282.The Letter from Yeshua’s Emissary Sha’ul to the Messianic Community in Rome, by David Stern, The Jewish New Testament Commentary, Messianic New Testament Publications, Clarksville, Maryland, 1992, page 404.

283. Life Lessons from Romans, by Max Lucado, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, 2018, page 54.

284.The Letter from Yeshua’s Emissary Sha’ul to the Messianic Community in Rome, by David Stern, The Jewish New Testament Commentary, Messianic New Testament Publications, Clarksville, Maryland, 1992, page 404.

285. Romans, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum audio series, rom00.mp11.

286. Romans: Be Right, by Warren Wiersbe, David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1977, page 137.

287. Romans, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum audio series, rom00.mp11.

288.The Letter from Yeshua’s Emissary Sha’ul to the Messianic Community in Rome, by David Stern, The Jewish New Testament Commentary, Messianic New Testament Publications, Clarksville, Maryland, 1992, page 405.

289. Ibid, page 406.

290. Ibid, page 406.

291. Ibid, pages 407-408.

292. Romans, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum audio series, rom00.mp11.

293. Michael L. Brown, Our Hands Are Stained With Blood: The Tragic Story of “The Church” and the Jewish People, Destiny Image Publishers, Shippensburg, Pennsylvania, 1992.

294.The Letter from Yeshua’s Emissary Sha’ul to the Messianic Community in Rome, by David Stern, The Jewish New Testament Commentary, Messianic New Testament Publications, Clarksville, Maryland, 1992, pages 408-409.

295. Ibid, pages 409-410.

296.The Letter from Yeshua’s Emissary Sha’ul to the Messianic Community in Rome, by David Stern, The Jewish New Testament Commentary, Messianic New Testament Publications, Clarksville, Maryland, 1992, pages 410-411.

297. Romans, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum audio series, rom00.mp11.

298.The Letter from Yeshua’s Emissary Sha’ul to the Messianic Community in Rome, by David Stern, The Jewish New Testament Commentary, Messianic New Testament Publications, Clarksville, Maryland, 1992, pages 412-413.

299. Romans, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum audio series, rom00.mp11.

300. The Letter from Yeshua’s Emissary Sha’ul to the Messianic Community in Rome, by David Stern, The Jewish New Testament Commentary, Messianic New Testament Publications, Clarksville, Maryland, 1992, page 413.

301. Ibid, page 414.

302. Ibid, page 415.

303. Romans 9-16, by John MacArthur, The Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, Illinois, 1994, page 124.

304.The Letter from Yeshua’s Emissary Sha’ul to the Messianic Community in Rome, by David Stern, The Jewish New Testament Commentary, Messianic New Testament Publications, Clarksville, Maryland, 1992, pages 417-418.

305. Wuest’s Word Studies: Romans in the Greek New Testament, by Kenneth Wuest, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1955, page 199.

306.The Complete Jewish Study Bible, Rabbi Barry Rubin, General Editor, Hendrickson Publishers Marketing, Peabody, MA, 2016, page 1624.

307. The Letter from Yeshua’s Emissary Sha’ul to the Messianic Community in Rome, by David Stern, The Jewish New Testament Commentary, Messianic New Testament Publications, Clarksville, Maryland, 1992, page 420.

308. Ibid, page 424.

309.The Bible Knowledge Commentary: New Testament, by John Walvoord, Victor Books, Wheaton, Illinois, 1983, page 486.

VI. The Mercies of ADONAI

310. Romans: MacArthur Bible Studies, by John MacArthur, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, 2007, page 77.

311. The Purpose Driven Life, by Rick Warren, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2002, page 83.

312. Romans, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum audio series, rom00.mp12

313. Romans, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum audio series, rom00.mp12

314. Victory Over the Darkness, by Neil Anderson, Regal Books, A Division of Gospel Light, Ventura, California, 1990, page 162.

315.The Purpose Driven Life, by Rick Warren, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2002, pages 177 and 182.

316. Romans 9-16, by John MacArthur, The Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, Illinois, 1994, page 157.

317. The Purpose Driven Life, by Rick Warren, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2002, page 250.

318. Ibid, pages 161-162.

319. Ibid, pages 236-237

320. Strange Fire, by John MacArthur, Nelson Books, Nashville, Tennessee, 2013, pages 121.

321. Charismatic Chaos, by John MacArthur, Zondervan Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1992, page 69.

322. Romans 9-16, by John MacArthur, The Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, Illinois, 1994, pages 172-178.

323. Life Lessons from Romans, by Max Lucado, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, 2018, page 78.

333. The Letter from Yeshua’s Emissary Sha’ul to the Messianic Community in Rome, by David Stern, The Jewish New Testament Commentary, Messianic New Testament Publications, Clarksville, Maryland, 1992, page 429.

334. Romans 9-16, by John MacArthur, The Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, Illinois, 1994, pages 183-185.

335.The Purpose Driven Life, by Rick Warren, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2002, pages 140-141.

336. Romans 9-16, by John MacArthur, The Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, Illinois, 1994, pages 196-198.

337. The Purpose Driven Life, by Rick Warren, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2002, page 148.

338. Romans 9-16, by John MacArthur, The Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, Illinois, 1994, pages 201-202.

339. The Purpose Driven Life, by Rick Warren, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2002, page 157.

340. Romans 9-16, by John MacArthur, The Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, Illinois, 1994, pages 202-203.

341.The Epistle to the Romans, by Douglas Moo, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1996, page 789.

342.The Purpose Driven Life, by Rick Warren, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2002, page 211-212.

343.The Letter from Yeshua’s Emissary Sha’ul to the Messianic Community in Rome, by David Stern, The Jewish New Testament Commentary, Messianic New Testament Publications, Clarksville, Maryland, 1992, page 429.

344. Romans: Be Right, by Warren Wiersbe, David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1977, page 154.

345. Romans 9-16, by John MacArthur, The Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, Illinois, 1994, pages 212-217.

346.The Letter from Yeshua’s Emissary Sha’ul to the Messianic Community in Rome, by David Stern, The Jewish New Testament Commentary, Messianic New Testament Publications, Clarksville, Maryland, 1992, page 430.

347. Romans 9-16, by John MacArthur, The Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, Illinois, 1994, pages 218-227.

348. Ibid, pages 229-230.

349. Romans 9-16, by John MacArthur, The Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, Illinois, 1994, pages 241-253.

350.The Letter from Yeshua’s Emissary Sha’ul to the Messianic Community in Rome, by David Stern, The Jewish New Testament Commentary, Messianic New Testament Publications, Clarksville, Maryland, 1992, page 430.

351. Romans 9-16, by John MacArthur, The Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, Illinois, 1994, pages 255-269.

352. The Purpose Driven Life, by Rick Warren, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2002, page 162.

353. Romans 9-16, by John MacArthur, The Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, Illinois, 1994, pages277-278.

354.The Letter from Yeshua’s Emissary Sha’ul to the Messianic Community in Rome, by David Stern, The Jewish New Testament Commentary, Messianic New Testament Publications, Clarksville, Maryland, 1992, page 434.

355. Romans 9-16, by John MacArthur, The Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, Illinois, 1994, page 280.

356. Ibid, page 280.

357. www.MessianicGentiles.com.

358. The Book of Romans, the Smart Guide to the Bible, by Gib Martin and Larry Roberts, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, page 212.

359. Romans 9-16, by John MacArthur, The Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, Illinois, 1994, page 281.

360.The Book of Romans, the Smart Guide to the Bible, by Gib Martin and Larry Roberts, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, page 212.

361.The Letter from Yeshua’s Emissary Sha’ul to the Messianic Community in Rome, by David Stern, The Jewish New Testament Commentary, Messianic New Testament Publications, Clarksville, Maryland, 1992, pages 434-435.

362.The Epistle to the Romans, by Douglas Moo, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1996, page 843.

363.The Book of Romans, the Smart Guide to the Bible, by Gib Martin and Larry Roberts, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, page 212.

364. Ibid, pages 213-214.

365. Life Lessons from Romans, by Max Lucado, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, 2018, page 90.

366.The Purpose Driven Life, by Rick Warren, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2002, pages 163-164.

367. Ibid, page 231-232.

368.The Letter from Yeshua’s Emissary Sha’ul to the Messianic Community in Rome, by David Stern, The Jewish New Testament Commentary, Messianic New Testament Publications, Clarksville, Maryland, 1992, page 435.

369. Ibid, pages 435-436.

370. Matthew 16-23, by John MacArthur, Moody Press, Chicago, IL, 1988, pages 120-122.

371. Romans 9-16, by John MacArthur, The Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, Illinois, 1994, pages 296-297.

372.The Purpose Driven Life, by Rick Warren, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2002, page 164.

373. Romans 9-16, by John MacArthur, The Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, Illinois, 1994, page 300.

374. Life Lessons from Romans, by Max Lucado, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, 2018, page 95.

375.The Book of Romans, the Smart Guide to the Bible, by Gib Martin and Larry Roberts, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, page 225.

376. Romans 9-16, by John MacArthur, The Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, Illinois, 1994, pages 303-304.

377.The Purpose Driven Life, by Rick Warren, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2002, page 149.

378.The Letter from Yeshua’s Emissary Sha’ul to the Messianic Community in Rome, by David Stern, The Jewish New Testament Commentary, Messianic New Testament Publications, Clarksville, Maryland, 1992, pages 436-437.

379.The Purpose Driven Life, by Rick Warren, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2002, page 156.

380. Romans 9-16, by John MacArthur, The Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, Illinois, 1994, pages 312-313.

381.The Purpose Driven Life, by Rick Warren, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2002, page 152.

382. Romans 9-16, by John MacArthur, The Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, Illinois, 1994, page 314.

383. Ibid, page 315.

384.The Book of Romans, the Smart Guide to the Bible, by Gib Martin and Larry Roberts, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, page 230.

385. The Purpose Driven Life, by Rick Warren, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2002, page 56.

386.The Letter from Yeshua’s Emissary Sha’ul to the Messianic Community in Rome, by David Stern, The Jewish New Testament Commentary, Messianic New Testament Publications, Clarksville, Maryland, 1992, page 437.

387.The Bible Knowledge Commentary: New Testament, by John Walvoord, Victor Books, Wheaton, Illinois, 1983, page 496.

388.The Book of Romans, the Smart Guide to the Bible, by Gib Martin and Larry Roberts, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, page 231.

389. Romans 9-16, by John MacArthur, The Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, Illinois, 1994, page 324.

390. Ibid, pages 337-338.

391. Ibid, pages 344-345.

392.The Complete Jewish Study Bible, Rabbi Barry Rubin, General Editor, Hendrickson Publishers Marketing, Peabody, MA, 2016, page 1629.

393. Romans 9-16, by John MacArthur, The Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, Illinois, 1994, pages 348-349.

394.The Bible Knowledge Commentary: New Testament, by John Walvoord, Victor Books, Wheaton, Illinois, 1983, page 498.

395. Life Lessons from Romans, by Max Lucado, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, 2018, page 103.

396.The Bible Knowledge Commentary: New Testament, by John Walvoord, Victor Books, Wheaton, Illinois, 1983, pages 498-499.

397. Roman Catholicism, by Loraine Boettner, The Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Company, Phillipsburg, New Jersey, 1962, 104 to 122.

398. Romans 9-16, by John MacArthur, The Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, Illinois, 1994, pages 358-359.

399. Ibid, pages 360-362.

400. Ibid, pages 364-365.

401. Ibid, pages 366-368.

402.The Book of Romans, the Smart Guide to the Bible, by Gib Martin and Larry Roberts, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, pages 251-252.

403. Romans 9-16, by John MacArthur, The Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, Illinois, 1994, page 368.

404.The Book of Romans, the Smart Guide to the Bible, by Gib Martin and Larry Roberts, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, page 252.

405. Barclay, William, Letters to the Romans, Westminster Press, Philadelphia, Penn, 1957, page 237.

406.The Letter from Yeshua’s Emissary Sha’ul to the Messianic Community in Rome, by David Stern, The Jewish New Testament Commentary, Messianic New Testament Publications, Clarksville, Maryland, 1992, page 440.

407. Romans 9-16, by John MacArthur, The Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, Illinois, 1994, pages 370-371.

408. Ibid, pages 371-376.

409. Ibid, pages 377-379.

410. Ibid, pages 381-389.

A Final Warning
16: 17-27

A final warning DIG: How do false teachers create divisions within the church? What are some of the teachings that are dividing the Church today? How do you work for balance between the desire for unity and the desire to maintain truth? How does the book end?

REFLECT: What kind of a heart do you have? How can a thankful heart make your life more peaceful? What have you learned through the book of Romans that has been particularly helpful to you? How will you begin, or continue, to practice these truths in your life?

Be wise concerning good, but innocent concerning evil, and as harmless as doves.

Paul could not resist giving a final warning about wolves in sheep’s clothing (see the commentary on Jude, to see link click Ah – Godless People Have Secretly Slipped In Among You). Godly love does not rejoice in unrighteousness (First Corinthians 13:6 NASB). It is the nature of love to warn against harm to those whom it loves. And the greatest harm against believers is that which undermines God’s truth in which they live. Love is ready to forgive all wrongs, but it does not condone or ignore evil, especially in the Church. Paul, therefore, found it necessary to give us a caution into his greetings of love.

I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions by either looking down upon or judging (14:3), or by opposing the sound doctrine set forth by Paul in this book. And put snares alongside the teaching in which you have been trained – keep away from them (16:17).

The mature believer is to watch out for those who cause divisions. Paul is not talking about what today is often referred to as a “witch hunt,” an effort to find fault without any substance. Nor is he talking about legalistic and often mean-spirited and unloving “litmus tests” for an orthodoxy that is even more rigid than Scripture. The right response of believers to false teachers is not debate or dialogue. We are to keep away from them, to reject what they teach and to protect fellow believers, especially new converts and the immature, from being deceived, confused and misled. Yeshua Himself repeatedly warned the apostles against false teachers and prophets. In the Sermon on the Mount, He said: Beware of the false prophets! They come to you wearing sheep’s clothing, but underneath they are hungry wolves! You will recognize them by their fruit. Can people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles (Matthew 7:15-16)?

Paul gives us two reasons for turning away from false teachers: For men like these are not serving our Lord the Messiah but their own belly; by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the innocent (16:18). No matter how seemingly sincere and caring false teachers may appear to be, they are never genuinely concerned for the cause of Messiah or for His Church. They are driven by self-interest and self-gratification – sometimes for fame, sometimes for power, but always for financial gain, and frequently for all those reasons. These men are filthy spots at your festive gatherings meant to foster love; they share your meals without a qualm, while caring only for themselves. They are waterless clouds carried along by the winds; trees without fruit even in autumn, and doubly dead because they have been uprooted; savage sea-waves heaving forth their shameful deeds like foam; wandering stars for whom the blackest darkness has been reserved forever (Jude 12-13).⁴⁰⁸

But, in spite of his warnings, the apostle affirmed his confidence in them: For everyone has heard about your obedience; therefore, I rejoice over you. The best protection against falsehood is obeying to God’s Word, just as the best protection against sin is holding on to His righteousness. Yet, knowing that even the most faithful believers can fall prey to Satan’s traps, Paul added: However, I want you to be wise concerning good, but innocent concerning evil, and as harmless as doves (Matthew 10:16). Paul assures faithful believers that they can look forward to the day when their spiritual warfare will be over. And God, the source of shalom, will soon crush the Adversary under your feet (see the commentary on Genesis Be – He Will Crush Your Head, and You Will Strike His Heel).

Now Paul gives a second short benediction (see 15:33 for the first one). The grace of our Lord Yeshua be with you (16:19-20). It’s as if Paul is saying, “I know, that even with your faithful obedience, you will need ADONAI’s continuing grace to direct and strengthen you. You need His grace to recognize false teachers. You need His grace to give you comfort and patience when you are attacked by the devil, while he is still in power over the world.

Dear Heavenly Father, Praise and Thanks for Your grace which always goes with Your children! How wonderful that no matter where in this world your child goes- You go with him and so does your grace. For God Himself has said, “I will never leave you or forsake you,” (Hebrews 13:5b-c). Praise You for how greatly You love all Your children. Praise that that all who love You are in Messiah. It is like being in an airplane – can’t get to a far-away destination without knowing about the plane, nor can we get to heaven without knowing about Yeshua. We have to enter the plane and be “In the plane” to go to a far-away destination. Praise you dear Father for putting all who love You “In Messiah!”

What riches you give to all who are “In Messiah.” He chose us in the Messiah before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless before Him in love . . . In Him we have redemption through His blood – the removal of trespasses – in keeping with the richness of His grace . . . He is the guarantee of our inheritance, until the redemption of His possession – to His glorious praise! . . . After you heard the message of truth – the Good News of your salvation – and when you put your trust in Him, you were sealed with the promised Ruach Ha’Kodesh . . . And He raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Messiah Yeshua . . . In Him the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple for the Lord.  In Him, you also are being built together into God’s dwelling place in the Ruach (Ephesians 1:4, 7, 14, 13 and 2:6, 21-22). In Yeshua’s holy name and power of His resurrection. Amen

Then Paul sends greetings to the church in Rome on behalf of his companions in ministry, presumably men known by some of the believers in that city. Timothy, my fellow-worker and protege, sends greetings to you, and so does Lucius, most likely the apostle used another form of Luke, who wrote the Gospel that bears his name, and was a frequent traveling companion of Paul (Acts 16:11 and 21:1-8). Paul refers to Jason and Sosipater as my relatives, or fellow Jews (16:21). One of the first converts in Thessalonica was named Jason and apparently hosted Paul in his home for a short while before the believers there sent Paul and Silas to Berea for their safety (Acts 17:5-10). We learn from Acts 20:4-6 that a man from Berea named Sopater (a shortened form of Sosipater) was among the companions of Paul who met him at Troas after he left Ephesus. Sopater doubtless was among the Jews in Berea who were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the Word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily, to see whether these things [that Paul was teaching] were so, and was among the many of them [who] believed (Acts 17:10-12 NASB).

I, Tertius, Paul’s secretary, the one writing down this letter, greet you in the Lord (16:22). Just as Phoebe had the great privilege of delivering the book of Romans, Tertius had the great privilege of writing it for Paul.

My host Gaius, in whose home the whole congregation meets, greets you. Because the book of Romans was written in Corinth, this Gaius almost certainly was among the many believers who came to faith as a result of Paul’s ministry there, and was one of the two men in that church whom Paul had immersed personally (First Corinthians 1:14). He is generally thought to be Titius Justus, a God-fearer whose house was next door to the synagogue (Acts 18:7), and whose full name would have been Gaius Titius Justus. Erastus was the city treasurer of Corinth and therefore a man of prominence and high political office. Quartus was the last of Paul’s companions on whose behalf he sent greetings. He is identified only as the brother, which means that he was a brother in Messiah (16:23).⁴⁰⁹

Verse 24 is not found in the earliest Greek manuscripts of the book of Romans. That is understandable, because the final three verses below form a longer, more explicit benediction, to which verse 24 adds nothing and seems a bit out of place. But the sentiment is fully consistent with the rest of Paul’s gracious epilogue: The grace of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah be with you all.

The book of Romans ends with a beautiful doxology, praising God for what He has done through His Son Yeshua Messiah. Doxologies are found throughout Scripture. Sometimes a writer is overwhelmed with gratitude that he breaks into inspired praise to ADONAI for His goodness and grace. That is especially evident in the Psalms, the hymnbook of ancient Isra’el. The 150 psalms are divided into five sections, generally referred to as books. Although praises to YHVH are found throughout the Psalms, each of the five books ends with a special doxology. The B’rit Chadashah is full of doxologies. At the birth of Yeshua, the angel and a vast army from heaven were praising God, singing: In the highest heaven, glory to God (Luke 2:13-14)! When Messiah made His triumphal entry into Jerusalem, the whole multitude of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the miracles which they had seen, saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord; peace in heaven and glory in the highest (Luke 19:37-38)!

There is a remarkable relationship between these last several verses of Romans and the first eleven. In 16:25 Paul speaks of God, who can strengthen you, and in 1:11 he tells his readers that he longs to see them, so that he might share with them some spiritual gift that would make them stronger. In 16:25 he speaks of my Good News, and in 1:1 of the Good News of God. In 16:2 Paul speaks of the secret truth which is the proclamation of Yeshua the Messiah, kept hidden in silence for ages and ages, and in 1:2 of the Good News which He promised in advance. In 16:25 he speaks of the proclamation of Yeshua Messiah, and in 1:3 concerning His Son. In 16:26 Paul speaks of the Good News being manifested through prophetic writings, and in 1:2 he speaks of the Good News being seen in advance through His prophets. In 16:26 Paul speaks of the Good News communicated to all the Gentiles to promote in them trust-grounded obedience, and in 1:5 of promoting trust-grounded obedience among all the Gentiles.

