Romans 5:3

Verse of the Day Devotion Romans 5:3

“And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance.” – Romans 5:3

Chapter five begins with the word ‘therefore’.  This denotes that it is a continuation of an idea that was at the end of the previous chapter.  “Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God.” Romans 5:1-2.  In fact, “Having  been justified by faith” summarizes the entire argument of the first four chapters. Those who have placed their trust in Christ can rest assured that their faith has been credited to them as righteousness. And because we have been justified by faith, we also have peace with God through Jesus Christ.  This speaks of the new relationship that exists between God and those who turn to him in faith. As Paul used the term, it does not primarily depict a state of inner tranquility. It is external and objective. To have “peace with God” means to be in a relationship with God in which all the hostility caused by sin has been removed.

Their confidence is based on the fact that Christ was put to death for their sins and raised again that they might be declared just. “Now not for his sake only was it written that it was reckoned to him, but for our sake also, to whom it will be reckoned, as those who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, He who was delivered up because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification.” Romans 4:23-25. And because of this we stand, and we exult in hope of the glory of God. However, what comes next in our focus verse can be very difficult. “And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance.” Romans 5:3.

From our focus verse, we see that not only do we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God, but we also rejoice in our sufferings.  The believers’ joy is not simply something they hope to experience in the future but a present reality even in times of trials and distress. Their joy is not a stoic determination to make the best out of a bad situation. Christian suffering is a source of joy because its purpose is to build character in the believer.  James puts it this way.  “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” James 1:2-4.  We are to regard trials as a thing to rejoice in; a matter which should afford you happiness. We are not to consider it as a punishment, a curse, or a calamity, but as something we can experience joy in.  Thus it is the experience of coming through a time of testing that produces hope. Our confidence in God’s ability and willingness to bring us through difficult times leads to an ever brighter hope for that which lies beyond. Hope is not superficial optimism but the confident assurance of that which will surely come to pass. It distinguishes those who have kept the faith in times of severe testing.

In essence, we should be confident in God regarding everything we may experience, both what ‘we’ deem good or bad.  If we find ourselves in times of tribulation, we should rejoice knowing that God allows it because we can be strengthened,  “knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” Romans 5:3b-5. No matter the situation, realize that it will strengthen us to do God’s work.  And because of this, we can be thankful.  “Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18. 

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries.

Romans 8:2

Verse of the Day Devotion:  Romans 8:2  

“For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.” – Romans 8:2  

Paul here is writing this letter to the Church in Rome.  Now, this verse is a clarification of what he wrote in the previous verse.  ‘For’ or ‘because’ begins this verse. “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:1. When we accepted the work Christ did for us on the cross and became a Christian, there is no condemnation that we must suffer, for the payment has been paid. There is no reason for us to do anything, for we are pardoned. 

Now in our focus verse he gives the reason for this. “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.” Romans 8:2. We see a similar verse in 2 Corinthians where Paul says, “Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” 2 Corinthians 3:17. Again, in this verse, there are two laws that Paul is contrasting. The first is the Law of Sin and Death. This is  essentially the written law of Moses. It was intended to be kept perfectly by the Jewish people, and if it was not, then there was required a sacrifice to God to deal with this sin. What the law does for us is help us to understand what sin is. “What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? May it never be! On the contrary, I would not have come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, “YOU SHALL NOT COVET. But sin, taking opportunity through the commandment, produced in me coveting of every kind; for apart from the Law sin is dead. And I was once alive apart from the Law; but when the commandment came, sin became alive, and I died, and this commandment, which was to result in life, proved to result in death for me.” Romans 7:7-10. If we rely on the law to please God, we will fail for if we violate this law even in one issue,  then we die.  Notice verse ten here. “and this commandment, which was to result in life, proved to result in death for me.” Romans 7:10.

However, the first law mentioned above, which is the law of the Spirit of Life takes the requirement of keeping the law to a different level. “because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. “Romans 5:5-6. And then, “Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.” Romans 5:9.  Regarding the Jewish Law (Law of Moses), perfection was required. “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all.” James 2:10. If we stumble in one point, and are not a true Christian, then we are required to pay the penalty. And since we cannot address our sins because it requires perfection to do so, there is no way to address it.  And this is where the first law comes in.  If we become Christians, and accept Christ as our Lord and Savior, then He, being perfect, can address our sin. For in doing this, the requirement of us addressing our sin is removed for He, Christ, addressed them for us.

One more thing we need to see here. There are many people who believe that if they do what is good and follow God’s way, they are saved.  This is in essence, salvation by works, which is what the Jews believed in following the Law of Moses. But salvation cannot come by this means. The Old Testament law can be a good guidepost for knowing how to love God and knowing what goes into loving your neighbor. At the same time, to say that the Old Testament law applies to Christians today is incorrect. The Old Testament law is good for knowing how to love God and knowing what goes into loving your neighbor. At the same time, to say that the Old Testament law applies to Christians today is incorrect. The Old Testament law is a unit. Either all of it applies, or none of it applies. And we must be careful that we do not fall into this trap. The Old Testament law was never intended by God to be the universal law for all people for all of time. We are to love God and love our neighbors. If we truly obey those two commands faithfully, we will be upholding all that God requires of us.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries. 