Now to God, who can strengthen you, according to my Good News (see As – Paul’s Gospel). The unbeliever has no certainty about YHVH or His Word or the way of salvation. The majority of mankind does not even have an interest in finding the true God. They are perfectly satisfied with the religion they have inherited or been exposed to, or else have no concern about life after death at all. Even those who attempt to find the LORD on their own, searching and discernment are always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth (Second Timothy 3:7 NASB). But through the Good News, ADONAI can strengthen the minds and hearts of believers in the truth, to settle us, to ground us, and make us firm in Him (16:25a). No one but a believer can be certain about YHVH, certain about His truth, certain about His standards of righteousness, certain of His love and care, or certain about being with Him throughout all eternity (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Ms – The Eternal Security of the Believer).

The Gospel that strengthens us and proclaims Yeshua Messiah is also in harmony with the revelation of the mystery (Greek: musterion, meaning some spiritual truth that was once hidden but now is revealed) which has been kept hidden in silence for ages and ages (16:25b). In First Corinthians, Paul uses the term in a general sense, speaking of the apostles and prophets in the B’rit Chadashah, such as himself, Apollos, and Peter as trustees of God’s secret truths (First Corinthians 4:1). That is, they were bringing new revelation hidden from past ages (Ephesians 3:9; Colossians 1:25-26).

But the mystery that is manifested now had been predicted through veiled prophetic writings, in keeping with the command of God the Eternal, and communicated to all the Gentiles to promote in them trust-grounded obedience (16:26). Through Isaiah, ADONAI promised that My Righteous Servant will make many righteous; it is for their sins that He suffers (Isaiah 53:11). Jeremiah foretold: Here, the days are coming,” says ADONAI, “when I will make a New Covenant with the house of Isra’el and with the house of Y’hudah . . . I will put my Torah within them and write it on their hearts; I will be their God, and they will be my people (Jeremiah 31:31 and 33). Through Ezeki’el, Ha’Shem said: And I will give them unity of heart. “I will put a new spirit among you.” I will remove from their bodies the hearts of stone and give them hearts of flesh (Ezeki’el 11:19).

The Jews had always believed that such prophecies only applied to them, as the chosen people of God. As Peter explains: The prophets, who prophesied about this gift of deliverance that was meant for you, pondered and inquired diligently about it. They were trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of the Messiah in them was referring in predicting the Messiah’s sufferings and the glorious things to follow (First Peter 1:10-11). Even to God’s inspired prophets in Dispensation of the Torah (see the commentary on Exodus Da – The Dispensation of the Torah), the full meaning of their prophecies was a mystery. This is called “progressive revelation,” slowly revealing God’s plan.

As a result, when Ha’Shem first made His covenant with Abraham, the father of His chosen people Isra’el, He alluded to His offering of grace to the whole world. He told Abraham, “And by you all the families of the earth will be blessed” (Genesis 12:3b). When YHVH made the covenant with His people through Moshe at Mount Sinai, He said: And you will be a kingdom of cohanim for me, a nation set apart.’ These are the words you are to speak to the people of Isra’el” (Exodus 19:6). In other words, it was God’s plan all along that Isra’el, as a nation, was to be a priest, a mediator of God, for the rest of the Gentile world.

Through Isaiah, ADONAI told Isra’el that He not only had called her in righteousness, but that He had also made her as a covenant for the people, to be a light for the Gentile nations (Isaiah 42:6, 49:22, 54:3, 60:5, 62:2, 66:19). Speaking of the future Messiah, God predicted: I will also make You a light to the Gentile nations, so My salvation can spread to the ends of the earth (Isaiah 49:6), a passage that Paul and Barnabas quoted before a crowd of both Jews and Gentiles in Pisidian Antioch (Acts 13:46-47).

That is the truth Paul emphasizes in the book of Romans. YHVH made known the riches of his glory to those who are the objects of his mercy . . . not only from among the Jews but also from among the Gentiles? As indeed he says in Hoshea, “Those who were not My people I will call My people; her who was not loved I will call loved” (9:23-25). For the passage quoted says that everyone who rests his trust on him will not be humiliated. That means that there is no difference between Jew and Gentile – ADONAI is the same for everyone (10:11-12). Therefore, Paul crowns this marvelous letter with praise to the only wise God, the God of the Jews and the Gentiles, the God of all creation. It was through Yeshua the Messiah that YHVH revealed not only His grace but also His great wisdom. And so, to Him be the glory forever and ever! Amen (16:27).⁴¹⁰

Some Friends to Greet
16: 13-16

Some Friends to Greet DIG: Go through verses 1-16, listing all the things for which Paul commends these people. What does this show you about how we ought to measure a person’s success in life? Although Paul had never been to Rome, how aware was he of this church?

REFLECT: Who are some people you know whom you consider real servants of Messiah? What impresses you about them? Have you reached out to them lately? Why not do so now? How do you let your love show to believers and unbelievers, not merely in words, but actions?

Don’t let love be a mere outward show. Recoil from what is evil, and cling to what is good.

Paul continues his greetings. It’s as if he wants to make certain he doesn’t overlook anyone who has touched his life in a significant way. His love isn’t self-promoting, but thoughtful, genuine, and Messiah-oriented, for all of these people are ambassadors for Messiah. Their history is our history. They carried the banner of Messiah in their generation. They fulfilled the warnings of their teacher and friend, Paul, who taught: Don’t let love be a mere outward show. Recoil from what is evil, and cling to what is good. Love each other devotedly and with brotherly love; and set examples for each other in showing respect. Don’t be lazy when hard work is needed, but serve the Lord with spiritual fervor (12:9-11).⁴⁰²

Dear Heavenly Father, Praise You for how wise Your love is – loving good, and also wisely hating evil. In this day when everyone chooses what is his own truth and so supposedly sin/evil no longer exists – it is refreshing to see Your love which hates evil. You do not gloss over sin, nor ignore it – but You forgive sin when sinners repent. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness (First John 1:9). Thank You for Your complete forgiveness to those who have a holy fear of You. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His mercy for those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us (Psalms 103:11-12). Your love is so awesome to willingly plan to give Yeshua’s righteousness to those who love You. He made the One who knew no sin to become a sin offering on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God (Second Corinthians 5:21). It is a joy to love and follow You! In Yeshua’s holy name and power of His resurrection. Amen

Greet Rufus, chosen by the Lord, an extraordinary believer in every sense of the word (16:13a). We learn from Mark’s Gospel, which was written around 58-59 AD from Rome after Paul wrote his letter to Rome in 57 AD from Corinth, that Simon of Cyrene, a city on the Mediterranean coast of North Africa, who was pressed into service by the soldiers to carry Yeshua’s cross (Mark 15:21). Only Mark mentions Simon’s sons, Alexander and Rufus, suggesting that they were known to the church in Rome.

Scholars therefore agree that the Rufus mentioned here by Paul was one of the sons of Simon the Cyrene, who may have been brought to saving faith through that contact with Yeshua on the way to Calvary (see the commentary on The Life of Christ, to see link click Ls – Then They Brought Jesus to Golgotha, the Place of the Skull). If so, he must have died before Paul’s letter to the Romans, or else he surely would have been greeted and commended by Paul. If Simon, the man privileged to have carried Yeshua’s cross and to have walked beside Him to Golgotha, had become a believer, he would have been among the most honored men in the early church. It is obvious that his wife, the mother of Rufus, believed and it seems safe to assume that Alexander likewise was saved, giving Mark the reason to mention him along with his brother. Alexander was either dead or did not live in Rome at the time, or else Paul would have greeted him also. And his mother, who has been a mother to me too (16:13b). Like many Jews saved at Shavu’ot (see the commentary on Acts An – Peter Speaks to the Shavu’ot Crowd), Simon and his family may have chosen to stay in Jerusalem and therefore had the opportunity to know and befriend Paul during his visits there.⁴⁰³

Paul makes no comment about Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas and the brothers and sisters who are with them (16:14). The mention of the brothers and sisters who are with them indicates that the five men named here were leaders of one of the many assemblies of believers in Rome.

Paul’s greetings here were to another such congregation of believers, Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all of God’s people who are with them (16:15). These were men and women who were obedient in planting seeds of faith that have been passed along one person at a time to the present day. If this is but a sampling of the early church, we can conclude that this church was distinguished by its faithful workers and their love for each other.⁴⁰⁴

The careful research of William Barclay sheds light on one of the people Paul mentions in this beautiful passage. About Nereus, Barclay writes: In 95 AD there happened an event that shocked Rome. Two of the most distinguished people in Rome were condemned for being believers of the Way (Acts 9:2). They were husband and wife. The husband was Flavius Clemens. He had been consul of Rome. The wife was Domatilla and she was of royal blood. She was the granddaughter of Vespasian, a former Emperor, and the niece of Domitian, the reigning Emperor. In fact, the two sons of Flavius Clemens and Domatilla had been designated Domitian’s successors in the imperial power. Flavius was executed and Domatilla was banished to the island of Pontia where “she [Domatilla] drew out a long martyrdom for the name of Christ.” And now the point – the name of the servant of Flavius and Domatilla was Nereus. Is it possible that Nereus the slave had something to do with making two believers of Flavius Clemens the ex-consul and Domitila the princess of royal blood? Maybe this is merely an idle speculation, for Nereus was a common name . . . but then again, it may be true.⁴⁰⁵

Greet one another with a holy kiss, which is a Middle-Eastern custom (First Corinthians 16:20; Second Corinthians 13:12; First Thessalonians 5:26; First Peter 5:14). In recent years hugging and holy kissing has come back in vogue in some other countries as well, after centuries of being out of fashion (a handshake is obviously a much weaker expression of body language). When between members of the opposite sex, care must be taken that it is a holy kiss and not an unholy one! More generally, in an age of transition when customs are changing, the principle of Chapter 14, not causing distress to another for whom Messiah died, applies here: those who experience discomfort from a given form of bodily expression should not be made to suffer it against their will.⁴⁰⁶

Finally, Paul said that all the Messiah’s congregations send their greetings to you, doubtless referring to all the congregations that he had recently visited (16:16). We know from the B’rit Chadashah that there were differences of opinions in the early Messianic Community, even among the most spiritual leaders, including the apostles. Even serious factionalism, such as that in the church at Corinth, was not unknown, but there were no denominations as we know of them today, no splinter groups within the body of orthodox believers. They all simply were Messiah’s congregations. Those believers, Jews and Gentiles, wealthy and poor, free and slave, famous and unknown, enjoyed in Messiah the depth of fellowship and partnership the world has no way of understanding.

But the world can observe it, and God’s people should give the world more opportunity to do so. Yeshua assured us: Everyone will know that you are my talmidim by the fact that you have love for each other (John 13:35). That love must be genuine and pure for it to strengthen the Church or to have an impact on the world. For that reason, Paul had earlier commanded: Don’t let love be a mere outward show. Recoil from what is evil, and cling to what is good. Love each other devotedly and with brotherly love; and set examples for each other in showing respect . . . Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Be sensitive to each other’s needs – don’t think yourselves better than others, but make humble people your friends. Don’t be conceited (12:9-10 and 15-16). 

That kind of love characterized the church at Ephesus, of whom Paul wrote that he had heard about their trust in the Lord Yeshua and their love for all God’s people (Ephesians 1:15). Again, linking faith in Messiah with love for all God’s people, he told the Colossian believers: For we have heard of your trust in the Messiah Yeshua and of the love you have for all God’s people (Colossians 1:4). Finally, he would say to the church at Thessalonica: Concerning love for the brothers we do not need to write you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other (First Thessalonians 4:9).⁴⁰⁷

Servants of Messiah
16: 1-12

Servants of Messiah DIG: Why was Phoebe chosen to carry this only copy of this letter from Corinth to Rome? What kind of a woman was she? How were Priscilla and Aquilla involved in the church in Rome? How did Paul know them? How can Paul know such a socially wide range of people? What is the significance of so many personal greetings?

REFLECT: Who would you trust to carry something very valuable to a far away place? If you went out of town and wrote a letter to your place of worship, who would you greet and what would you say to them? If someone were to write a letter to your place of worship, what would it say about you? What would it mean to you to have your name on Paul’s list?

Paul was a friend maker as well as a soul winner. We are sheep, and sheep flock together.

Paul continues the personal epilogue that began in 15:14 and reveals still more of his inner thoughts and feelings, not so much as an apostle, but as a fellow servant of the Lord Yeshua Messiah. In 15:14-33 he focused on his relationship to the Lord in his ministry. In Chapter 16 he focuses on his relationship to other believers with whom he has been associated in one way or another in his ministry. He specifically identifies, and sometimes briefly comments about, those whom he felt the closest. He reveals his love for those fellow laborers for the Lord, his mutual accountability with them before God, his dependence on them for his own ministry, and for his own well-being. In many ways, this chapter reflects the personal and practical agape love he had beautifully described earlier (to see link click Dd – Walking in Love), and had portrayed in Chapter 13 of his first letter to the church at Corinth.³⁹⁸

Phoebe was Paul’s emissary to deliver this letter, so he wrote officially: I am introducing to you our sister Phoebe (art by Sarah Beth Baca: see more information on Links and Resources), a shammash (Greek: diakonon, meaning a servant, from which we get the word deaconess) of the congregation at Cenchrea, a seaport a few miles east of Corinth (16:1). There were, of course, no copiers or emails in those days, and even the simplest writing materials were very expensive. It is therefore highly unlikely that Paul, through the hand of Tertius (16:22), made more than one copy of this letter. Since Paul realized that it would be part of God’s written Word, he made certain that it would be entrusted to only the most reliable of persons. And, although ADONAI inspired no woman to write a part of Scripture, He used Phoebe to transport the first copy of this wonderful letter. She carried under the folds of her robe the bedrock of our theology. She is symbolic of those countless women of God who He has used and honored with great distinction to accomplish His divine plan.

Paul had sent the letter with Phoebe over the long and dangerous journey to Rome, so he said: Welcome her in the Lord, as God’s people should, and help her in whatever matter (Greek: pragmati, meaning business, or anything that was need to be done, from which we get the word pragmatic) she may have need; for she has been a big help to many people – including myself (16:2). So, Paul was not only giving Phoebe a letter of commendation as a faithful believer, but also giving a letter of reference, as it were, in regard to whatever business matter she had in Rome. That idea is reinforced by Paul’s speaking of her as a big help, which translates prostatitis, and was commonly used to signify a patron, a wealthy person who encouraged and financially supported an organization or cause, as in a patron of the arts. In other words, Phoebe was no ordinary helper, but one of high esteem and integrity and likely was a business woman of considerable wealth. She used her influence and her financial means, as well as her personal time and effort, as a servant of her Lord.

Paul continues his outpouring of love and affection for a host of beloved friends and fellow believers. Doubtless he could have included many more, but the ones he chose to acknowledge here were especially close and dear. As with his comments about Phoebe, he was not speaking as their authority so much as a friend in Messiah.

Give my greetings to Priscilla and Aquila, husband and wife who were Paul’s fellow workers for the Messiah Yeshua (16:3). They were not apostles or prophets but, nonetheless, were invaluable workers in the early Church. They had fled from Rome when all Jews were expelled by Emperor Claudias. It is possible that she was a Gentile, and perhaps a Roman citizen like Paul, and Aquila a Jew, but the expulsion would have applied to both of them, even if only one was Jewish. They were tent makers like Paul, who stayed in their home while he began his ministry in Corinth (Acts 18:1-3). Aquila and Priscilla later moved from Corinth to Ephesus with Paul and remained there (see the commentary on Acts Cf – Priscilla and Aquila Teach Apollos). They risked their necks to save my life. It is not known on what occasion they were at risk because of Paul. This may have happened during the disturbance in Ephesus (see the commentary on Acts Ch – Idol-Makers Start a Riot in Ephesus), since they hosted a congregation in their home there (Acts 19:10; First Corinthians 16:19), just as they did in Rome. Not only I thank them, but also all the Messianic communities among the Gentiles. When the ban against Jews was lifted, they had evidently returned to Rome and Paul said: And give my greetings to the congregation that meets in their house (16:4-5a).³⁹⁹

Give my greetings to my dear friend Epaenetus, who was the first person in the province of Asia, today referred to as Asia Minor, the general area of modern Turkey, to put his trust in the Messiah (16:5b). Because Paul speaks of this man so affectionately, it could well be that he not only won him to Messiah through his preaching, but also discipled him. Through the intervening years, Paul had evidently kept track of Epaenetus and was pleased to understand that he was now a part of the church at Rome.

Give my greetings to Miryam, Paul continues, who has worked very hard for you (16:6). We do not know where Mary came from, how or when she converted, or anything else about her except that she worked very hard for the church in Rome. The phrasing of this verse suggests that Miryam may not have known Paul personally and that he knew of her hard work from the reports of others, possibly Aquila and Priscilla. The context also suggests that she had ministered in the church at Rome for some time, and possibly was a founding member who had labored selflessly to establish the fellowship in the capital of the empire.

Greetings to Andronicus and his wife Junia, relatives of mine, probably meaning that they were fellow Messianic Jews. Paul must have felt a special bond in seeing his relatives in the flesh become brothers and sisters in Messiah. Besides being Paul’s relatives, these two believers were at some point in prison with him. Because Paul was so often in prison (Second Corinthians 11:23), their shared imprisonment could have been in any number of places. Because they were well known among the emissaries, we can be sure, like Paul, they were imprisoned because of their faith.

Because they came to trust in the Messiah before Paul did (16:7), it is quite possible that they had suffered persecution under Paul, whose great zeal against the church (Acts 8:1-3) would not have been diminished by their being his relatives. It is also possible that the prayers of Andronicus and Junia may have been instrumental in his eventual salvation. If those things were true, their reconciliation would have been all the more gratifying.

Dear Heavenly Father, How wonderful that You care so passionately for our families and relatives. We long for them to be filled with the peace you give Your children. Please work in the hearts of each of our relatives to the third and fourth generations, to come to see how wonderful You are and to be willing to accept You as their Lord and their Savior. May they realize how wonderful heaven will be with no worries or pain (Revelation 21:1-4) and may they turn in repentance from old sinful habits and run to You for help and guidance. Thank You for working in their lives by bringing them new friends who will encourage them to come to You and may You please fill even their sleeping thoughts with the sure hope of eternal peace and joy that You give to each of Your children. This world and its problems will soon be over but heaven’s joys are eternal! For I consider the sufferings of this present time not worthy to be compared with the coming glory to be revealed to us (Romans 8:18). In your Holy Yeshua’s name and power of His resurrection. Amen

Greetings to Ampliatus, my dear friend in the Lord (16:8). We know from history and archaeology that Ampliatus was a common name for slaves. And because slaves were not allowed to bear the name of free men, this dear friend of Paul must have been, or possibly still was, a slave. Many slaves in the imperial households of that day had that name, and because Ampliatus was in Rome, it is conceivable that he was among the believers in Caesar’s household mentioned by Paul in his letter to the church at Philippi (Philippians 4:22).⁴⁰⁰

Greetings to Urbanus, our fellow worker for the Messiah, and to my dear friend Stachys (16:9). Urbanus was a common Roman name, suggesting that he may have been a Roman citizen. Unlike Urbanus, the name Stachys, which means ear of corn, was a Greek and uncommon. Since he is called Paul’s dear friend, he would have been closely associated with him, but we don’t know where or in what relationship. Many of those to whom Paul sent greetings were not outstanding leaders in the early Messianic Community. That fact reveals Paul’s deep and sincere love for fellow believers, no matter how little known they were or how seemingly insignificant their service was from a purely human perspective.

Greetings to Appeles, whose trust in the Messiah has been tested and proved (16:10a). We know nothing about Paul’s relationship with Appeles, and cannot be certain how the two were personally acquainted. But whether from his own experience with this man or from reliable reports from others, Paul recognized Appeles as being tested and proved in Messiah.

Greet those in the household of Aristobulus (10:b). Paul’s next greeting was to a group of believers whose names and numbers we do not know. Because he himself was not greeted, it seems certain that Aristobulus himself was not a believer. How many of his household were believers, and whether they were family members, servants, or both, we are not told. From his careful study of B’rit Chadashah times, noted biblical scholar J. B. Lightfoot suggests that Aristobulus may have been the brother of Herod Agrippa I (see the commentary on Acts Bl – Herod Agrippa Gets His Due). If so, he would have been a close ally of the Emperor Claudius. When Aristobulus died, his household – including his wife, children, slaves and possessions – would have become the property of the emperor, although they would still be referred to as the household of Aristobulus. It is therefore possible that this group of believers could have been a part of the imperial household.

Greet my relative, Herodion, and greet those of the household of Narcissus who are in the Lord (16:11). Herodion, therefore, would have been a Jew, as well as a spiritual brother in the Lord with Paul. As the name indicated, Herodion was related to the family of Herod in some way, and as a result, may have been associated with the household of Narcissus. Some scholars believe that Narcissus mentioned here was closely connected to the Emperor Claudius as his secretary. Because all contact with the emperor had to be channeled through the secretary, he became extremely wealthy through the many bribes he received for granting access to, or simply for corresponding with, the emperor. It is therefore possible that at least two households within the palace had believers in them. If so, those believers may have been among those of Caesar’s household who joined Paul, then imprisoned in Rome, in sending greetings to the church at Philippi (Philippians 4:22).

Greet Tryphaena and Tryphosa, possibly twin sisters, whose names mean delicate and dainty. Those words may have characterized their lives before salvation, but spiritually, there were women who were working hard for the Lord (16:12a).

Greet Persis, no doubt receiving her name from her native land of Persia. Not only was she the beloved, suggesting (by the definite article the) she was loved by everyone who knew her, but she was also one who had done a lot of hard work for the Lord (16:12b). Because the work of Tryphaena and Tryphosa is spoken of in the present tense and that of Persis in the past tense, it may have been that the first two were younger women and still active, and that Persis was an older woman who had already lived most of her productive years. But all three were noted for their work for and in the Lord.⁴⁰¹

The People God Uses
16: 1-27

The capital city of Rome was a magnet that drew people from all over the empire. In addition to Paul’s travels to many of the major population centers – Jerusalem, Syrian Antioch, Philippi, Athens, Corinth, and Ephesus – it brought him into contact with many believers within Roman society. This helps to explain the presence of Paul’s many friends in Rome, but his knowledge of their whereabouts remains a tribute to his deep concern for the people God uses.₃₉₆ While Paul mentions 27 people in the church at Rome, there is obviously one person missing: Peter. This begs the question, “Was Peter ever in Rome?”

According to Roman Catholic tradition, Peter was the first bishop of Rome. His pontificate supposedly lasted for twenty-five years until he was martyred in Rome in 67 AD. The remarkable thing, however, about Peter’s alleged reign as pope in Rome, is that the B’rit Chadashah does not say one single word about it. The word Rome appears only nine times in the Bible, and never is Kefa mentioned in connection with it. There is no mention to Rome in either of Peter’s letters. But Paul’s journey to Rome is recorded in great detail in Acts 27 and 28. In fact, there is no evidence in the B’rit Chadashah, nor any historical proof of any kind, that Peter was ever in Rome.

The most compelling reason for believing that Peter was never in Rome is found in Paul’s letter to the Romans. According to Roman Catholic tradition, Kefa reigned as pope in Rome from 42 to 67 AD. It is generally agreed that Paul’s letter to the church in Rome was written in the year 58 AD, at the very height of Peter’s alleged reign there. He did not address his letter to Peter, as he should have if he was pope, but to the believers in Rome. How strange for a missionary to write to a church and not mention its pastor! That would have been an inexcusable insult. What would we think of a missionary today who would dare to write a congregation in a distant city and without mentioning their pastor, tell them that he was anxious to go there so that he might bare some fruit among them even as he had seen in his own community (Romans 1:13), that he was anxious to instruct and strengthen them, and that he was anxious to preach the gospel there where it had not been preached before? How would the pastor feel if he knew that such greetings had been sent to 27 of his most prominent members, but not him? Would he stand for such unethical actions? Even more so the pope! If Peter had been ministering in the church at Rome for 16 years, why did Paul write to the people of the church in these words: I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong (Romans 1:11). Would that not be an insult to Kefa? Would it not be presumptuous for Paul to go over the head of the pope? And if Peter had been there for 16 years, why was it necessary for Paul to go there at all, especially since in his letter he says that he does not build on another’s foundation: it has always been my ambition to preach the Gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else’s foundation (Romans 15:20).

And again, had Peter been pope in Rome prior to, or at the time Paul arrived there as a prisoner in 61 AD, Paul could not have failed to mention him, for in the letters written in Rome during his imprisonment – Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians and Philemon – he gives quite a list of his fellow-workers in Rome and Peter’s name is not among them. He spent two whole years there as a prisoner and welcomed all who came to see him (Acts 28:30). Nor does he mention Peter in his second letter to Timothy, which was written from Rome during his second imprisonment, in 67 AD, the year that Peter is alleged to have suffered martyrdom in Rome, and shortly before his own death (Second Timothy 4:6-8). He says that all his friends had abandoned him, and that only Luke was with him (Second Timothy 4:10-11). Where was Peter? If he was the pope in Rome when Paul was a prisoner, why did Peter not call on Paul and offer aid? What kind of spiritual leader would that be?

All of this makes it quite clear that Peter was never in Rome at all, even though the Vatican has publicly unveiled a handful of bone fragments purportedly belonging to him. Not one of the early church fathers gives any support to the belief that Peter was bishop in Rome until Jerome in the fifth century. Du Pin, a Roman Catholic historian, acknowledges “the primacy of Peter is not recorded by the early church writers, Justin Martyr (139 AD), Irenaeus (178 AD), Clement of Alexandria (190 AD), or others of the most ancient fathers.” Catholicism builds her foundation neither on biblical teaching, nor upon the facts of history, but like the Oral Law (see the commentary on The Life of Christ, to see link click Ei – The Oral Law), only on the unfounded traditions of men (Mark 7:8).³⁹⁷

Paul’s Strategy for Success
15: 14-33

Paul’s strategy for success DIG: What were some things that God had accomplished through Paul’s life? Why did Paul prefer not to minister where others had already ministered? Why did Paul say the Gentiles of Macedonia and Achaia owed an offering to the Jewish believers in Jerusalem? Why do the Gentiles have a responsibility to share the Gospel with the Jews?

REFLECT: Jewish missions are primarily dependent on Gentile churches for their support. Does your church’s missions budget include money for Jewish missions (15:27)? If not, why not? What principles of evangelism from Paul’s life are you seeking to apply to your own life? What has helped you to share the Gospel with others? What has hindered you in sharing the Gospel? How can you overcome those obstacles? How does Paul’s example inspire you?

Unless we understand the distinctive ministry of Paul, we will not fully appreciate the message of the grace of ADONAI.

After completing the major doctrinal portion of his letter (1:18 to 15:13), Paul now begins what amounts to an epilogue. Though all of Paul’s letters have closing remarks, he devoted more space to the believers in Rome than any other. This was due, at least in part, to the fact that he had never visited the city and its churches, and to his desire to establish personal relationships with his readers. Another factor undoubtedly was his plan to visit Rome in the future. In writing to a group of people whom he had never met as a group, Paul showed admirable restraint in avoiding personal references to himself as an example (7:7-25), and his other personal remarks are few (1:8-16, 9:1-3, 10:1-2 and 11:1). Now as he closes his letter, he feels led to discuss his philosophy of ministry and his plans in light of it.

Paul’s reasons for writing his letter: Paul had never even visited this church, and then they received this lengthy, detailed, letter. He had demonstrated in Romans and elsewhere his ability to be straightforward, even almost blunt. But because he had spoken so forcefully, Paul did not want to jeopardize his relationship with them by seeming insensitive, presumptuous, or unloving. He wrote: Now I myself am convinced, my brothers, that you are full of goodness, maturity, and filled with knowledge and well able to counsel each other (15:14). So, if Paul did not have a low opinion of the believers in Rome, why did he write on such basic themes? He explained: But on some points, I have written you quite boldly (arising out of his apostolic authority in 1:1) by way of reminding you about them, because of the grace God has given me to be a servant of the Messiah Yeshua for the Gentiles (11:13), with the priestly duty of presenting the Good News of God, so that the Gentiles may be an acceptable offering, made holy by the Ruach Ha’Kodesh (15:15-16).

In union with the Messiah Yeshua, then, I have reason to be proud of my service to God; for I will not dare speak of anything except what the Messiah has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience by my words of the preaching of the Good News, and deeds (15:17-18). All of the apostles, as ambassadors of Messiah, were authenticated by the miraculous signs they performed. A year earlier, Paul had written to the believers at Corinth: The things that prove I am an emissary – signs, wonders and miracles – were done in your presence (Second Corinthians 12:12a). Divine affirmation does not require signs, wonders and miracles. Much, perhaps most, of Paul’s own ministry was not affirmed in such dramatic ways. But the power of the Ruach Ha’Kodesh is always evidenced in some way when the Gospel is rightly proclaimed, even by the simplest and most uneducated person.

Before the canon of Scripture was closed at the end of the first century when John wrote the Revelation of Yeshua Messiah, YHVH often used signs, wonders and miracles to authenticate true teaching and preaching. The ministry of the apostles, especially in the earliest days of the Messianic Community, was accompanied by authenticating miracles.

Paul does not disobey his own injunction against boasting, because his boasting is never about himself, but about what the Messiah has accomplished. So, from Yerushalayim all the way to Illyricum (in the Roman Empire) a distance of 1,500 miles, I have fully proclaimed the Good News of the Messiah. I have always made it my ambition to proclaim the Good News where the Messiah was not yet known, so that I would not be building on someone else’s foundation. It was not that it was wrong to build on another’s foundation, because that process is part of God’s plan for establishing and maintaining His Body of Believers. But Paul was an evangelist. It is still ADONAI’s plan that some believers lay the foundation by bringing unbelievers to saving faith in Messiah (evangelists) and that others build up those converts by ministering God’s Word to them (Messianic rabbis and pastors). Quoting Isaiah 52:15, Paul declares: Those who have not been told about Him will see, and those who have not heard will understand (15:19-21). The context of that passage in Isaiah indicates that its primary reference is the Messiah’s Second Coming. But in its broadest application, it refers to the process of evangelism that begun in Paul’s day and will continue throughout the Dispensation of Grace (see the commentary on Hebrews Bp – The Dispensation of Grace), until its ultimate fulfillment at Messiah’s return.³⁹⁰

Paul’s future plans: This is also why I have so often been prevented from visiting you because of the abundance of ministry he needed to do in other lands. But now, since there is no longer a place in these regions where he had been ministering, and since he had wanted for many years to come to Rome, he hoped to see the believers in Rome as he passed through on his way to Spain. Because the church in Rome was well established and mature, Paul probably did not anticipate staying there very long, but although his intended layover was to be brief, it was still of great importance to him. While visiting, he hoped to be helped (Greek: propempo, meaning to furnish an escort as well as supplies) on his way to Spain, after I have enjoyed your company awhile (15:22-24).

Dear Heavenly Father, Praise Your infinite wisdom! Praise You that Your love for each of Your children is a wise love which does not give in no matter how much the child pleads with You. You know what is best and you give what is best for each of Your children. For ADONAI Elohim is a sun and a shield. ADONAI gives grace and glory. No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly (Psalms 84:12). Your answer to Your child’s prayer is like a stop light that sometimes gives a green Go – sometimes yellow -Wait, and sometimes a red Stop. In a similar way You sometimes say yes – Go, sometimes Wait, and sometimes No. It is wonderful that You are omniscient and know all about everything and all about each of Your children. Whenever I sit down or stand up, You know it. You discern my thinking from afar. You observe my journeying and my resting and You are familiar with all my ways. (Psalms 139:1-2). Love You! In Your Holy Son’s name and power of His resurrection. Amen

Spain included the city or region known in the TaNaKh as Tarshish, the place to which Jonah sought to flee (Jonah 1:3), and from which ships brought King Solomon’s gold and silver, ivory and apes and peacocks every three years (First Kings 10:22). Spain was on the far western side of the continent and had become a major center of commerce and culture, made accessible by way of the renowned Roman roads. Yet, Spain was not evangelized until the middle of the third century. It was therefore, quite understandable why Paul’s plan was to minister there. Making sensible and careful plans for serving God does not conflict with our reliance on His providence, and reliance on His providence does not excuse failure to plan.³⁹¹

Paul’s immediate plans: Remember, Paul was writing this letter from Corinth. He could have easily made the trip from Corinth to Rome in a relatively short amount of time. But before Paul would be free to go to Rome, much less Spain, it was necessary for him to go about a thousand miles in the opposite direction to Yerushalayim with aid for God’s people there. Macedonia and Achaia thought it would be good to make some contribution to the poor among God’s people in Yerushalayim (15:25-26). Years earlier, the leaders of the Jerusalem Messianic community had urged Paul to remember the poor (Galatians 2:10). He writes about the present collection on their behalf in First Corinthians 16:1-4 and Second Corinthians Chapters 8:1 to 9:15. So well did he succeed in obtaining Gentile charity toward the Jewish poor that he made this part of his message, and the gift was duly delivered in Acts 24:17-19.

They were pleased to do it (15:27a). Obedience in doing tzedakah (charity) should be with joy, for God loves a cheerful giver (Second Corinthians 9:7). Such charity reveals the fellowship between Messianic Jews and Gentile believers that Paul was anxious to instill in the church in Rome (11:11-32). For if the Gentiles have shared with the Jews in spiritual matters simply out of gratitude. Paul makes the same point in First Corinthians 9:11, “If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we reap a material harvest from you?” Romans 15:27b echoes this: For if Gentiles have shared with the Jews in spiritual matters, then the Gentiles clearly have a duty to help the Jews in material matters. The Word of God declares: For I am not ashamed of the Good News, since it is God’s powerful means of bringing salvation to everyone who keeps on trusting, to the Jew especially, but equally to the Gentile (Romans 1:16). Therefore, I encourage Gentile believers who believe in God’s Word to assist Messianic Jews and Jewish congregations, whether Messianic or not.³⁹²

The details of Paul’s plan: So, when I have finished this task and made certain that they have received this fruit, I will leave for Spain and visit you on my way there. Paul was overjoyed with the generous gift that he and the delegation from those Gentile churches were bringing to Jerusalem. The genuine love and gratitude of those Gentile representatives must have been expressed as they presented their offering to the suffering Jewish believers in Tzyion must have been extremely heartwarming. But after that task was completed, Paul was absolutely sure that he would make his way to Rome. And I know that when I come to you, it will be with the full measure of the Messiah’s blessings (15:28-29).

What is often referred to as the “health and wealth gospel” was the furthest thing from Paul’s mind. His obedience to Messiah cost him dearly in both of those areas. As a result of his service to Messiah, he suffered imprisonment, beatings, stonings, dangers from Gentiles as well as Jews, and a host of other hardships (Second Corinthians 11:23-27). But none of those outward problems could rob him of his inner blessing. To the contrary, he wrote: I want you to know that what has happened to me has helped in advancing the Good News. It has become clear to the whole palace and to everyone else that it is because of the Messiah that I am in chains. Also, my being in prison has given most of the brothers in the Lord confidence, so that they have become much more bold in speaking the word of God fearlessly . . . All that matters is that in every way . . . Messiah is being proclaimed; and in that I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice (Philippians 1:12-14 and 18).³⁹³

Paul asks for their prayers: And now I urge you, brothers, by our Lord Yeshua the Messiah and by the love of the Spirit (the Ruach Ha’Kodesh loves us just as much as the Father and the Son), to join me in my struggle by praying to God on my behalf that I will be rescued from the unbelievers in Y’hudah. Paul was well aware of the problems that lay before him in Jerusalem (see the commentary on Acts, to see link click Cn – Paul’s Advice from Jacob and the Elders at Tziyon), and he was deeply concerned that the offering from the Gentile churches be delivered and distributed properly. If these objectives were accomplished, according to Paul, he could then say that his service for Yerushalayim will be acceptable to God’s people there.³⁹⁴ Then, if it is God’s will, I will come to you with joy and have a time of rest among you. The will of God, indeed, took him to Rome, but not to find joy and rest; but ultimately, to find martyrdom (see the commentary on Acts Dg – Paul’s Fourth Missionary Journey). Now may the God of shalom be with you all, that is, all the believers in Rome. Amen (15:30-33).

Life Lessons: We end this study on Paul’s letter to the church in Rome with a few recurring themes on our minds. How will we treat our neighbors? How will we love those who share our beliefs and those who do not? How will we speak and live out the gospel within the Church and the world? This letter invites us to return to it often for encouragement, direction, and challenge. It drives us to appreciate all that ADONAI has done for us. It reminds us that the more we learn to love God, the better we are equipped to love our neighbors.³⁹⁵

Lifting Up Yeshua
15: 7-13

Lifting up Yeshua DIG: Why does Paul address the Jews first here (Romans 1:61c)? The Gentiles were always a part of God’s plan. How do the quotes from verses 9-12 prove that point? Why is there no basis for Jewish and Gentile believers to be at odds with each other?

REFLECT: What have you done in the past six months that has led to peace and mutual understanding among the people where you worship? How many Jewish friends do you have? In what examples can you think of to show how you have grown spiritually in the past year?

It is your duty to learn how to love as God does, because God is love, and it honors Him.

Paul is not asking the believers in Rome to give anything more than what they themselves have received. They were recipients of Messiah’s unconditional love. Paul told them to show the same love to their fellow believers. So, welcome each other, both strong and weak believers, both Jews and Gentiles, just as the Messiah has welcomed you into God’s glory (15:7). He hoped that the message he had delivered would enable both the strong and weak believers to put aside their differences so they could follow the example set by Yeshua.

It is good for us to reflect on all that we have received from Messiah. We mocked Messiah with our sins, and He accepted us. With our sins we slapped Messiah in the face, and He turned to us His other cheek. Finally, our sins nailed Messiah to the cross, and what did He do in response? He asked God the Father to forgive us because we didn’t know what we were doing. Filled with such an abundance of love and forgiveness, do we have any excuse for failing to show love and forgiveness to those around us?³⁸⁴

We bring ADONAI glory by becoming more like Yeshua. Once we are born into God’s family, He wants us to grow into spiritual maturity. What does that look like? Spiritual maturity is becoming more like Yeshua in the way we think, feel, and act. The more you develop Messiah-like character, the more you will bring glory to YHVH. The Bible says: As the Spirit of the LORD works within us, we become more and more like Him and reflect His glory even more (Second Corinthians 3:18 NLT). God gave you a new life and a new nature when you accepted Yeshua as your Lord and Savior. Now, for the rest of your life on earth, God wants to continue the process of changing your character.³⁸⁵

Love and forgiveness is the means by which we were brought into one Body of Messiah. In verse 8 Paul emphasizes the Jews, and covers the period of the Gospels and Acts Chapters 1-7. Messiah’s ministry, with few exceptions, was limited to the Jews (Matthew 10:5-6, 15:24). For I say that the Messiah became a servant of the Jewish people (Genesis 12:3a). It is not true that Yeshua is the Christian Messiah, while the Jews wait for someone else. He is the Messiah of the Jews. If He is not the Jewish Messiah, the Christians have no Messiah. Paul focuses on two reasons for Yeshua becoming a servant of the Jewish people. First, in order to show God’s truthfulness and to show God’s mercy. As we have seen previously, both are certain (to see link click Cm – The Certainty of Redemption). Though one might question this because not all Jews have followed Yeshua, YHVH will make good His promises to the Patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (11:28-29), and He will do this through His Servant of the Jewish people, Yeshua Messiah (15:8).³⁸⁶

And in verse 9 Paul emphasizes the Gentiles because that was the bottom line of the Abrahamic covenant (Genesis 12:3b), in order to show His mercy by causing the Gentiles to glorify God – as it is written in all four of the major sections of the Tanakh: From the Former Prophets (Second Samuel 22:50); from Moshe’s Torah (Deuteronomy 22:43); from the Writings (Psalm 117:1); and from the Latter Prophets (Isaiah 11:10).

A progression of thought can be traced through these four quotations. In the first, David praised God, “Because of this I will acknowledge you among the Gentiles and sing praise to your name” (Romans 15:9; Second Samuel 22:50; Psalm 18:49). In the second, Moshe encouraged the Gentiles to rejoice with His people (Romans 15:10; Deuteronomy 32:43). In the third the psalmist commanded the Gentiles to “Praise ADONAI, all Gentiles! Let all peoples praise him” (Romans 15:11; Psalm 117:1). And in the fourth, Isaiah predicted that the Gentiles would live under the rule of the root of Jesse (the Messiah) and they will put their hope in Him (Romans 15:12; Isaiah 11:10).³⁸⁷

Dear Loving Heavenly Father, Praise You for Your great love which planned from the beginning to include Gentiles along with Your first born, the Jews (Exodus 4:22), into Your new Body. For He is our shalom, the One who made the two into one. . . He did this in order to create within Himself one new man from the two groups, making shalom,  and to reconcile both to God in one body through the cross . . . for through Him we both have access to the Father by the same Ruach.  So, then you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but you are fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household . . . (Ephesians 2:14a, 15b-17a, 18-19).

How awesome that You love those who love You, calling them Your children (John 1:12) and they are Your holy temple! In Him, you also are being built together into God’s dwelling place in the Ruach (Ephesians 2:22). What a joy that You accept Gentiles, not as foreigners a far off, but now in Messiah Yeshua, you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of the Messiah (Ephesians 2:13). Amazing that you give Gentiles access to same Ruach and that You call them fellow citizens along with Jews who love and follow Yeshua as Lord; for through Him we both have access to the Father by the same Ruach.  So, then you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but you are fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household (Ephesians 2:18-19). You are such a wonderful Father! We love you always! In Yeshua’s holy name and power of His resurrection. Amen

The TaNaKh never presents the Gentiles as joint heirs together with Isra’el (Ephesians 3:6), but declares that they will be grafted in. The “partners” of the B’rit Chadashah are, in biblical terms, YHVH and Isra’el. Although not a formal partner of the New Covenant, the Gentiles in the Church “participate” when they make the Jewish Messiah, Yeshua, Lord of their lives (Ephesians 1:13-14). They also “participate” as a recipient of the promised Covenant blessings for Gentiles who have come through the Seed of Abraham, Yeshua Messiah. Therefore, “participation” would be a better term to use (see the commentary on Jeremiah Eo – The Days are Coming, declares the LORD, When I Will Make a New Covenant with the People of Isra’el: The Church’s Relationship to the B’rit Chadashah).

Keep in mind that the Gentile church was in its early stages. It began at Syrian Antioch (see the commentary on Acts Bj – The Church in Syrian Antioch) in 42 AD, and Paul’s letter to the Romans was written only about fifteen years later. A great deal of teaching and dialogue needed to take place so that both Jews and Gentiles would appreciate what ADONAI had accomplished with the breaking down of the middle wall of separation (see the commentary on Acts Cn – Paul’s Advice from Jacob and the Elders at Jerusalem). When Messiah came, two very different worlds were brought together. It is not surprising that the bulk of Paul’s letter to Rome was an effort to iron out the wrinkles of a union that, before Messiah, neither group ever dreamed was possible.

Paul’s call to be an apostle to the Gentiles (11:13b) involved giving the Gentiles a solid theological foundation. If we think of the early church as a ship floating aimlessly on the waters of ignorance and youth, Paul’s ministry was to steer the vessel of ignorance on a straight course to knowledge about ADONAI and ADONAI’s relationship with them.³⁸⁸

Therefore, in light of the magnificent, gracious, and sovereign plan of ADONAI – disclosed in part in His ancient revelation to Isra’el – Jews can have no grudge against Gentiles, because their calling, and their very purpose for existing, was to reach Gentiles for the glory of YHVH. And the Gentiles can have no grudge against Jews, because it was through the Jews that Ha’Shem brought them to salvation.

Paul closes this passage with a beautiful benediction of intercession for all the people of God, not mentioning Jew or Gentile, but addressing the entire, unified Body of Messiah. May God, the source of hope, fill you completely with joy and shalom as you continue trusting, so that by the power of the Ruach Ha’Kodesh you may overflow with hope (15:13). It expresses Paul’s deep desire for all believers to have total spiritual satisfaction in the Lord, lifting up Yeshua. It is essentially the same benediction with which Paul blessed the church at Philippi: Then God’s shalom, passing all understanding, will keep your hearts and minds safe in union with the Messiah Yeshua (Philippians 4:7). It is a prayer for satisfied souls in Messiah to know and experience the peace, the hope, the love, the victory, the joy, and the power of the indwelling Ruach Ha’Kodesh, who makes them one in Yeshua Messiah their Lord and Savior.³⁸⁹

Breaking Down Barriers
15: 4-6

Breaking down barriers DIG: Why is the TaNaKh important for believers today? How is it linked to the B’rit Chadashah? What does it mean for believers to have “the same attitude” toward one another? How are we to persevere? In whom do we place our hope?

REFLECT: Is there a relationship that needs to be restored in your life? What have you done in the past six months that has led to a spirit of hope and unity among your place of worship? Have you lost hope? The blessed hope is waiting with open arms to reassure you.

Everything written in the TaNaKh was written to teach us, so that we might have hope.

In a brief detour from his main argument, Paul reminds his readers that what he has just said about Psalm 69 is entirely appropriate (to see link click Dk – Building Up Others). For everything written in the TaNaKh was written to teach us, so that through perseverance and encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope (15:4). This thought is the core of Paul’s ministry. Knowledge of the whole plan of God (Acts 20:27) was critical in Paul’s day, and today the TaNaKh is our blueprint for living (see the commentary on Exodus Dj – The Ten Commandments). The TaNaKh looks forward and the B’rit Chadashah looks back. Both are essential, and linked together so that one cannot be fully understood without the other.

Paul reminded the believers in Corinth that the events of the Exodus under Moses happened as examples for us, that we should not crave evil things, as they also craved . . . Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the end of the ages has come (First Corinthians 10:6 and 11).

Perseverance (Greek: hupomones, meaning to be patient, to endure under the pressures of life): Our part in this blessing is perseverance, which is closely related to patience. In regard to the Lord’s return, James warns us to be patient until the Lord returns. See how the farmer waits for the precious “fruit of the earth” – he is patient over it until it receives the fall and spring rains. You too, be patient: keep up your courage; for the Lord’s return is near (James 5:7-8). Like saving faith, perseverance is both commanded of us and given to us by God, as Paul assures us in 15:5 below. It is continuing faithfulness to the Lord regardless of all circumstances. Second Thessalonians 1:4 says that is faith that does not fail in all the persecutions and troubles you are going through. The clearest encouragement to persevere is given in Colossians 1:22-23a, “He has now reconciled in the Son’s physical body through His death; in order to present you holy and without defect or reproach before Himself – provided, of course, that you continue in your trusting, grounded and steady, and don’t let yourselves be moved away from the hope offered in the Good News you heard.”

Hope (Greek: elpida, meaning expectation, trust, confidence): Jeremiah speaks of ADONAI, the author of Scripture, as the hope of Isra’el, her Savior in time of trouble (Jeremiah 14:7a). The Psalmist repeatedly speaks of their hope in ADONAI. “My soul, why are you downcast? Why are you groaning inside me? Giving answer to his own question, he says, “Hope in God, since I will praise Him again for the salvation that comes with His presence” (Psalm 42:5). In the great chiastic Psalm 119 that so majestically glorifies God’s Word, the writer calls on the Lord to remember your promise to your servant, through which You have given me hope (Psalm 119:49), and pleads: Uphold me, as You promised; and I will live; don’t disappoint me in my hope (Psalm 119:116), and testifies: I wait longingly for ADONAI; I put my hope in His Word (Psalm 130:5).

Dear Heavenly Father, Praise You for Your love in giving us Your Word which is filled with so many great stories that help Your children grow strong in You. Thank You for the many stories of Israel’s great King David. The true stories encourage us when we are facing hard times to persevere and to trust in You as David trusted in You, even when being hunted down to be killed by King Saul. My soul, wait in stillness, only for God – from Him comes my salvation. He alone is my Rock and my salvation, my fortress – I will never be moved (Psalms 62:1-2). David shares how Adonai is my shepherd, I shall not want (Psalms 23:1).

There is a marvelous story of forgiveness even when the sin is great, but the person responds with repentance and seeking Your face. Be gracious to me, O God, according to Your mercy. According to Your great compassion blot out my transgressions.  Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin (Psalms 51:1-2). You are our Mighty warrior-going to battle for us and our problem. Thus, ADONAI says to you, “Do not be afraid or be dismayed because of this . . . for the battle is not yours, but God’s” (Second Chronicles 20:15c).

Thank you for telling us of your wisdom in creation (Genesis 1) making a fire-breathing leviathan (dinosaur). Out of his mouth go flames, sparks of fire shoot out. Smoke pours from his nostrils, as a boiling pot over burning reeds. His breath sets coals ablaze and flames dart from his mouth (Job 41:19-21). Praise You for the many messages/parables your prophets/disciples wrote about how important and valuable it is to live as their most important treasure in life, as in the Pearl of Great Price parable.  Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls.  Upon finding a pearl of great value, he went out and sold all that he had and bought it (Matthew 13:45-46). Praise You that You are King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He reduces princes to nothing. He makes the judges of the earth a confusion (Isaiah 40:23; Revelation 19).

Praise Your Word is a wonderful source of strength and great encouragement. Praise You that there is no need to worry. Consider the ravens. They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn, yet God feeds them. How much more valuable you are than birds! “And which of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? So, if you cannot do even something very little, why do you worry about other things (Luke 12:24-26, Matthew 6:26-27)? When we place our hand in Yours, You are always there watching over us to love and to protect Your child. For God Himself has said, “I will never leave you or forsake you,” so that with confidence we say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What will man do to me” (Hebrews 13:5b-6)? We love You our Mighty and loving Father!

Your Word stands the test of time, for Your Word is eternal! The grass withers, the flower fades. But the word of our God stands forever” (Isaiah 40:8). Thank You for the joy of seeing Your love, comfort and protection when we read and study Your word. In Yeshua’s holy name and power of His resurrection. Amen

Paul reminded the Gentile believers in Ephesus that before their conversion they had no Messiah, and were estranged from the national life of Isra’el. You were foreigners to the covenants embodying God’s promise. You were in this world without hope and without God (Ephesians 2:12). From these passages and many others in the Bible, it is clear, as far as the believer’s hope is concerned, God and His Word are inseparable. We know that God’s Word, Yeshua Messiah . . . is our hope, our certain hope, which is appearing of the Sh’khinah of our great God and the appearing of our Deliverer (First Timothy 1:1; Titus 2:13).³⁸⁰

And may God, the source of encouragement and patience, give you the same attitude among yourselves as the Messiah Yeshua had (15:5). Relationships are always worth restoring. Because life is all about learning how to love, God wants us to value relationships and make the effort to maintain them instead of discarding them whenever there is a rift, a hurt, or a conflict. In fact, the Bible tells us that ADONAI has given us the ministry of restoring relationships (Second Corinthians 5:18). For this reason, a significant amount of the B’rit Chadashah is devoted to teaching us how to get along with one another. Paul wrote: If you’ve gotten anything at all out of following Messiah, if His love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you . . . agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends (Philippians 2:1-2 The Message). Paul taught that our ability to get along with others is a mark of spiritual maturity.³⁸¹

So that with one accord and with one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah (15:6). The ultimate purpose of the Body of Messiah, however, is not to please each other, as important as that is, but to please the Lord, both inwardly and outwardly, both individually and corporately. It is only when His people are in one accord and worship Him with one voice that they truly and fully glorify the God and Father of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah (15:6). Thus, Paul was emphasizing Yeshua’s deity. He is not an adopted son of God, as are those who believe in Him (Romans 8:14-17; Galatians 4:5; Ephesians 1:5). He is the unique and the Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth (John 1:14). He is the promised Messiah, and is our Lord, completely equal with God the Father in deity.³⁸²

The B’rit Chadashah repeatedly speaks of this unique and unfathomable relationship of God the Father and God the Son. Immediately after his greeting to the church at Ephesus, Paul declares: Praise be ADONAI, Father of our Lord Yeshua Messiah, who in the Messiah has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in heaven (Ephesians 1:3), and later on in that first chapter he speaks of the God of our Lord Yeshua Messiah, the glorious Father (Ephesians 1:17a ). In His letter to the church at Philippi, Paul prophecies that one day in honor of the name of Yeshua, every knee will bow – in heaven, on earth and under the earth – and every tongue will acknowledge that Yeshua Messiah is ADONAI, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:10-11).

Through grace far beyond our comprehension, our Lord Yeshua Messiah prayed to His Father on our behalf, that they may all be one. Just as you, Father, are united with me and I with you, I pray that they may be united with us, so that the world may believe that you sent me. The glory which you have given to me, I have given to them; so that they may be one, just as we are one – I united with them and you with me, so that they may be completely one, and the world thus realize that you sent me, and that you have loved them just as you have loved me (John 17:21-23).³⁸³

Building Up Others
15: 1-3

Building up others DIG: Why should the strong bear the shortcomings of the weak? Who is the example we are to follow? What can we do to please one another in view of these verses? What is the essential motivation for this life-style of putting others first?

REFLECT: As you’ve matured in the faith, how has your sensitivity to the consciences of other believers changed? Where do you draw the line on trying to please everyone? Do you admit your own mistakes or sin? How can confession be a powerful tool for reconciliation?

The basis for our fellowship is our relationship to God. We’re family.

ADONAI has always been deeply concerned about the unity of His people. By salvation, He has affected real spiritual oneness. He has created a commonness based on sharing the same eternal life. This should be our motivation for practical unity.

So, we who are strong have a duty to bear the weaknesses of those who are not strong, rather than please ourselves (15:1). It doesn’t mean to tolerate them; it means more than that. It means to make them your own. Identify with the weak believer and take his infirmities upon you. Scripture emphasizes both aspects. Speaking of the unified Body of Messiah in the Messianic Kingdom, Zephaniah 3:9 NASB says: I will give to the peoples purified lips, that all of them may call on the name of the Lord, to serve Him shoulder to shoulder, that is side-by-side, as brothers and sisters.³⁷⁶

Courtesy is respecting our differences, being considerate of each other’s feelings, and being patient with people who irritate us. The Bible says: Each of us should please his neighbors and act for their good, thus building them up, not to tear them down because of their weakness (15:2). The right use of our liberty in Messiah, which the strong believer understands and appreciates, often involves self-sacrifice. In every Messianic community and church there is always at least one “difficult” person (to be honest, usually more than one). These people may have emotional needs, deep insecurities, irritating mannerism, or poor social skills. But ADONAI put these people in our midst for both their benefit and ours. They are an opportunity for growth and a test of fellowship. Will we love them as brothers and sisters, and treat them with dignity?

In a family, acceptance isn’t based on how smart or beautiful or talented we are. It’s based on the fact that we belong to each other. We defend and protect family. A family member may be a little goofy, but he’s one of us. In the same way, the Bible says: Love each other devotedly and with brotherly [and sisterly] love; and set examples for each other in showing respect (12:10). The truth is, we all have quirks and annoying traits. But community has nothing to do with compatibility. The basis for our fellowship is our relationship to God. We’re family.³⁷⁷

Dear Loving Heavenly Father, Praise You for Your infinity wise wisdom which not only rescued us from sin, but also gives everyone a family of love! How wonderful that when a person chooses to love and to follow You as their Lord and Savior, You make them Your child. But whoever did receive Him, those trusting in his name, to these He gave the right to become children of God (John 1:12). Thank You for the great joy of a spiritual family!

It is such a wonderful blessing to have spiritual brothers and sisters with whom we can praise and worship You. Please give each new believer, a brother/sister to encourage them and a son/daughter that they can guide to grow deep roots in your loving care. Much love to You, my Father! You are so awesome that when we trust in You – we will never be put to shame. For if you confess with your mouth that Yeshua is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart it is believed for righteousness, and with the mouth it is confessed for salvation. For the Scripture says “Whoever trusts in Him will not be put to shame” (Romans 10:9-11). What a wonderful Father You are! Thank You for giving each one who trusts in you a family! In the Holy name of Your son Yeshua and the power of His resurrection. Amen

It is a sacrifice to patiently absorb the anger of others, especially if it’s unfounded. But remember, this is what Yeshua did for you. He endured unfounded, malicious anger in order to save you. For even the Messiah did not please Himself. The attitude of Messiah was not to please Himself. It is the attitude Paul goes on to explain in his letter to the Philippian church. During Yeshua’s incarnation: Though he was in the form of God, He did not regard equality with God something to be possessed by force. On the contrary, He emptied Himself, in that He took the form of a slave by becoming like human beings are. And when He appeared as a human being, He humbled Himself still more by becoming obedient even to death – death on a stake as a criminal (Philippians 2:6-8)! Despite His perfectly righteous and sinless life, Yeshua could say with David, but with infinitely greater significance: The insults of those insulting You (God the Father) fell on Me (God the Son) (Romans 15:3; Psalm 69:9).

Had Yeshua wanted to please Himself instead of His Father, He would not have divested Himself of His Sh’khinah glory and become a man, certainly not a bond-Servant. Yet, with great longing He prayed: Now, Father, glorify Me along with Yourself. Give Me the same Sh’khinah glory I had with You before the world existed (John 17:5). Moments before He was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane, He pleaded: My Father, if possible, let this cup pass from Me, referring to His taking the sins of the world upon Himself by His crucifixion. But He had not come to the earth to please Himself, and therefore He added: Yet – not what I want, but what You want (Matthew 26:39)!

Psalm 69:9, cited above, is also prophetic and Messianic throughout. It is the third most frequently quoted Psalm in the B’rit Chadashah (Matthew 27:34 and 48; Mark 15:35; Luke 23:36; John 2:17 and 15:25; Acts 1:20; Revelation 3:5 and 16:1). In the original, a persecuted servant of YHVH is addressing YHVH; in the present context that Servant is seen as Yeshua the Messiah. Because zeal for Your house is eating Me up; and on Me are falling the insults of those insulting You (Psalm 69:9). Here, Paul sees a hint about Yeshua. This shows one of the ways in which everything written in the past was written to teach us (15:4), where “us” notably includes Gentile believers, even though the Torah was not originally written for them (First Corinthians 10:5-11 and First Timothy 3:16).

Christian seminarians sometimes joke about “sermons based on Leviticus,” implying that they consider much of the TaNaKh boring, with little to say to Christians. If more Christians were familiar with Jewish literature, they would recognize how rich Leviticus is for everyone. Also, many Christians go even further and simply discard the entire TaNaKh in favor of the New Covenant. They are not overt about it. Instead, they acknowledge verbally that the “Old Testament” is inspired by God, but in practice, they ignore it. Is this statement to harsh? When was the last time your pastor did a sermon series on the TaNaKh? No wonder Jews often regard the TaNaKh as “the Jewish Bible,” and the New Covenant as “the Christian Bible.” Christians have fostered that impression by their own attitudes and behavior!

Christians who value the B’rit Chadashah more than the TaNaKh not only show unstated disdain for Paul’s teaching and ignore the example of himself, the other authors of the B’rit Chadashah and Yeshua; but they also deprive themselves of the encouragement, comfort and good counsel that the TaNaKh offers in helping believers patiently to hold on to their hope of complete salvation as spelled out earlier in Romans 8:17-30. Also, they are the ones most likely to fall prey to antisemitism in the Church (Replacement Theology), since they remove themselves from three-quarters of God’s inspired Word, which give the fundamental and unshakable ground for their identifying with the Jews as God’s people. Gentile believers’ identification with, and service to, the Jews, the pupil of His eye (Deuteronomy 32:10; Psalm 17:8; Proverbs 7:2; Zechariah 2:8), which is a major theme of this section (15:7-33).³⁷⁸

But in addition to the prophetic application, these verses also have a personal application for us today. If you are serious about restoring a relationship, you should begin with admitting your own mistakes or sin. Messiah said it’s the way to see things more clearly: First, take the splinter out of your own eye; then you will see clearly, so that you can remove the splinter from your brother’s eye (Matthew 7:5). Since we all have blind spots, you may need to ask a third party to help you evaluate your own actions before meeting with the person with whom you have a conflict. Also ask God to show you how much of the problem is your fault.

Confession is a powerful tool for reconciliation. Often the way we handle a conflict creates a bigger hurt than the original problem itself. When you begin by humbly admitting your mistakes, it defuses the other person’s anger and disarms their attack because they were probably expecting you to be defensive. Don’t make excuses or shift the blame; just honestly own up any part you have played in the conflict. Accept responsibility for your mistakes and ask for forgiveness.³⁷⁹

Kiddush Ha’Shem
Sanctifying God’s Name
15: 1-13

The theme of unity looms large in the early part of this chapter with parallel themes of encouragement and endurance. Paul demonstrates that unity between the strong and the weak, between Messianic Jews and Gentiles, can be achieved in and through Yeshua Messiah. However, there can be no unity as long as believers cling to attitudes that cause tension. Paul reminds all the believers in the church at Rome that Yeshua was One who chose NOT to have His own way, though He could have, but chose to serve those around Him. Messiah is our example of how to nurture unity and peace. Paul also lifts up the Scriptures as a source of encouragement and hope for the believing community. The last part of the chapter focuses on personal matters that Paul believes are of interest to the church at Rome.³⁷⁵

Messianic Principles
14: 10-23

Messianic principles DIG: In what way will we have to give an account of ourselves to God? What four things happen instantly when we judge another believer? Instead of judging other believers, what should we be doing? What should we do if we disagree over matters of conscience? What does Paul mean by the word “stumble?” How might some believers be stumbling blocks to other believers? What will a life of self-centeredness cost believers?

REFLECT: When has your freedom in Messiah been a stumbling block to someone else? In your opinion, what are some issues that are just not worth fighting over? What beliefs are you not willing to compromise? As you’ve matured in the faith, how has your sensitivity to the consciences of other believers changed? When should believers defer to a fellow believer’s beliefs? Why is it more important to maintain unity than to maintain your personal “rights?”

Paul is writing to a mixed congregation of Jewish and Gentile believers in Rome under the inspiration of the Ruach Ha’Kodesh, instructing them how to get along with each other in the same Body of Messiah. They don’t have the freedom in Messiah to judge each other.

Throughout the book of Romans, Paul has delivered a fountain of pithy and practical guidelines for spiritual living. His counsel has alternated between choices and actions by individuals on the one hand, and the wellbeing of the Body of Messiah on the other. He celebrates freedom in Messiah, but also cautions against a tendency to make freedom the end in itself rather than a means to an end. In this passage, Paul reiterates that the freedom we have in Messiah is not a license to do anything we want, but an encouragement to always consider what is best for others.³⁶⁵

Do not judge your brother: It’s always easier to stand on the sidelines and take shots at those who are serving than it is to get involved and make a contribution. God warns us over and over not to criticize, compare, or judge each other. You then, why do you pass judgment on your “stronger” brother? Or why do you look down on your “weaker” brother (14:10a)? When you criticize what another believer is doing in faith and from sincere conviction, you are interfering with God’s business. For all of us will stand before God’s judgment seat (14:10b). Whenever I judge another believer, four things happen instantly: I lose fellowship with God, I expose my own pride and insecurity, I set myself up to be judged by Ha’Shem, and I harm the fellowship where I worship. A critical spirit is a costly vice.³⁶⁶

Then Paul reinforces his argument for believer’s judgment with a quotation from Isaiah 45:23, “As I live, says ADONAI, every knee will bend before me, and every tongue will publicly acknowledge God” (14:11). Yeshua Messiah alone will judge all mankind. The Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son (John 5:23). And ADONAI alone will save all the earth. Thus, while bending the knee may be the act of a condemned criminal, it is also that of a pardoned sinner!

At the end of your life on earth you will stand before YHVH, and He is going to evaluate how well you served others with your life. So then, every one of us will have to give an account of Himself to God (14:12). Think about the implications of that. One day Ha’Shem will compare how much time and energy we spend on ourselves compared with what we invested in serving others. At that point, all of our excuses for self-centeredness will sound pretty pathetic, “I was too busy,” or “I had my own goals” or “I was preoccupied with working, having fun, or preparing for retirement.” To all those excuses, God will respond, “Sorry, wrong answer. I created, saved, called and commanded you to live a life of service. What part did you not understand? God will pour out His anger and wrath on those who live for themselves (2:8 NLT). But for believers, it will mean a loss of eternal rewards (see the commentary on Revelation, to see link click Cc – For We Must All Appear Before the Judgment Seat of Christ).³⁶⁷

Therefore, let’s stop passing judgment on each other in these areas of personal conscience! Instead, make this one judgment. Instead, make this one judgment, “Do not to put a stumbling block or a snare in a brother’s way” (14:13). It is the unloving attitude of contemptuous superiority by strong believers and the equally unloving attitude of self-righteousness by weak believers by which we judge each other. From Paul’s day to ours, those wrongful judgments have been major causes of disrespect, disharmony, and disunity in the Universal Church made up of Jews and Gentiles (Ephesians 2:14). The strong brother is permitted to do anything he wishes in these amoral areas, with the exception of stumbling his weaker brother. He can choose not to use his freedom in Messiah to do so.

The teaching of this verse, which expresses the central of this chapter, is a midrash on Leviticus 19:14, which says: You are not to place a stumbling block before the blind, or, more generally, you are not to bring cruel intended harm upon someone who is helpless. The rabbis interpreted “blind” metaphorically to mean those unlearned in Torah (Sifra to Leviticus 19:14, Bava Metzia 75b, ‘Avodah Zarah 21b-22a). This meaning for “blind” would include both those whom Paul calls weak in faith, and those whom he considers strong in faith, but inclined to pride; until their attitudes change both are relatively helpless, and it is wrong to cause them to commit sin, either in fact or in their own opinion. The inspired authors of the B’rit Chadashah echo the same sentiment (James 4:11-12 and 5:9; Ephesians 4:29; Matthew 5:9).³⁶⁸

Dear Heavenly Father, I look up to You with wonder and awe of Your deep love expressed in undying chesed kindness. Yeshua died as the sacrificial lamb (John 1:29) in our place (Leviticus 1:4, Second Corinthians 5:21). You put the sins of Your children as far as the east is from the west. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His mercy for those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us (Psalms 103:11-12). When I consider the vastness of the universe in which our tiny blue planet spins its existence, I am humbled at Your wonderfully complex and expansive sovereignty. You who are the mighty creator, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords could easily come down harshly on anyone who is weak – but Your love continues to call them to strength in Your truth and You model kindness and patience. May we follow Your path of mercy to all. May we love and pray for them. Thank You for being such a wonderful Father. In Yeshua’s holy name and power of His resurrection. Amen

Nothing is unclean in itself: I know – that is, I have been persuaded by the Lord Yeshua the Messiah – that nothing is unclean in itself. But if a person considers something unclean, then for him it is unclean (14:14). Paul is certainly not saying, “Anything goes!” His remark here has nothing to do with human behavior, but with tum’ah, or ritual uncleanness. It is not surprising that Paul, having alluded to Leviticus 19 in the previous verse, a chapter full of commandments about ritual uncleanness, continues with a principle on that subject. It is, nevertheless, a surprising conclusion for a Jewish scholar who sat at the feet of Rabban Gamali’el to reach; indeed, he had to be persuaded by the Lord Yeshua the Messiah Himself. For the concept of ritual uncleanness permeates not only the Oral Law (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Ei – The Oral Law), one whose six major divisions has “Ritual Uncleanness” as its central topic, but also the Torah of Moshe itself, mainly Leviticus 11-17.

The Bible does not always explain why some things are pure and others not. Hygiene is not the issue; for if it were, there would be no reason to exclude Gentiles from the application of these mitzvot. And the rabbis do not speculate much on the reasons. Since the mitzvot of ritual purity apply only to Jews, the statement that nothing is unclean in itself should be enough to free any Gentile whose conscience still bothers him in regard to such matters. As for Jews, even in rabbinic Judaism, most of the purity mitzvot have generally fallen into disuse (see Encyclopedia Judaica 14:1412).³⁶⁹

When the stronger believer insists on exercising his freedom to eat certain food, distressing the weaker believer, the stronger believer violates the cardinal virtue of love. And if your “weaker” brother is being upset by the food you eat, your life is no longer one of love. The eating of the stronger believer, coupled with his attitude of superiority and scorn toward those who think differently, can pressure his weaker brother into eating something that he isn’t fully convinced about in his own mind (14:5b), thus, violating his own conscience.

Do not, by your eating habits, destroy (Greek: apollumi, meaning to cause pain or grief) someone for whom the Messiah died (14:15)! In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish (Matthew 18:14). Although perish (Greek: apollumi) normally carries the ideal of total destruction or even death, it sometimes, as here, refers to ruin or loss that is not permanent. When Jesus speaks of perishing, He relates it to sanctification, or our spiritual growth as believers over the course of our lives. Messiah doesn’t want us to be spiritually wounded, even for a little while. When we fall into sin it destroys our usefulness to Him, to the Church, and it weakens our right relationship with Him and other believers. For one believer to wound another believer is to attack the will of ADONAI and oppose Him. The Lord actively seeks the spiritual well-being of all His children, and we should do no less.³⁷⁰

It is possible to so abuse our liberty in Messiah in regard to fellow believers that we create conflicts within the Universal Church that give the world cause to criticize and condemn those who claim to hold brotherly love in such high esteem. Therefore, Paul says: Do not let what you know to be good, that one need not be in bondage to rules about food, be spoken of as bad, as a result of your flaunting your freedom to eat what you want (14:16). Although it brings much blessing and enjoyment to those who understand and exercise it properly, our liberty in Messiah is not simply for our own benefit and certainly not for our selfish use. It is a gracious gift from YHVH and a wonderfully good thing. But like any other divine blessing, it can be misused in ways that are outside of, and often contrary to, God’s purposes.

Here is a good example. A strong and a weak believer sometimes would go to dinner at the house of an unbelieving Gentile. When the host served the meal, he might mention that the meat had been used in a pagan sacrifice. The weak believer would be immediately disturbed and tell the other believer that he could not, in all good conscience, eat such meat. Out of love for his weaker brother, the strong believer would join in refusing to eat the meat, understanding that it is better to offend an unbeliever than a fellow believer. Although that unusual and selfless act of love might temporarily offend the unbelieving host, it might also be used by the Ruach to show the depth of God’s love and draw the unbeliever to the gospel.

Likewise, many Messianic believers, because they had been raised kosher, could not bring themselves to eat meat that still contained blood, nor could they eat an animal that had been strangled. When a weak Messianic believer found himself at a meal where such meat was being served, any stronger believer present, Messianic or Gentile, should, out of love for his brother, also refuse to eat it. Such careful exercise of freedom in Messiah is vital to the unity of the Body of Messiah and our witness before, and to, the unbelieving world. Giving up our freedom is a small price to pay for the sake of both believers and potential believers for the Kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness, shalom and joy in the Ruach Ha’Kodesh. Anyone who serves the Messiah in this fashion both pleases God and wins the approval of other people (14:17-18).³⁷¹

Do not tear down God’s work: The Bible calls Satan the accuser of our brothers (Revelation 12:10). It’s the devil’s job to blame, complain, and criticize members of God’s family. Anytime we do the same, we are being tricked into doing the Adversary’s work for him. Remember, other believers, no matter how much you disagree with them, are not the real enemy. Any time spent comparing or criticizing other believers is time that should have been spent on building up the unity of our fellowship. So then, let us pursue the things that make for shalom and mutual upbuilding (14:19).³⁷²

Don’t tear down God’s work for the sake of food. For everything created by God is good, and nothing received with thanksgiving needs to be rejected, because the Word of God and prayer make it holy (First Timothy 4:4). The B’rit Chadashah does not make pork or ham kosher, but it allows the freedom to eat non-kosher ham, for example. True enough, all things are clean and good in themselves (14:14 and 16). The danger is that, when they are exercised selfishly and carelessly by strong believers, those very blessings can become evil for anybody by his eating to cause your brother to stumble (14:20).

What is good is not to use our freedom in Messiah to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble by doing something contrary to his own conscience (14:21). The pleasure of eating or drinking offensive food or drink, or the pleasure of doing anything else our liberty allows us to do, is absolutely insignificant compared to the spiritual warfare of a brother or sister in Messiah. It is worse than insignificant. It actually becomes sinful if it might cause another believer, for whom Messiah died, to stumble.³⁷³

The belief you hold about such things, keep between yourself and God. Happy is the person who is free of self-condemnation when he approves of something! Compared with the Talmud, “It was taught: If there are things which are allowed but which some treat as prohibited, you must not permit them in their practice” (N’darim 15a). But the doubter, or the weak believer, comes under condemnation if he eats, because his action is not based on trust. And anything not based on trust is a sin (14:22-23). One could call this the principle saying of the B’rit Chadashah thinking and behavior.

Paul forces us to ask which is more important: getting our own way . . . or living God’s way? The cultural landscape changes constantly, but the underlying ones remain the same. Will we let ADONAI help us love one another despite our tendencies not to do so? Will we make freedom mean simply pursuing our desires or a means to pursue the desires of YHVH? Ultimately, we must recognize Messiah’s is Lord even over our freedom.³⁷⁴

B’rit Chadashah Priorities
14: 5-9

B’rit Chadashah priorities DIG: The debate that Paul mentions in the passage over eating food offered to idols may not seem relevant today. But what timeless truths can be found in his words as it relates to doing anything that could cause another person to stumble?

REFLECT: How tolerant are you of other people’s weaknesses that are matters of conscience? Have you been hurt by unscriptural standards? How so? What standards or practices in your place of worship are traditional, but not necessarily scriptural?

Shabbat is Shabbat and kosher and kosher, but you are free to worship on any day of the week or eat anything you want. Don’t judge people if they don’t meet up to your standards. While we don’t have the right to judge, everyone will give an account to Messiah.

Paul continues to explain how people of different opinions or preferences can still live in harmony with one another. He knows how important it is to have harmonious relationships within the family of God. Paul knows that disunity is the surest way to destroy the work of YHVH. So, he addresses sacred days and eating meat, the subjects that were important to his readers, and urged each person to seek the will of ADONAI earnestly for themselves.³⁵⁸

Whether weak or strong (to see link click Dg – Torah Questions), a sincere believer feels free or not free to do certain things out of the same motive: to please ADONAI. Neither one is more or less spiritual or because of his convictions about issues of conscience. Being strong in this sense is not synonymous with being spiritual and being weak is not synonymous with being carnal. The problem in the church at Rome, as in many churches since that day, was that some believers of both persuasions thought themselves to be more spiritual and the others to be more carnal. Paul’s whole motive in these verses was to expose and get rid of those false, divisive, and destructive notions.³⁵⁹

Freedom in Messiah regarding days of worship: One person (the weak) considers some days more holy than others, while someone else (the strong) regards them as being all alike (14:5a). The reference is not specifically to Jewish holidays but to any day that any believer might have come to regard as especially holy. Therefore, the weak here are not specifically Jewish believers, but any believer who is attached to particular calendar observances.

What is important is for each to be fully convinced in his own mind (14:5b). In this context mind obviously includes the heart and conscience, our deepest convictions and motives. That is an amazing statement because we are seeing a lot of flexibility from a pretty orthodox rabbi. Paul tells them to learn to live with whatever they are fully convinced is true, but not to be the judge of those who disagree. The grace of ADONAI freed Paul to accept the differences between fellow believers without doing harm to the Word of God. And that was the lesson that both Jew and Gentile in the church at Rome had to learn if harmony was to exist between them.³⁶⁰

This principle for dealing with doctrinal and practical disputes applies to matters about which the Bible is indifferent and must be balanced against Second Timothy 3:16, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is valuable for teaching and truth, convicting of sin, correcting faults and training in right living.” Where Scripture gives a clear word, personal opinion must give way. But where the Word of God is subject to various interpretations, let each be persuaded in his own mind while at the same time loving each other devotedly and with brotherly [and sisterly] love; and set examples for each other in showing respect (12:10).³⁶¹

He who observes a day as special does so to honor the Lord. Likewise, the weaker abstainer abstains to honor the Lord, and he too gives thanks to God (14:6). By citing examples of the behavior of both, Paul makes it clear that his argument applies to both the strong believer and the weak believer. They are both motivated in their respective practices by a desire to glorify the Lord.³⁶²

To the Colossian church Paul wrote: So, don’t let anyone pass judgment on you in connection with eating and drinking, or in regard to a Jewish festival or Rosh Hodesh or Shabbat. These are a shadow of things that are coming, but the body is of the Messiah (Colossians 2:16-17). Here again, we find Paul pointing to Messiah, whose coming caused a shift from the thinking during the Dispensation of Torah (see the commentary on Exodus Da – The Dispensation of the Torah), to the thinking during the Dispensation of Grace (see the commentary on Hebrews Bp – The Dispensation of Grace). If the believers in the church at Rome were successful at making that shift, they would leave their worthless legalism behind.³⁶³

Freedom in Messiah regarding which foods we eat: Also, the stronger believer who eats anything, eats to honor the Lord, since he gives thanks to God. But for that very reason, he has a greater responsibility because he has a more mature understanding of the Word. Paul, therefore, sternly warns the strong believer: Watch out that your mastery of the situation does not become a stumbling block to the weak. You have this “knowledge”; but suppose someone with a weak conscience sees you sitting, eating a meal in the temple of an idol. Won’t he be built up wrongly to eat this food which has been sacrificed to idols? Thus, by your “knowledge” this weak person is destroyed, this brother for whom the Messiah died; and so, when you sin against the brothers by wounding their conscience when it is weak, you are sinning against the Messiah! Speaking for himself, he continues: To sum up, if food will be a snare for my brother, I will never eat meat again, lest I cause my brother to sin (First Corinthians 8:9-13).

For none of us lives only in relation to himself, and none of us dies only in relation to himself; for if we live, we live in relation to the Lord; and if we die, we die in relation to the Lord. What we do for other believers, we do not only for their sakes, but for the Lord’s sake, because whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord (14:7-8)

Paul is still concerned with the spirit of judgment that existed in the church at Rome, and continues to discuss it with them. He has let them know that both groups will answer to YHVH one day? Indeed, it was for this very reason that the Messiah died and came back to life, so that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living (14:9). There is a huge difference between discerning what is right and wrong for oneself, and imposing those standards on others. It is Yeshua’s responsibility to be our judge: The Father does not judge anyone but has entrusted all judgment to the Son (John 5:22). Our Lord’s death and resurrection makes Him both the Lord of the dead and the living. His qualifications are impeccable and eternal. Messiah is God’s measuring rod. Paul says to all believers, “How do you measure up? Are you really qualified to be a judge?”

As we grow in grace and in the knowledge of Messiah, we will discover from time to time that we need to reevaluate our position. We need to be humble when such times come because we serve One who is in infinite love, knowledge, wisdom, and holiness. He demands growth.³⁶⁴

Dear Heavenly Father, Praise You for wisely rewarding and judging not based on outward observance of some law or rule, nor on if they say You are Lord. What You see as important is if their heart attitude says that You are their Lord. How good it is that You see the thoughts and intentions of the heart and that is what You based Your judgements on.  Not everyone who says to Me, “Lord, Lord!” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.  Many will say to Me on that day, “Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in Your name, and drive out demons in Your name, and perform many miracles in Your name?”  Then I will declare to them, “I never knew you. Get away from Me, you workers of lawlessness” (Matthew 7:21-23)!

You are so good to Your children. You graciously give the huge gift of eternal life to those who love and follow You. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not from yourselves – it is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8). You also put the sins of Your children as far as the east is from the west. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His mercy for those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us (Psalms 103:11-12). To top it off, Your fantastic love gives Your children Messiah’s righteousness (Second Corinthians 5:21) which allows Your children entrance into your holy heaven where they will live with You in eternal peace and joy forever. Do not let your heart be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in Me.  In My Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?  If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to Myself, so that where I am you may also be (John 14:1-3). It is a joy to serve You from a loving heart. In Yeshua’s name and power of His resurrection. Amen

Torah Questions
14: 1-4

Torah questions DIG: What issues were causing the disunity in the church at Rome? Who was the stronger and who was the weaker? What might be an issue in your place of worship today? What is the “One Law” movement? Why does it threaten Jewish distinctiveness? But what about Gentiles who sense they are called by God to worship in Jewish ways?

REFLECT: How “weak” or “strong” are you in the faith? In what areas are you “weak” or “strong?” Why? Which issues of conscience is your place of worship dealing with? How do you personally deal with people who are causing disunity in your place of worship? What principle should guide us when we are dealing with differences of conscience?

We can have different opinions, but we shouldn’t be judging each other on issues of conscience; however, Isra’el’s national identity must be preserved.

The issue in this passage does not come from the behavior it teaches, but from identifying precisely who are the “strong” and “weak,” and drawing out the implications for each. The weak are believers, either Gentile or Jewish, who have not yet grown sufficiently in their faith to have abstained from various practices and calendar observations. Their behavior is irrational and emotional, linked to psychological needs, social pressures, superstition, or it may be simply a matter of habit. This is why Paul calls them weak.

Dear Kind Heavenly Father, Praise You for Your love that took our punishment on the cross and then gave us Your righteousness so we could live with You in your holy heaven. He made the One who knew no sin to become a sin offering on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God (Second Corinthians 5:21). Praise You for giving those who love and follow You the gift of being Your children. But whoever did receive Him, those trusting in His name, to these He gave the right to become children of God (John 1:12).

Praise You for being such a kind and patient Father! When Your child is being tested and needs wisdom on what to do, You never yell at him or scold him– instead You invite him to come to You to ask You for wisdom and You promise to give it.  But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all without hesitation and without reproach; and it will be given to him (James 1:5). Praise You for your example of chesed loving kindness. Praise You for always being with Your child; always being by his side ready to help. You are Awesome! In Yeshua’s holy name and power of His resurrection. Amen

The principle: Now as for a person whose trust is weak, welcome him – but not to get into arguments over rabbinic opinions, or halakhah (14:1). Halakhah are rules governing Jewish life and come from the Hebrew root to walk. The rabbis used the term to refer to the legal way to walk out the commandments of the Torah. It can also refer to the Oral Law (see the commentary on The Life of Christ, to see link click Ei – The Oral Law). A single halakhah is a specific ruling given regarding a particular issue, the halakhah being the ruling accepted and observed by the Jewish community. Conflict is usually a sign that the focus has been shifted to areas of conscience. When we focus on personalities, preferences, interpretations, styles, or methods, division always happens.³⁵² We need to stay away from stupid and ignorant controversies – you know that they lead to fights (Second Timothy 2:23).

The application: One person who has the faith/trust/belief that will allow him to eat anything, obviously refers to the stronger, more mature believer who understands and exercises his freedom in Messiah. The Gospel of the B’rit Chadashah includes no dietary restrictions, Mosaic or otherwise. In his first letter to Timothy, Paul wrote: The Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron, men who forbid marriage and advocate abstaining from foods, which God has created to be gratefully shared in by those who believe and know the truth (First Timothy 4:13).

Several years after he began his apostolic ministry, Peter was still afraid to eat animals that were not kosher. It took three repeated declarations by the Lord in a vision to convince Peter to stop treating as unclean what God has made clean (Acts 10:15-16). The greater teaching of the vision was that Peter was not to call any person [that is, Gentiles] common or unclean (Acts 10:28).

But some Gentile believers, like some Jews, were troubled by eating certain foods, but for different reasons. Because of idolatry and immorality related to their former religions, they could not bring themselves to eat meat, or any other food, that had been used as an offering to a pagan deity. Like Peter, they were still spiritually weak in regard to such things. As a result, some Jewish and Gentile believers would eat only vegetables (14:2), taking no chance of eating meat they considered defiled by idols. Paul is not proposing that the Jewish dietary mitzvot have been abolished. The issue here is vegetarianism, not kosher halakhah.³⁵³

The one who eats anything must not look down on the “weaker” [believer] who abstains; and the abstainer must not pass judgment on the [believer] who eats anything, because God has accepted him (14:3). Paul chooses his words carefully in order to pinpoint the sin of each. The one who eats anything might take pride in having thought the matter through and freed himself from his fears and compulsions, and might look down on his “weaker” brother in the faith. But the abstainer is more likely to develop a “holier-than-thou” attitude and pass judgment on his brother as “careless.”³⁵⁴

The freedom in Messiah: The second reason every believer should accept every other believer is that the Lord sustains us all. A believer who is “strong” about matters that are not doctrinal or moral, and that are neither commanded nor forbidden in Scripture, is just as much in need of God’s strength as the who is “weak.” We are all weak in the sense that everything good and righteous we possess is a gift from God, never a product of our own wisdom or efforts.

But the remaining influence of the flesh often tempts liberated believers to think legalists are so rigid and self-righteous that they sacrifice not only much personal joy, but also limit their effectiveness to the Lord. On the other hand, the same fleshly influence tempts legalists to believe that liberated believers are self-centered and loose-living, and therefore, cannot serve the Lord effectively.³⁵⁵

Being well aware of those tendencies, Paul confronted both groups with the stinging rhetorical question: Who are you to pass judgment on someone else’s servant? It is before his own Master, namely , namely Yeshua Messiah, that each believer will stand or fall; and the fact is that every believer will stand, because the Lord is able to make him stand (14:4). Earlier in the letter, Paul posed a similar rhetorical question: So, who will bring a charge against God’s chosen people? He asks: Certainly not God – He is the one who causes them to be considered righteous! Who punishes them? Certainly not the Messiah Yeshua, who died and – more than that – has been raised, is at the right hand of God and is actually pleading on our behalf (8:33-34)! For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor other heavenly rulers, neither what exists nor what is coming, neither powers above nor powers below, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God which comes to us through the Messiah Yeshua, our Lord (8:38-39).

Yeshua Himself assures those who belong to Him: My sheep listen to my voice, I recognize them, they follow me, and I give them eternal life. They will absolutely never be destroyed, and no one will snatch them from my hands (John 10:27-28). The closing benediction of Jude’s brief letter reflects that promise, reminding believers of the one who can keep you from falling and set you without defect and full of joy in the presence of His Sh’khinah (Jude 24). Truly, the Lord sustains His own.³⁵⁶

Torah Questions: The Psalmist of Isra’el implores Ha’Shem, “Open my eyes, so that I will see wonders from your Torah” (Ps 119:18). Is this a prayer that Gentiles can pray? Or can only Jewish people speak these words? I believe that Gentiles can, and should, pray this prayer with devotion. This is because the Torah is relevant to Gentiles. Many sections of the Torah are not directly applicable to Gentiles (just as there are many sections of the Torah that are not directly applicable to men), but there are hundreds of other commandments that are directly applicable. There are at least twenty purposes of the Torah. They include:

• To serve as the foundational revelation of God
• To remind us of God’s love, grace and power seen in acts of creation and redemption
• To teach us how to love God and our neighbor
• To teach us how to worship God
• To establish the oneness and sovereignty of God
• To teach us to be holy as God is holy
• To point out sin so that we might repent to God
• To train us to exercise faith in God
• To train us to be obedient to God
• To reveal the heart and priorities of God
• To reveal the wisdom and knowledge of God
• To train us to meditate on the Word of God
• To establish the order of God’s creation
• To uphold God’s standards of justice and compassion in society
• To draw the nations to God
• To foster unity among God’s people
• To give our children a heritage from the Lord
• To point us to Messiah and His death, resurrection and return
• To prepare Isra’el to fulfill God’s calling
• To preserve Isra’el as a distinct nation by God’s design

The Torah serves all of these purposes and most of them are directly applicable to Gentiles. A Gentile’s love for Torah commandments should include, above all, a commitment to Torah ethics. These are centered on the Shema – love for God and love for neighbor.

But Gentiles do not have a covenantal responsibility to keep those aspects of Torah that were given by God to serve as “boundary markers of identity” for the Jewish people. This relates to the last point on our list of purposes of the Torah – to preserve Isra’el as a distinct nation by God’s design. Consider that if all Gentile Christians lived as Jews. The Jewish people would cease to exist as a certain people who keep themselves separate; their customs are different from those of all other people (Esther 3:8). Certainly, it is not God’s will for the Jewish people to cease to exist!

Stated another way, the God of Isra’el is a God who loves diversity and we see this diversity reflected in the order of creation. Consider the different kinds of plants and trees, birds and animals, and their many colors. Humanity is divided into male and female, Isra’el and the nations. The biblical model from beginning to end is that the kingdom of God is a table fellowship of Jews (in all their diversity) and Gentiles (in all their diversity) whose relationship with one another is supposed to be characterized by interdependence and mutual blessing.

Those who teach that all Gentile Christians are supposed to live like Jews by embracing Jewish “boundary markers of identity” have embraced a teaching that Paul condemns in his letter to the Galatians, referring to its adherents as those who pervert the Gospel of Messiah (Galatians 1:7). The modern day expression of this teaching is the “One Law” or “Hebrew Roots” movement. This movement is toxic for the following reasons: (1) It preaches a different gospel (Galatians 1:6) by claiming that Gentile Christians have to live like Jews in order to be faithful to God; (2) It is anti-Jewish because it opposes Jewish distinctiveness; (3) It is anti-Christian because it opposes Gentile Christian distinctiveness and claims that the Church is apostate if it does not live out Isra’el’s way of life; (4) It causes division in Messianic synagogues and Christian churches; (5) It is energized by a critical spirit and a gnostic-like quest for secret knowledge; (6) It is based on pseudo-scholarship; (7) It leads to weirdness and strange teachings, for example, Gentiles dressed up as Orthodox Jews, the belief that all Christians are members of the lost tribes of Isra’el, the view that Paul is a false apostle, rejection of the divinity of Yeshua or the triune nature of God, and so on.

One Law, or Hebrew Roots Doctrine (see the commentary on Galatians Ak – The Hebrew Roots Movement: A Different Gospel): One Law doctrine is based on the idea that everybody everywhere ought to be keeping the Torah given to the Jews at Sinai. In their view, the Torah wasn’t intended just for Isra’el, but for everyone. Moreover, neither the coming of Messiah, nor the atonement provided in the New Covenant changes anything in terms of what they see as the universal human need to relate to God through mitzvot of the Torah. Accordingly, One Law teachers, as embodied today in the Hebrew Roots movement, are highly critical of what they see as the historical error of the Gentile Church in not keeping “the laws” which God gave to Moses and Isra’el at Mount Sinai. Of particular concern to them seem to be “the laws” pertaining to Shabbat and festival observance, as well as the dietary commandments. Those Gentile Christians who don’t necessarily see the need to follow such “laws” are considered as “pagans.”

One Law doctrine holds that the true “Hebrew roots” of the faith are to be found in keeping all 613 commandments of the Torah given to Moses given at Mt. Sinai. Their mission, as it seems, is to promote observance of “the law” as the means of restoring the body of Messiah to the supposed true Hebrew roots of the faith, which are to be found in the Sinai covenant. This mission takes on particular urgency in the end-times. One Law proponents advocate, therefore, the urgent need for all Gentile believers to depart from “paganism,” and to return in zeal to the “true Hebrew roots” of their faith, which is supposedly to be found in the legal observance of the Torah. In recent years, they have bombarded the internet with their teachings. Some of them are very savvy when it comes to this.

The Issue: Followers of “One Law, One People” movement insist that everybody ought to be Torah observant. Since everybody does not keep the Torah, they typically see their Torah observance as some kind of evidence of their chosen-ness. They believe they have special knowledge like the Gnostics, whose writings flourished among certain Christian groups until about the second century, when the Fathers of the early church denounced it as heresy. However, the “One Law” doctrine is causing just as much trouble today as the Gnostic doctrine did in the early Church. Not only does it breed a sense of legalistic pride, but there are deeper concerns. Almost inevitably, “One Law, One People” teaching is associated with the idea that people who keep the Torah given to Isra’el actually ARE Isra’el. This idea is usually advanced by myths about the “lost tribes.” The followers of “One Law” typically begin to identify Isra’el in Bible prophecy as somehow pertaining to them. Most of them think of themselves as belonging to the northern kingdom of Isra’el, as represented in the prophecy of the two “sticks” referenced in Ezeki’el 37. Thus, they see Torah observance as their duty as members of “the people Isra’el.”

The question of Isra’el identity always seems to be related to this doctrine of One Law. Thus, not only is it wrong on its face, theologically, but it is deeply and intimately intertwined with Replacement Theology. Obsession with the Torah, and with Isra’el identity, has caused many Hebrew Roots groups to take on the external look and feel of being Jewish. In Hebrew Roots conferences and in local congregational groups, for example, it is commonplace to hold meetings on Shabbat and during the Levitical feasts. In their meetings, they typically employ traditional articles of Jewish worship like davidic dancing, Jewish liturgical prayers, and shofar- blowing. It is common for people to be wearing kippot and tzitzit, using Hebrew slogans on their banners, displaying the magen David, and even participating in Torah processions. It’s not an intrinsically bad thing to use Jewish symbolism and expression by Gentiles. However, such usage by legalistic, Gentile groups, many of whom think they are the true Israelites, and who are often critical and divisive toward the Gentile church, can cause much offense and/or confusion in both the Jewish and Christian community. Both the Jewish and Christian communities may not be able to see the distinction between the Messianic Jewish community and the Hebrew Roots camp. Due to their external appearance, and the imitation of Jewish expression, there is potential that the practices and beliefs of these Hebrew Roots groups could wrongfully be attributed to Messianic Jews.

But what about Gentiles who sense they are called by God to worship in Jewish ways? Gentiles who are called by God to be members of Messianic Jewish congregations are called to embrace the lifestyle of these synagogues, not as Messianic Jews but as Gentile followers of the Messiah. They are Gentiles who practice Messianic Judaism, or, Messianic Gentiles. So, one the one hand, “calling” is the operative term here since most Gentiles are not called to join Messianic synagogues and live out Jewish lifestyle. But on the other hand, Gentile Christian churches are not violating God’s will if they do not keep the Sabbath on the seventh day, observe the Jewish festivals, and so on. The Gentile wing of the Church should appreciate its Jewish origins, its Jewish Scriptures, its Jew-Gentile identity and its Jewish Messiah, but the Gentile wing of the Church should not be viewed as deficient if it does not follow distinctly Jewish customs.³⁵⁷

At the end of the book of Ezeki’el, the prophet speaks of life during the Messianic Kingdom (Ezeki’el Chapters 40-48). He tells us that not only will the Promised Land be divided as an inheritance for each of the twelve tribes, but there will be also be Gentiles involved in the inheritance as well. He says: You are to distribute this land among yourselves according to the tribes of Isra’el. You are to allot it as an inheritance for yourselves and for the [Gentiles] who have settled among you and who have children. You are to consider them as native-born Israelites; along with you that are to be allotted an inheritance among the tribes of Isra’el (Ezeki’el 47:21-22). What a wonderful thought – that there will be a remnant from among the Gentile nations who will so desire to be identified with Isra’el that the God of Isra’el will even grant them a physical inheritance within the Land of Isra’el.

Liberty Within Torah Obedience
14: 1-23

The contrast Paul makes is between the stronger and the weaker believer, who believes that there is some intrinsic sin in eating and drinking meat and wine. The question that is answered in Chapter 14 is, “What does Torah observance means in practical lifestyle?” Paul is not dealing with something that was forbidden by the Torah, nor ethically wrong, nor something that would jeopardize one’s testimony, rather, he was dealing with things that are amoral. Neither good nor bad, but could be used for both good or bad.

 

Respecting Civil Authority
13: 1-14

Respecting civil authority DIG: Why must believers be subject to the laws of the government? What is the exception to the divine command that “everyone is to obey the governing authorities?” What if a governmental official is corrupt, disreputable? What are our options as believers? Why do we pay taxes? How is God’s view of love different from the world’s view? How does our conscience work against or with governmental authority?

REFLECT: When you consider your current set of elected officials (federal, state, and local), is it easy or hard to submit yourself to their authority? If it is difficult for you, what would the Bible say is your responsibility? How do you respond to the unlovable people in your world? What motivates you to love others? What tends to prevent you from loving others? What does it mean to clothe yourselves with the Lord Yeshua the Messiah?

Although not of the world, we are still in the world; therefore, we have a responsibility to obey the governing authorities, as long as they do not ask us to violate the Word of God.

Having discussed believer’s relationships with believers and with unbelievers (to see link click Dd – Walking in Love), Paul naturally turns to how we should relate to the chief external institution, civil authorities. His advice, which can be seen as an application of 12:21, conquer evil with good, corresponds to Judaism’s “Dina dimalkuta dina,” Aramaic for “The law of the kingdom is Law,” Torah to be obeyed as if God Himself had commanded it. As Yeshua had said: Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God (Matthew 22:21). Does this mean that believers should obey the wicked laws of an evil government – the Nazis, the Communists, or other totalitarian regimes? No, because this rule does not stand by itself in in Scripture; it must be set against Acts 5:29, We must obey God, not men, when the will of the state and will of God conflict (see Acts Au – The Apostles Persecuted).³⁴³ But we must do so with respect and with the willingness to suffer whatever penalties and consequences may result.

Paul was writing to believers at the very heart of the Roman Empire. As yet, the great persecutions had not begun, but were on their way. Christianity was still considered a Jewish sect, and the Jewish religion was approved by Rome. However, the day would soon come when it would be very difficult, if not impossible, for a believer, either Jew or Gentile, to be loyal to the emperor. He or she could not drop incense on the altar and affirm, “Caesar is god!³⁴⁴

What, then, is the believer’s responsibility to society, and to the government in particular, if we are to remain aliens and temporary residents in the world (First Peter 2:11), who have an obligation to call people to salvation? How are we to live in the world but not be of the world (John 17:11 and 16). In the present context, Paul presents the two basic principles that answer those questions. First, be subject to the government, and second, pay taxes. It is through fulfilling those two obligations that we give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God (Matthew 22:21).

First, be submitted to governing authorities: Everyone, believers and unbelievers alike, are to obey the governing authorities (Romans 13:1a). While writing to believers who were living as aliens in the Diaspora – in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, the province of Asia, and Bithynia (First Peter 1:1), Peter said: For the sake of the Lord, submit yourselves to every human authority – whether to the emperor as being supreme, or to governors as being sent by him to punish wrongdoers and praise those who do what is good. For it is God’s will that your doing good should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. Submit as people who are free, but not letting your freedom serve as an excuse for evil; rather, submit as God’s slaves. Be respectful to all – keep loving the brotherhood, fearing God and honoring the emperor (First Peter 2:13-17). Peter gives no qualification of condition. Every civil authority is to be submitted to willingly, unless any law or command would require disobedience to God’s Word.

When Pharaoh ordered the Jewish midwives Shifrah and Pu’ah to kill all the boy babies when they were born, because they were God-fearing women, they didn’t do as the king of Egypt ordered and let the boys live. Because those women refused to disobey YHVH by committing murder, ADONAI honored their civil disobedience and prospered the midwives, and the people continued to multiply and grow very powerful. Indeed, because the midwives feared God, He made them founders of families (Exodus 1:17 and 20-21).

When four young Jewish men named Dani’el, Hananyah, Misha’el and ‘Azaryah were commanded by King Nebuchadnezzar to worship the golden statue he had erected, they said, “Your question doesn’t require an answer from us. Your majesty, if our God, whom we serve, is able to save us, He will save us from the blazing hot furnace and from your power. But even if He doesn’t, we want you to know, your majesty, that we will neither serve your gods nor worship the gold statue which you have set up.” Again, Ha’Shem blessed their faithfulness, to the extent that the fire had no power on their bodies – not even their hair was singed, their clothes looked the same, and they didn’t smell of fire (Dani’el 3:16-18, 27).

Regardless of the failures of government – many of them immoral, unjust, and ungodly – believers are to pray and live peaceful lives that influence the world by godly, selfless living, not by protests, sit-ins, and marches, much less rebellion. Like the prophets of the TaNaKh, we have both the right and the obligation to confront and oppose the sins and evils of our society, but only in the Lord’s way and power, not in the world’s. In this way, says Paul, our living is good and valuable to the community (Titus 3:8), because it shows them the power of God in salvation. They see what a person saved from sin is like.³⁴⁵

Paul next presents seven reasons why believers are to submit to human government:

1. Government is by divine decree: For there is no civil authority, Paul declares, that is not from God. No matter what form it takes, no human government at any time in history, at any place on earth, at any level of society, has ever existed or will ever exist apart from the sovereign authority of YHVH, because all power belongs to God (Psalm 62:11 NASB), and the existing authorities have been placed where they are by God (Romans 13:1b; Dani’el 2:21 and 4:17). The entire world, everything in heaven and earth, including Satan and his demons, are subject to their Creator. God’s sovereignty created and absolutely controls the universe, with no exceptions or limitations. Also, without exception, the power that any person, group, or society may possess is divinely delegated. How well or how poorly that power is used is another matter. Paul’s point here is that this power has only one source – ADONAI!

Yet, in His sovereign wisdom, YHVH has permitted Satan to have vast unlimited power over the world and the affairs of men. Although the Adversary was not directly responsible for mankind’s sin at the Fall, it was his seductive enticement that led Adam and Eve to disobey God and thereby commit the first sin, a sin which all mankind has inherited (see Bm – The Consequences of Adam). The Evil One does not have the power to make us sin, but since that tragic day in the Garden of Eden, he has used every means at his disposal to entice us to indulge in sinful impulses and thereby express our defiance to God (Ephesians 2:1-2).

The autocratic, ruthless, and demonic regimes of Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, and Mo Tse Tung were no exceptions to God’s command to be subject to civil authority. The equally ruthless empires of ancient Assyria and Babylon were no exceptions. The Roman Empire, sometimes ruled by caesars who proclaimed themselves to be gods, was no exception. The apostate and heretical “Christian” kingdoms of the Middle Ages were no exceptions. Shaman-ruled primitive tribes of South America are no exceptions. In short, there are no exceptions!

2. Resistance to government is rebelling against God: Therefore, whoever resists the civil authorities is resisting what God has instituted (13:2a). The seriousness with which God takes rebellion is illustrated vividly in the book of Numbers. God had chosen Moshe not only to be His messenger of the Torah, but to be the human leader of Isra’el as He delivered her from Egypt and led her through the wilderness to the Promised Land. YHVH had also appointed Moses’ brother Aaron to be high priest. But during that journey, a group of 250 rebels, led by Korah, Dathan, Abiram, and On, assembled themselves against Moshe and Aaron and said to them, “You take too much of yourselves! After all, the entire community is holy, every one of them, and ADONAI is among them. So why do you lift yourselves up above ADONAI’s assembly” (Numbers 16:3)?

YHVH was so angered by their rebellion the ground under them split apart – the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up with their households . . . then fire came out from ADONAI and destroyed the 250 men who had offered incense (Numbers 16:31-35). Incredibly, the people learned nothing from that awful judgment. Instead of drawing them back closer to God, it merely escalated their hatred of His chosen leaders. The very next day, the whole community of the people of Isra’el complained against Moshe and Aaron, saying: You have killed ADONAI’s people (Numbers 16:41). In response to that defiant accusation, the LORD sent a deadly plague that instantly killed 14,700, besides those who died on account of Korah (Numbers 16:49). Had Aaron not intervened by making atonement for the people, the entire congregation would have been annihilated (Numbers 16:46-48).

Dear Heavenly Father, Praise You that You are more powerful than any ruler or government. Praise You that no ruler can sneak his way into a political office, but rather you are in control of who gets into each governmental position and how long they stay in that office. He brings princes to naught and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing. No sooner are they planted, no sooner are they sown, no sooner do they take root in the ground, then he blows on them and they wither, and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff (Isaiah 40:23-24 NIV).

3. Those who resist the government will be punished: And those who resist will bring judgment, or discipline, on themselves (13:2b). Believers can resist if the government asks us to act contrary to the Scriptures. The function of government is to punish the evil and protect the good, but when a government reaches a state, such as it did under Nazi Germany, where it promoted the evil to destroy the good, at that point the believer must, out of necessity, rebel against the government. Corrie ten Boom hid Jews in her “hiding place” even though it was against the law during World War II in the Netherlands. She was eventually arrested and sent to the Ravensbruck concentration camp, a women’s labor camp in Germany. After her release, Corrie was told that it was because of a clerical error and that a week later, all the women in her age group were sent to the gas chambers.³⁴⁶

4. Government serves to restrain evil: Paul was obviously speaking in general terms when he said: For rulers are no terror to good conduct, but for evil (13:3a). He had suffered a great deal at the hands of rulers who abused him for no other reason than his godly good conduct. But in that day, as throughout history, even the most wicked regimes were, and are, a deterrent to murder, theft, and many other crimes. Although the fact far from justifies totalitarian government, the fact is that crime rates under such systems are frequently lower than those in the free world. Until recently, at least, such crimes as murder, robbery and rape were all but nonexistent in some communist countries. In Muslim nations, severe punishment has been a formidable deterrent to such crimes.

When Adam and Eve sinned by eating the forbidden fruit, they entered into a knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:17 and 3:1-7). That knowledge has been passed down to all their descendants throughout history. It is that knowledge that forms the basis for conscience, even the conscience of unbelievers (see Ar – The Warning to the “Good Person”). When people sin, it is not because they don’t know the difference between good and evil, but because in their wickedness they keep suppressing the truth, because what is known about God is plain to them, since God has made it plain to them (1:18b-19).

Therefore, through God’s natural revelation in conscience, reason, and under His universal common grace, even the lost rulers instinctively know right from wrong, and constantly know that part of their duty is to punish evil conduct and to promote good conduct. Civil authorities also realize that basic morality is essential to basic living. No society can survive very long with excessive murder, theft, dishonesty, sexual immorality and violence. Good conduct is essential for any nation’s self-preservation. Without it, society self-destructs.

5. Government serves to promote good: Would you like to be unafraid of the person in authority? Then simply do what is good, and you will win his approval; for the government is God’s servant, there for your benefit (13:3b-4a). Generally speaking, peaceful and law-abiding citizens have been favorably treated by their governments throughout history. With notable exceptions, such people have been unafraid of the person in authority. As long as they do what is good, they not only will not be mistreated, but win his approval. Because civil authority represents the God-ordained institution of civil government, a civil official is actually God’s servant, regardless of his beliefs about, or his relationship with, ADONAI. He is doing the Lord’s work whether he realizes it or not.

6. Rulers are empowered by God to inflict punishment for disobedience: But, if you do what is wrong, be afraid! Because it is not for nothing that he holds the power of the sword. For he is God’s servant, there as an avenger to punish wrongdoers (13:4b). YHVH has given the power of the sword to the government, and with it the authority to punish, and even to execute, wrongdoers. In the earliest period of human existence, the LORD instituted capital punishment: Whoever sheds human blood, by a human being will his own blood be shed; for God made human beings in His image (Genesis 9:6).

When a society rejects capital punishment for even the most serious crimes, including murder, it declares itself guilty of failing to obey YHVH. After Cain killed Abel, God said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying out to me from the ground” (Genesis 4:10)! Like Satan, whom he unknowingly had come to serve, Cain was both a murderer and a liar. Immediately after the Flood, Ha’Shem established the divine law of capital punishment for murder (Genesis 9:6). As part of the Torah, God declared: You will not defile the Land in which you are living. For blood defiles the Land, and in this Land no atonement can be made for the blood shed in it except the blood of him who shed it (Numbers 35:33).

Among other things, Isra’el was sent into the Babylonian captivity because of the many bloody crimes in the nation that went unpunished. Forge a chain, for the Land is full of capital crimes and the City [of Jerusalem] full of violence. Therefore, I will bring the worst of the nations to take possession of their homes; I will end the arrogance of the strong; and their holy places will be profane (Ezeki’el 7:23-24). When a nation does not administer justice, it eventually falls under Ha’Shem’s justice.

Abortion is murder of unborn children, and a nation that permits, and even encourages, this ghastly execution of the most innocent and helpless of those created in God’s image cannot possibly escape His judgment. The land cries out for the blood of millions upon millions of massacred babies. God will answer in His time.

7. Government should be submitted to for conscience’s sake: Another reason to obey, besides fear of punishment, is for the sake of conscience – which for the believer, is for the Lord’s sake (13:5). Peter declares: For the sake of the Lord, submit yourselves to every human authority – whether to the emperor as being supreme, or to governors as being sent by him to punish wrongdoers and praise those who do what is good. For it is God’s will that your doing good should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people (First Peter 2:13-15). As God’s own children, who are indwelt by the Ruach Ha’Kodesh, we should realize with spiritual instinctiveness that disobedience of and disrespect for government is wrong, whether or not those sins are punished, and that obedience of and respect for it are right, whether we are personally protected by it or not.³⁴⁷

Second, pay your taxes: This is also why you pay taxes; for the authorities are God’s public officials, constantly attending to these duties. Pay everyone what he is owed: if you owe the tax-collector, pay your taxes (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Iz – Is It Right For Us to Pay Taxes to Caesar or Not?); if you owe the revenue-collector, pay revenue; if you owe someone respect, pay him respect; if you owe someone honor, pay him honor (13:6-7). No one enjoys paying taxes. But taxes are a part of everyday life. It goes without saying that all taxes are not just. The only completely just tax system the world had ever known was in divinely-revealed taxes of ancient Isra’el, which amounted to about twenty-five percent a year (see the commentary on Deuteronomy Cx – Do Not Neglect the Levite). But although their taxes were absolutely fair, the people soon discovered ways to cheat on them.

In Isra’el, as in most other parts of the Roman Empire, nationals of the country were appointed (usually after paying a high fee) as tax collectors and were given specified amounts to collect for Rome each year. They were free to charge virtually any rate they wanted, under the protection of the Roman soldiers. Whatever they collected over the prescribed amount for Rome, they could keep for themselves. As would be expected, abuse was rampant, and because most of them were fellow countrymen, tax collectors were often more hated than the Roman officials and soldiers. The gospels vividly reveal how much the tax collector was despised in Isra’el (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Cp – The Calling of Matthew).³⁴⁸

Love fulfills the Torah: Yeshua said that all the Torah and the Prophets depended on two commandments – loving God (see the commentary on Deuteronomy Bw – Sh’ma Isra’el), and loving one’s neighbor as oneself (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Jb – Which is the Greatest Commandment?). Paul quotes four of the five commandments in the “Second Table” of the Ten Words (see the commentary on Deuteronomy Bk – The Ten Words) that control our relationship to a neighbor, “Don’t commit adultery” (see the commentary on Deuteronomy Br – Do Not Commit Adultery), “Don’t murder” (see the commentary on Deuteronomy Bq – Do Not Murder), “Don’t steal” (see the commentary on Deuteronomy Bs – Do Not Steal), “Don’t covet” (see the commentary on Deuteronomy Bu – Do Not Covet). And any others are summed up in this one rule: “Love your neighbor as yourself” (13:9). Paul’s point here in these verses is to show that the principle of loving one’s neighbor must underline all the rules governing Jewish life and will lead to right behavior. For the whole Torah can be [fully obeyed] in a single saying, “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Galatians 5:14).

Paul had just been speaking of paying taxes, and the warning to owe nothing to anyone continues with his focus on the believer’s financial obligations. Don’t owe anyone anything (13:8a). Some have interpreted this to mean that a believer is never justified in going into debt of any sort. But neither the TaNaKh nor the B’rit Chadashah categorically forbids borrowing or lending. Borrowing and lending were common and legitimate practices in ancient Isra’el (Exodus 22:25 Leviticus 25:35-36; Deuteronomy 15:7-9; Proverbs 19:17). The Torah carefully regulated lending by prohibiting charging interest to those who were destitute, but it did not forbid lending with honest and reasonable interest.

When borrowing is truly necessary, the money should be repaid as agreed upon with the lender, promptly and fully. But Scripture nowhere justifies borrowing for the purpose of buying unnecessary things, especially luxuries, that cannot be afforded. And whatever is owed must be paid on time and in full. Those financial principles are the essence of Paul’s warning: Don’t own anyone anything.

Then Paul makes what appears at first glance to be a radical transition, declaring that all believers have a type of perpetual indebtedness. Completely apart from financial considerations, all believers have the constant obligation to love one another; for whoever loves his fellow human being has fulfilled Torah (13:8b). It is a debt we are constantly to pay against, but can never pay off. The early church Father, Origen said, “The debt of love remains with us permanently and never leaves us. This is a debt which we pay every day and will forever owe.” And by our Lord’s gracious provision, it is a debt we will always have the resources to pay and which, the more we pay toward it, the mor willing and joyous the payment will be.³⁴⁹

Clothe yourselves with the Lord Yeshua Messiah: Following his declaration that godly love fulfills the Torah, Paul next focuses on the urgency of believers to be conformed to the image Yeshua Messiah (8:29), who is Himself, the source and power of that divinely-required love. We are to clothe ourselves with the Lord Yeshua the Messiah (13:14a). That phrase summarizes our sanctification (see Db – The Mercies of ADONAI), the continual spiritual growth of those who have become the children of God through faith in His Son, Yeshua Messiah. The faithful, obedient, loving believer grows spiritually by becoming increasingly like Yeshua. As we clothe ourselves in Messiah, His righteousness, truth, holiness, and love become more and more evident in our own lives. His character becomes reflected in us.

Besides all this, you know at what point of history we stand; so, it is high time for you to rouse yourselves from sleep; for the final deliverance is nearer than when we first came to trust (13:11). The time is limited, the opportunity is brief. The time to listen and obey is now! There is no time for apathy, complacency, or indifference. Jewish writings of at that time too regarded the final deliverance as imminent. “In those days the Elect One will arise and choose the righteous and holy from among them, because the day for their being saved has come near” (Enoch 51:1b-2). And, “For truly my redemption has drawn near; it is not far off as it was before” (Second Baruch 23:7). This is our motivation for living out the life of a believer consistently. The night is almost over, as each day passes, the day of our redemption is almost here.³⁵⁰

Night and day, also darkness and light, as metaphors for evil and good are found in the Gospel of John: I am the light of the world; whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness but will have the light which gives light (John 8:12), and in the TaNaKh: Arise, shine [Yerushalayim], for your light has come, the glory of ADONAI has risen over you. For although darkness covers the earth and thick darkness the peoples; on you ADONAI will rise; over you will be seen His glory. Nations will go toward Your light and kings toward Your splendor (Isaiah 60:1-3). The Essenes, who separated themselves from what they considered the decadent and immoral life fostered by the rabbinic Judaism of their day, pictured themselves as the sons of light in a holy war against the sons of darkness.

Negatively, let us put aside the deeds of darkness and arm ourselves with the weapons of light. Let us live properly, as people do in the daytime – not partying and getting drunk, not engaging in sexual immorality and other excesses, not quarrelling and being jealous. Positively, clothe yourselves with the Lord Yeshua the Messiah (Isaiah 61:10; Galatians 3:27); and don’t waste your time thinking about how to provide for the sinful desires of your old nature (13:12-14). Every generation has had its share of skeptics who ask: Where is this promised “coming” of His? For our fathers have died, and everything goes on just as it has since the beginning of creation (Second Peter 3:4). No believer who honestly holds God’s Word to be inerrant could think Paul and Peter were simply overanxious about the imminence of Messiah’s Second Coming. The majority of believers throughout Church history have lived their lives expecting the Lord’s the final deliverance is near.³⁵¹

So, Lord God Almighty, the Lord of the angelic armies of Heaven, we come before You now covered by the blood of Yeshua, we and our families. We proclaim over the worldwide systems of evil seeking to take control: Let the occult shields of protection be taken away from everyone involved in theft, fraud, and corruption. May their occult shields of protection no longer be able to hide them from being exposed by the light. Let witchcraft manipulation be brought to an end. As Joshua and Caleb proclaimed to the Hebrews intimidated by the giants, we say to all who are intimidated by today’s giants: Their protection is gone . . . Their protection is gone . . . Their protection is gone . . . but the Lord is with us. Don’t rebel against ADONAI, and don’t be afraid of the people of the land. They will be food for us. The protection over them is gone. ADONAI is with us! Do not fear them (Numbers 14:9). We say this day that their occult shields of protection are stripped away from them and can no longer hide their evil. We proclaim this in the mighty Name of Yeshua.

Walking in Love
12: 9-21

Walking in love DIG: How does this section disclose what Paul means in 12:1-2? How does your dedication to God show up in your relationships with others? How are love and peace the general principles out of which all the rest of these examples flow? When we are wronged, what is the proper response? Can you love your enemies? Why is this so difficult?

REFLECT: Of all the commands listed here in these verses, which one is easiest to keep? Which one is the most difficult? What principle or truth have you learned from this passage that you want to stop talking about and start living? Write out a verse from Chapter 12 that you will memorize and meditate upon this week to help you renew your mind.

God expects unity, not uniformity, and we can walk arm-in-arm without seeing eye-to-eye on every issue. But that doesn’t mean we give up on finding a solution.

In connection with the Sermon on the Mount (to see link click The Life of Christ Da – The Sermon on the Mount) I pointed out that there is no reason to expect B’rit Chadashah ethics to differ from ethics in the TaNaKh, since YHVH does not change. All the advice found in these verses is implicit in the Torah and the Prophets, and frequently explicit as well. Because Gentiles are not bound by Torah in the same way as Jews, and because the Ruach Ha’Kodesh does His work from within, Paul draws out for believers the core principles of right action, confident that people who are conformed to the likeness of His Son (8:29b), will, by the power of His Spirit, be able to apply those principles in their daily lives.³³³

Within the Body of Messiah: Paul began these specific encouragements with the key ingredient for success: Don’t let love (Greek: agape, which centers on the needs and welfare of the one loved) be a mere outward show (12:9a). Agape love is more important to a believer than any spiritual gift he may have: But for now, three things last – trust, hope, love; and the greatest of these is love (First Corinthians 13:13). The love which Paul speaks of is genuine love, the sincere and steadfast love that is completely without hypocrisy, not merely an outward show. Hypocrisy is the complete opposite of agape love. The two cannot coexist.

The second longing of the new nature is to hate (Greek: apostuegeo, from apo and stugeo, to hate) what is evil, and cling to what is good (12:9b). Hatred of evil is the other side of love, which, by its very nature, cannot approve of or rejoice in unrighteousness (First Corinthians 13:6 NASB). Evil is the opposite of holiness and therefore the opposite of godliness. Just as the fear of ADONAI is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10a), the fear of ADONAI is also the hatred of evil (Proverbs 8:13a). The child of God hates evil because God hates evil. We are to love what He loves and hate what He hates.³³⁴

Dear Heavenly Father, How wonderful Your gracious and merciful love! Everyone loves that You are loving. Praise You for Your love that calls those who love and follow You, Your children. But whoever did receive Him, those trusting in His name, to these He gave the right to become children of God (John 1:12). Your loving kindness gives eternal life in heaven with You to all who love You! So that whoever believes in Yeshua may have eternal life (John 3:15)! What a great gift of reconciliation that You gave thru Messiah. Be reconciled to God.  He made the One who knew no sin to become a sin offering on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God (Second Corinthians 5:20c-21).

True love not only loves; but it also hates what is wrong. You call Your children to be like You and to hate wrong. Loving is so good to do; but when we try to follow You by hating wrong – the world rises up in great anger and condemns Your children. How sad that world likes their sin so much that they hold onto it with a tight unyielding grip. Now this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world and men loved the darkness instead of the light, because their deeds were evil.  For everyone who does evil hates the light and does not come to the light, so that their deeds will not be exposed (John 3:19-20). They fail to receive the love You want to pour over them because they do not want any correction; but in so doing they miss the true and eternal joy you have for them in heaven. God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him. The one who believes in Him is not condemned; but whoever does not believe has been condemned already, because he has not put his trust in the name of the one and only Ben-Elohim (John 3: 17-18).

Your holy love is wonderful and so is Your righteous refusal of entrance into heaven to all who do not love You. He who trusts in the Son has eternal life. He who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him (John 3:36). I choose to love You, obey You and hate evil, even when the world laughs at me and puts me down – for I know that someday I will live with You forever in peace and joy. For I consider the sufferings of this present time not worthy to be compared with the coming glory to be revealed to us (Romans 8:18). In Yeshua’s holy name and power of His resurrection. Amen

Love each other devotedly and with brotherly [and sisterly] love; and set examples for each other in showing respect (12:10). All of us are more consistent in our faith when others walk with us and encourage us. The Bible commands mutual accountability, mutual encouragement, mutual serving, and mutual honoring. Thirty-seven times in the B’rit Chadashah we are commanded to do different tasks to one another (see Af – The List of “one another” Commands). The Bible says: So then, let us pursue the things that make for shalom and mutual upbuilding (14:19). You are not responsible for everyone in the Body of Messiah, but you are responsible to them. ADONAI expects you to do whatever you can to help them.³³⁵

Don’t be lazy when hard work is needed, but serve the Lord with spiritual fervor (12:11). The Lord rewards those who serve Him with hard work. The writer to the Messianic Jews reminds us that God is not so unfair as to forget your hard work and the love you showed for Him in your past service to His people – and in your present service too (Hebrews 6:10). But living the spiritual life inevitably brings opposition from the world, and sometimes even sparks resentment by fellow believers. Even after years, decades, of faithful service to the Lord, some see few, if any, apparent results from their labors. Without hope, we could never survive. Thus, rejoice in your hope, be patient in your troubles, and continue steadfastly in prayer (12:12). It is because we can rejoice in hope that we can persevere in our troubles.

Share (Greek: koinoneo, and the noun koinonia is often translated fellowship) what you have with God’s people. In the parable of the Good Samaritan (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Gw – The Parable of the Good Samaritan), Yeshua made it perfectly clear that we have a responsibility, to the best of our ability, to help anyone in need whom we encounter. But we have a still greater responsibility to serve fellow believers: Therefore, as the opportunity arises, Paul says: let us do what is good to everyone, and especially to the family of those who are trustingly faithful (Galatians 6:10). And practice hospitality (12:13). The literal meaning of that phrase in the Greek is pursuing the love of strangers. In other words, we are not only to meet the needs of those people, believers and unbelievers, who we encounter in our daily lives, but we are to look for opportunities to help.

The next command is one that is completely contrary to unredeemed human nature: Bless those who persecute you – bless them! Wow! This is easier said than done! Nevertheless, the obedient believer must resist hating and retaliating against those who harm him, but is commanded to take the additional step of blessing them. As we would expect, the supreme example of blessing one’s persecutors was given by our Lord Himself. As the sinless Son of God hung in on the cross, He prayed with unimaginable mercy: Father, forgive them; they don’t understand what they are doing (Luke 23:34). Not only are we to bless them, we are never to curse them (12:14)! Wow!

In a much more positive note, Paul next counsels us to rejoice with those who rejoice. At first thought, that principle would seem easy to follow. But when another person’s blessing and happiness is at our expense, or when their favored circumstances, or noble accomplishments, make ours seem small, barren and dull, the flesh goes into overdrive and does not lead us to rejoice, but tempts us to resent. However, it is also important for believers to weep with those who weep (12:15). This is the duty of sympathy, empathy, entering into the suffering of others. ADONAI is called a compassionate God (Deuteronomy 4:31; Nehemiah 9:17; Joel 2:13; Jonah 4:2). Reminding us that we should reflect our Lord’s character, Paul said: Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with feelings of compassion and with kindness, humility, gentleness and patience (Colossians 3:12).³³⁶

Be sensitive to each other’s needs – don’t think yourselves better than others, but make humble people your friends. Don’t be conceited (Romans 12:16; Proverbs 3:7). To the believers in Philippi, Paul wrote: Do nothing out of rivalry or vanity; but, in humility, regard each other as better than yourselves – look out for each other’s interests and not just for your own (Philippians 2:3-4). Humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less. Humility is thinking more of others. Humble people are so focused on serving others, they don’t dwell on themselves.³³⁷

Outside of the Body of Messiah: The believer who seeks to obey God is going to have enemies. However, we are not only to bless those who persecute us and not curse them, but certainly never move beyond a verbal curse to an act of revenge (Proverbs 20:22 and 24:29). Repay no one evil for evil (12:17a). The mitzvah in the TaNaKh, tooth for tooth, hand for hand (see the commentary on Deuteronomy Do – Life for Life, Eye for Eye) pertained to civil justice, not personal revenge. Not only that, but the main purpose was to prevent the severity of punishment from exceeding the severity of the offense. In other words, someone guilty of destroying another person’s eye could not be punished with any greater penalty than that of forfeiting one of his own eyes. Not only that, it prevented continued bloodshed between families.

A right attitude toward enemies involves respect for what is right in the sight of all people (12:17b NASB). If we genuinely respect others, including our enemies, we will have a “built-in” protection against angrily repaying them evil for evil and will be predisposed to doing what is right towards them. Such respect will help us develop the self-discipline necessary to prepare ourselves beforehand for responding to evil with what is good instead of what is bad. Believers should respond instinctively and spontaneously with what is pleasing to God and beneficial to others.³³⁸

If possible, and to the extent that it depends on you, live in peace with all people (12:18). Peace always has a price tag. Sometimes it costs us our pride; often, it costs us our self-centeredness. For the sake of fellowship, do your best to compromise, adjust to others, and show preference to what they need (12:10). To paraphrase Yeshua: You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family (Matthew 5:9 The Message). To the extent that it depends on you, emphasize reconciliation, not resolution. It’s unrealistic to expect people to agree about everything. Reconciliation focuses on the relationship, while resolution focuses on the problem. When we focus on reconciliation, the problem loses its significance and often becomes irrelevant.³³⁹

Again, Paul denounces returning evil for evil, declaring: Never seek revenge, my friends; instead, leave that to God’s anger. If a wrong has been done to us, no matter how serious and harmful it may have been, we never have the right to render punishment for the offense ourselves. We are to leave that to God’s anger. Quoting from Deuteronomy 32:35, Paul reminds his readers that in the Tanakh it is written, “ADONAI says: Vengeance is my responsibility . . . I will repay (Romans 12:19; Second Samuel 22:48; Nahum 1:2; Hebrews 10:30). In His divine time, God’s anger is coming on those who disobey Him (Colossians 3:6).

But merely not returning evil for evil does not fulfill our responsibility. And sometimes the positive part is more difficult. To withhold revenge is one thing; it only requires doing nothing. But to actually return good for evil is quite another.³⁴⁰ On the contrary, “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.” These words, a straightforward rendering of Proverbs 25:21, are easy to read, but difficult to practice. For by doing this, you will heap fiery coals [of shame] on his head, not condemning your enemy deeper into hell, but attempting to get such a one to turn and to repent (Romans 12:20; Proverbs 25:22a). When we love our enemy, we shame him for his hatred. However, Paul is not claiming that acts of kindness toward enemies will guarantee repentance; whatever degree of shame our sins might produce, they may be quickly pushed aside and produce even greater hostility toward both us and the Lord.³⁴¹

Paul rounds off his series of warnings about the believer’s response to hostility with a final, general summons: Do not be conquered, or tempted, by evil, but conquer evil with good (12:21). Temptation begins by capturing your attention. What gets your attention arouses your emotions. Then your emotions activate your behavior, and you act on what you feel. The more you focus on, “I don’t want to do this,” the stronger it draws you into its web.

Ignoring temptation is far more effective than fighting it. Once your mind is on something else, the temptation loses its power. Therefore, when temptation calls you on your cell phone, don’t argue with it . . . don’t answer!

Sometimes this means physically leaving a tempting situation. This is one time it’s okay to run away. Just ask Joseph (see the commentary on Genesis Ji – Potiphar’s Wife said: Come to Bed with Me! But Joseph Ran). You can shut down your computer. Walk away from a group that’s gossiping. Leave the theater in the middle of a movie. To avoid being stung, stay away from the bees. Do whatever is necessary to turn your attention away to something good.

The key to doing this is your mind. To reduce temptation, keep your mind occupied with God’s Word and other good thoughts. You defeat bad thoughts by thinking of something better. This is the principle of replacement. You conquer evil with good. Satan can’t get your attention when your mind is preoccupied with something else. That’ why the Bible repeatedly tells us to keep our minds focused: Think carefully about Yeshua (Hebrews 3:1); focus your thoughts on what is true, noble, righteous, pure, loveable or admirable, on some virtue or on something praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8).

If you’re serious about defeating temptation you must manage your mind and monitor your media intake. The wisest man who ever lived warned: Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts (Proverbs 4:23 TEV). Don’t allow trash into your mind indiscriminately. Be selective. Choose carefully what you think about. Follow Paul’s model: Take every thought captive and make it obey the Messiah (Second Corinthians 10:5b). This takes a lifetime of practice, but with the help of the Ruach Ha’Kodesh you can reprogram the way you think.³⁴²

Responding to the Mercies of ADONAI
12: 1-8

Responding to the mercies of ADONAI DIG: What does it mean to present your body as a living sacrifice to God? What are the mercies of God? What is the definition of mercy? What tends to hinder believers from thinking and acting like parts of one Body. What advice does Paul offer about getting along with one another in the Body of Messiah? What tends to hinder believers from thinking and acting like various parts of one Body?

REFLECT: How do you renew your mind? Why is it difficult to resist comparing our gifts with other believers in Messiah? Why is it often hard to resist wishing we had their “role” in the Body? What are some areas of your life where you need to be more patient and seek God’s will? What does it mean to be “transformed” and serve God with all your heart? How can you offer yourself and your spiritual gifts as a living sacrifice to ADONAI?

God gave Himself for us in order that we might give ourselves to Him.

Therefore, because of everything ADONAI has done, and is doing, in Chapters 1-11, I encourage you to do everything Chapters 12-15, all of which is epitomized in the instruction, in view of God’s mercies, to offer yourselves as a sacrifice, living and set apart for God (12:1a). Offering your life to Messiah is not a foolish emotional impulse, but a rational, intelligent act, the most responsible and sensible thing you can do with your life. So, we make it our goal to please Him (Second Corinthians 5:9a NIV). Your wisest moments will be those when you say “yes” to God.³¹¹ God’s mercies were spoken of throughout Chapters 1-11, especially in Chapters 9-11, and explicitly in 11:30-32. The mercies of ADONAI form a pivot of the book of Romans, on which Paul turns from doctrine, to practical advice. This is where life and the Bible meet.

The basic meaning of redemption, is to be purchased from slavery. When Yeshua redeems us, we have been purchased out of the marketplace of sin and set free. But we don’t automatically turn from slavery from sin to slavery to Messiah. Yes, we are justified at the moment of salvation, but to be conformed to the likeness of His Son (8:29b) is a choice. Our sanctification is something that we cooperate in with God. Sha’ul considered himself a bond-slave to Messiah, a slave by choice (1:1). So now having been set free from the slavery of our sin nature, we should now be willing to become a bond-slave to Yeshua Messiah.³¹²

We are to make this choice based upon the mercies of God. This includes our past justification, our present sanctification, and our future glorification. Our identification with Yeshua Messiah, the fact that we are co-crucified, co-buried, and co-resurrected with Messiah, so we are united with Him in such a way that what is true of Him is true of us, minus His deity. In Chapter seven, we are no longer slaves to sin; in Chapter eight, the Ruach Ha’Kodesh helps us in our weakness and nothing can separate us from the love of God (8:39); in Chapter Nine, we can have full confidence in God’s faithfulness as we see with His dealings with Isra’el. Because God has proved faithful to Isra’el, He will certainly prove faithful to us. So, with the one phrase, the mercies of God, Paul summarizes his whole theology, because everything ADONAI has done on our behalf in Chapters 1-11 out of His mercy for us.

Dear Great Heavenly Father, Your mercies and love are so great! The fact of your living within those who love and follow You is absolutely fantastic! Yeshua answered and said to him: If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word. My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our dwelling with him (John 14:23). We humbly bow before You in worship and love.

How wonderful that You are totally trustworthy for Your promises are always one-hundred percent true, giving those who love and follow You a sure hope of heaven! When trials come, we will keep our eye on Your eternal love and the heavenly home that Yeshua is preparing for His children. Do not let your heart be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in Me.  In My Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?  If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to Myself, so that where I am you may also be (John 14:1-3). We will remember that this world with its problems will soon pass away and those who love You will spend eternity in joy and peace and in worship of You our Great Lord and Savior! Praise You Always! In Yeshua’s holy name and power of His resurrection. Amen

Therefore, on the basis of the mercies of God, we are to offer (Greek: paristemi, is the same word used for the Levitical sacrifices on the Bronze Altar) ourselves as a living sacrifice, and such a sacrifice, set apart for God, becomes holy (Exodus 29:37). The Greek tense for offer, is an aorist tense, and, hence, a once-and-for-all act. In one sense, it is a voluntary act, but on the other hand, we should reach a point in our walk with the Lord that when we recognize all that God has done for us, and that He took our place on the cross so that we could be redeemed, on that basis, we should make a once-and-for-all decision of offering up ourselves as a sacrifice like Isaac (see the commentary on Genesis, to see link click Fm – Take Your Only Son Isaac, and Sacrifice Him as a Burnt Offering).³¹³

Our bodies are what Paul considers to be the sacrifice. A striking metaphor when animal sacrifices were still being made twice daily in the Jerusalem Temple worship. Back in Chapter 6, he talked about our bodies as an instrument of righteousness. Before we were saved, our bodies were used as instruments of unrighteousness; but after salvation, we are to use our bodies as instruments of righteousness. When we do that, we make a once-and-for-all offering of our bodies to the Lord for all He has done for us. This will please Him; it is the logical “Temple worship” for you (12:1b).

Offering ourselves as living sacrifices to God starts with our minds. In other words, do not let yourselves be conformed to the standards of the ‘olam hazeh. We have a different lifestyle to lead than those who are lost and in the world. Instead, keep letting yourselves be transformed (Greek: metamorphis, meaning to be changed) by the renewing of your minds (Romans 12:2a; Ephesians 4:22-24; Colossians 3:9-10). How do you renew your mind? By filling it with God’s Word. To win the battle for your mind, you must let the shalom which comes from the Messiah be your heart’s decision-maker, and let the Word of Messiah, in all its richness, live in you (Colossians 5:15a and 16a). As you continue to stockpile your mind with God’s truth, you will equip yourself to recognize the lies of Satan and take them captive (see Bq – The Background of the Messianic Mikveh: Five ways to win the battle of the mind).³¹⁴

The reason why we are told to renew our minds is so that you will know what God wants and will agree that what He wants is good, satisfying and able to succeed (12:2b). Your first step in spiritual growth is to start changing the way you think. Change always starts first in your mind. The way you think determines the way you feel, and the way you feel influences the way you act. You must make a counter-culture decision to focus on becoming more like Yeshua. Otherwise, other forces like peers, friends, coworkers, and popular-culture will try to mold you into their image.³¹⁵

For I am telling every single one of you, through the grace that has been given to me, not to have exaggerated ideas about your own importance. Lack of this virtue causes many believers to stumble. No matter how well grounded we may be in God’s Word, how theologically sound we may be, or how vigorously we may seek to serve Him, our gifts will not operate so that our lives can be spiritually productive until self is set aside. From self-denial in the spiritual worship of God flows self-surrender to the will of God, and from self-surrender flows selfless service in the work of God. No believer is exempt from this call to humility, because Paul is speaking to every single one of you – a universal command to all believers.³¹⁶

Instead, develop a sober estimate of yourself based on the standard which God has given to each of you, namely, trust in Yeshua (12:3). Take a long, honest look at what you are good at and what you’re not good at. Make a list. Ask other people for their candid opinion. Tell them you’re searching for the truth, not fishing for a compliment. Spiritual gifts and natural abilities are always confirmed by others. If you think you are gifted to be a teacher or a singer and no one else agrees, guess what? If you want to know if you have a gift of leadership, just look over your shoulder! If no one is following you, you’re not a leader.³¹⁷

Unity, diversity, harmony: Even though we are all members of the Body of Messiah, no one gift is given to all believers, and no one believer is given all the gifts. This creates a sense of interdependence. If you had all the gifts and I had all the gifts, we wouldn’t need each other. For just as there are many parts that compose one Body, but the parts don’t all have the same function; so, there are many of us, and in union with the Messiah we comprise one Body, with each of us belonging to the others (12:4-5). As believers share one Lord, one Body, one purpose, one Father, one Spirit, one hope, one faith, one baptism, and one love, we also share the same salvation, the same life, and the same future – factors far more important than any differences we could list.

We must remember that it was YHVH who chose to give us different personalities, backgrounds, races, and preferences, so we should value and enjoy those differences, not merely tolerate them. God wants unity, not uniformity. But for unity’s sake we must never let our differences divide us. We must major in the majors, and not major in the minors. That means we should stay focused on what matters most – learning to love each other as Messiah has loved us. Conflict is usually a sign that the focus has shifted to less important issues. When we focus on personalities, preferences, interpretations, styles, or methods, division always surfaces. But if we concentrate on loving each other, harmony results.³¹⁸

Spiritual gifts: God gave every believer spiritual gifts to be used to minister. This is usually in the form of one dominant spiritual gift, and a lesser, secondary, spiritual gift. These are special God-empowered abilities for serving Him that are only given to believers. The Bible says: Whoever does not have the Spirit cannot receive the gifts that come from God’s Spirit (First Corinthians 2:14 GNT). You can’t earn your spiritual gifts or deserve them – that’s why they are called gifts! They are an expression of God’s grace to you. Neither do you get to choose which gifts you’d like to have . . . the Ruach Ha’Kodesh determines that. The Spirit distributes spiritual gifts to each person as He chooses (First Corinthians 12:11).

But we have gifts, our God-given ability for service, that differ and which are meant to be used according to the grace that has been given to us (also see First Corinthians Chapters 12-14; Ephesians 4:11; First Peter 4:10 for some other lists of spiritual gifts). Because God loves variety and He wants us to be special, no single gift is given to everyone. Also, no individual receives all the gifts. If you had them all, you’d have no need for anyone else, and that would defeat one of God’s purposes – to teach us to love and depend on each other. Your spiritual gifts are not given for your own benefit, but for the benefit of others, just as other people were given spiritual gifts for your benefit. God planned it this way so we would need each other. When we use our gifts together, we all benefit.

Whenever we forget these basic truths about spiritual gifts, it always causes trouble in the Body. Two common problems are “gift-envy,” and “gift-projection.” The first occurs when we compare our gifts with others’, feel dissatisfied with what God has given us, and become resentful or jealous of how ADONAI uses others. The second problem happens when we expect everyone else to have our gifts, do what we are called to do, and feel as passionate about it as we do. There are different kinds of gifts, but it the same Lord we are serving.³¹⁹

If your gift is prophecy, use it to the extent of your [the] faith (12:6a). The word prophecy in this context does not necessarily refer to future predictions or new revelation. The word simply means to speak forth, and applies to any authoritative proclamation of God’s Word where the person who is gifted to declare God’s truth is speaking, edifying, encouraging and comforting God’s people (First Corinthians 14:3). So, a fitting paraphrase of Romans 12:6 would be: If your gift is proclaiming God’s Word, do it according to the faith, being consistent with previous biblical revelation.

Charismatics use this verse to argue that this verse teaches the accuracy of prophecy is dependent on the measure of a person’s faith. However, that is not even close to Paul’s true meaning here. The word translated your, in the Complete Jewish Study Bible is actually the definite article in Greek. It is most accurately translated simply as [the]. Therefore, Paul is instructing his readers that those with the gift of prophecy must prophecy in accordance with [the] faith – the body of previously revealed biblical truth. As Jude wrote: Contend for the faith which was once and for all passed on to God’s people (Jude 3b).³²⁰

In the early church, before the B’rit Chadashah was complete, certain prophets were used by God on occasion to encourage believers with messages inspired as the prophet spoke. That was necessary to instruct the churches in matters that were not yet covered by Scripture. This aspect of prophecy was unique to the apostolic era and ended with the book of Revelation.³²¹ Once the last book in the Bible was written, the canon of Scripture was closed and there was no need for any further revelation. God the Holy Spirit had equipped believers with everything they would need to live a victorious life, and prophecy passed away. There is no continuous revelation.

If it is serving, use it to serve (12:6b). The second spiritual gift is that of service, which translates diakonia, from which we also get deacon and deaconess, meaning those who serve. Service is a simple, straightforward gift that is broad in its application. It seems to carry a meaning similar to that of the gift of helps mentioned First Corinthians 12:28. This gift certainly applies beyond the offices of deacon and deaconess and is the idea in Paul’s charge to the Ephesian elders to help the weak (Acts 20:35). The gift of service is manifested in every sort of practical help that believers can give one another in Yeshua’s name.

If you are a teacher, use your gift in teaching (12:7a). The third spiritual gift is that of teaching. Again, the meaning is simple and straightforward. Didaskon (teaches) refers to the act of teaching, and didaskalia (teaching) can refer to what is taught as well as to the act of teaching it. Both of those meanings are appropriate to this gift. The believer, if you are a teacher, is divinely gifted with special ability to interpret and present God’s truth understandably. The primary difference between teaching and prophesying is not in content but in the distinction between the ability to proclaim and the ability to give systematic and regular instruction in God’s Word. The gift of teaching could apply wherever God’s truth is taught. The early Messianic community was characterized by regular teaching (Acts 2:42). The Great Commission includes the command: Go therefore and make disciples of all nations – teaching them to observe all that I commanded you (Matthew 28:19-20 NASB). Paul’s spiritual gift included features of both preaching and teaching.

If you are a counselor, use your gift to comfort and exhort (12:7b). The fourth spiritual gift is counseling. This gift involves the idea of advising, pleading, encouraging, warning, strengthening and comforting. At one time the gift may be used to persuade a believer to turn from a sin or bad habit and at a later time to encourage the same person to maintain his correction behavior. The gift may be used to admonish the church as a whole to obedience to the Word. Like the gift of showing mercy (below), counseling may be exercised in comforting a brother or sister in the Lord who is facing a different trial or persistent temptation. Sometimes he may use his gift simply to walk beside a friend who is grieving, discouraged, frustrated, or depressed, to give help in whatever way is needed. This gift may be exercised in helping someone carry a burden that is too heavy to bear alone.

If you are someone who gives, do it simply and generously (12:7c). The fifth category of giftedness is that of giving. The usual Greek verb for giving is didomi, but the word here is the intensified metadidomi, which carries the additional meanings of sharing and imparting that which is one’s own. The one who exercises this gift gives sacrificially of himself. Generously translates haplotes, which has the root meaning of single mindedness, open heartedness, and then generosity. It carries the idea of sincere, heartfelt giving that is untainted by affection or ulterior motive. The believer who gives with generosity gives for others, not for himself. He does not give for thanks or recognition, but for the sake of the ones who receive his help and for the glory of ADONAI.

If you are in a position of leadership, lead with diligence and zeal (12:7d). The sixth category is that of leadership. Leads is from proistemi, which has the basic meaning of standing before others and, hence, the idea of leadership. In the B’rit Chadashah it is never used of governmental rulers but of headship in the family (First Timothy 3:4-5 and 12), and in the church (First Timothy 5:17). In First Corinthians 12:28, Paul refers to the same gift by a different name, administration (Greek: kubernesis), which means to guide. In Acts 27:11 and Revelation 18:17, it is used of a pilot or helmsman, the person who steers, or leads, a ship.

Effective leadership must be done with diligence, with earnestness and zeal. Spoude (diligence) can also carry the idea of haste (Mark 6:25; Luke 1:39). Proper leadership therefore precludes procrastination and idleness. Whether it is possessed by church officers, or by members who direct such things as Sunday school or Club Maccabee in Messianic congregations, the youth group, the nursery, or a building program, the gift of leadership is to be exercised with carefulness, constancy and consistency.

If you are one who does acts of mercy, do them cheerfully (12:8). In the seventh and last spiritual category mentioned here is that of showing mercy. Eleeo (Greek: shows mercy) carries the joint idea of actively demonstrating sympathy for someone else having the necessary resources to successfully comfort and strengthen that person. The gifted believer who does acts of mercy is divinely given with special sensitivity to suffering and sorrow, with the ability to notice misery and distress that may go unnoticed by others, and with the desire and means to help alleviate such afflictions. This gift involves much more than sympathetic feeling. It is feeling put into action. The believer with this gift always finds a way to express his feelings of concern with practical help. He does acts of mercy by what he says to and what he does for the one in need.

The believer who does acts of mercy may exercise his gift in hospital visitation, jail ministry, or in service to the homeless, the poor, the handicapped, the suffering, the sorrowing. This gift is closely related to that of encouragement, and it is not uncommon for believers to have a measure of both. This gift is not to be ministered grudgingly or merely out of a sense of duty, but do them cheerfully. As everyone knows who has had a time of suffering or special need, the attitude of a fellow believer can make the difference between his being a help or a hindrance. He who despises his neighbor sins, the writer of Proverbs tells us: but happy is he who is gracious the poor (Proverbs 14:21); and He who opposes the poor reproaches his Maker, but he who is gracious to the needy honors Him (Proverbs 14:31). The keyword in those verses is gracious. The genuine helper always serves with gracious cheerfulness, and is never condescending or patronizing.³²²

Life lessons: The challenge for a follower of Yeshua is never as much what to do as where to start. We lack obedience more than guidance. There are always enough general commands from God to keep us busy for a lifetime. Obeying what we know usually leads to clarity about what we don’t know. Most of what God instructs us to put into action doesn’t require that we go somewhere else to practice. We can start practicing love, peacemaking, and patience right where we are. These often help us identify our gifts and roles in the Body of Messiah.³²³

The Mercies of ADONAI
12:1 to 16:27

If it’s really true that because we have a relationship with ADONAI, and if it’s true that nothing can separate us from the love of God, how do we know that God is going to keep that promise, in light of the fact that there seems to be promises to Isra’el that are unfulfilled. And if YHVH can avoid fulfilling His promises to Isra’el, how do we know that the same would be true with us?

Therefore, in Chapter 9, Paul dealt with the salvation of Isra’el, showing that the rejection of Isra’el was not something that caught Ha’Shem by surprise, but part of His plan of redemption. In fact, if Isra’el had accepted Yeshua at His First Coming it would have proved that He was not the Messiah, because ADONAI had made promises regarding the salvation of the Gentiles.

In Chapter 10, because of Isra’el’s rejection, the Good News can go out to the whole world, Jews and Gentiles alike on an individual basis: God is the same for everyone, rich toward everyone who calls on Him. Those whose greatest pride was in the belief that they were far superior to all other peoples could not tolerate that humbling truth. Then, to prove his point, Paul quotes Joel, who centuries earlier had declared to Isra’el the extent of saving grace when he said: Everyone who calls on the name of ADONAI will be saved (10:12).

In Chapter 11, Paul points out that Isra’el’s rejection of the Messiah is not total, because there has always been a Jewish remnant, in the past, and today. This rejection is not the final note in Jewish history. When God is through with His program with the Gentiles, all Isra’el will be saved during the last three days of the Great Tribulation. Therefore, both Jew and Gentile believers will reap the benefits of the Messianic Kingdom.

Now, in Chapters 12-16, Paul can go into the practical applications. What are the mercies of God and how do they impact our everyday lives? What should be our response, in light of all of what ADONAI has done for us? This is where life and the Bible meet! Theology should never be divorced from real life; it always has practical ramifications and implications. Paul’s description here is nothing short of supernatural living. He demonstrates that when believers give themselves fully to God and then, in the power of the Ruach Ha’Kodesh, live out in experience what is true of them theologically in Messiah, the result is staggering. Such living will be a bright neon sign in a dark culture.³¹⁰