John 11:42

Verse of the Day Devotion:  John 11:42  

“And I knew that Thou hears Me always; but because of the people standing around I said it, that they may believe that Thou didst send Me.” – John 11:42 

Over the next week we will be looking at seven miraculous signs performed by Jesus as recorded in the Gospel of John.  These signs show that Jesus was not just some ordinary man but was truly the Son of God.  Today we will look at the last sign which is Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead.

There was a man who lived in Bethany, the village where Mary and her sister Martha lived.  And this is the same Mary who had anointed the feet of Jesus and wiping His feet with her hair. And these are the sisters of the man who was ill.  They send for Jesus to come, for Lazarus, whom He love is very sick.  However, Jesus responded by saying, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified by it.” John 11:4. Something special was going to happen that would bring glory to the Jesus.

After two days, Jesus left to go to Judea again.  The disciples were nervous and made this clear to Him. “Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone You, and are You going there again?” John 11:8. Jesus responds by referring to a comment in chapter nine. “While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” John 9:5. Note the wording here. “Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.” John 11:10.  Then after saying this, Jesus gives some context. “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I go, that I may awaken him out of sleep.” John 11:11.  He was saying, while I am here, I must do the work His Father sent Him to do. And this will become more clear further on. When the disciples heard Jesus say Lazarus fell asleep, they assumed he would eventually wake up, but Jesus then comes out and said, “Lazarus is dead, and I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, so that you may believe; but let us go to him.” John 11:14b-15. Several Jews came to the house to console them, which provides an opportunity to see this miracle.

Jesus then arrives and Mary goes out to meet Him and says, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” John 11:32. Jesus then, seeing her and the Jews weeping, began crying Himself.  Some Jews that were present remarked that Jesus obviously loved this man, but some said, “Could not this man, who opened the eyes of him who was blind, have kept this man also from dying?” John 11:37. Then, being deeply moved, came to the tomb.  He told them to remove the stone, upon which Martha responds, “Lord, by this time there will be a stench, for he has been dead four days.” John 11:39b. But Jesus counters by saying, “Did I not say to you, if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” John 11:40. This is said above in verse four. His words here were probably said to the disciples to whom He had said it. 

Now we come to the critical verses which includes our focus verse. “And so, they removed the stone. And Jesus raised His eyes, and said, Father, I thank Thee that Thou hears Me. And I knew that Thou hears Me always; but because of the people standing around I said it, that they may believe that Thou didst send Me.” John 11:41-42. Several things we see here.  First, his direct reference to God as ‘Father’ is characteristic of his praying. To say that the God He prayed to is His Father was quite revolutionary.  Second, the prayer assumes that Jesus has already asked for Lazarus’ life, and that all he must do is to thank his Father for the answer. That is not surprising for verse eleven also assumes that the raising of Lazarus had been determined for some time. Third, this prayer was not a matter of public playing to the people there, it is intended to show His intimacy with the Father. 

After this prayer, Jesus then cries out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth.” John 11:43b. After this we see the miracle. “He who had died came forth, bound hand and foot with wrappings; and his face was wrapped around with a cloth. Jesus said to them, unbind him, and let him go.” John 11:44.

The sign here shows that Jesus is truly the Son of God. And this sign was to be seen again by the Jews, which included Mary and Martha and the disciples.  Many of the Jews who were there had their minds changed. “Many therefore of the Jews, who had come to Mary and beheld what He had done, believed in Him. But some of them went away to the Pharisees and told them the things which Jesus had done.” John 11:45-46. However, the leadership for the most part was angry. “Therefore, the chief priests and the Pharisees convened a council, and were saying, What are we doing? For this man is performing many signs. If we let Him go on like this, all men will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.” John 11:47-48. They called this miracle a sign, which it was, that showed proof that Jesus was the promised Messiah. In John 9, regarding the healing of the blind man from birth.  He there said that those Jews who see these signs and still do not believe are blind. “And Jesus said, For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see; and that those who see may become blind. Those of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these things, and said to Him, We are not blind too, are we? Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but since you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains.” John 9:39-41.

Jesus allowed Lazarus to die (fall asleep) so that He could show many the miracle and believe. “Father, I thank Thee that Thou hear Me. And I knew that Thou hear Me always; but because of the people standing around I said it, that they may believe that Thou didst send Me.” John 11:41b-42. Jesus came here to be a light in the world. And what better way to shine this light than to show people who He is and the power and glory He has from the Father. We see this in this miracle as well as the other six signs.  He wanted everyone to see who He was, for He loved them and desired them to believe in Him and be saved. 

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries. 

Romans 7:7

Verse of the Day Devotion:  Romans 7:7  

“What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? May it never be! On the contrary, I would not have come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, “YOU SHALL NOT COVET.” – Romans 7:7

Over the last ten daily devotions we looked at each of the ten commandments, one per day, listed in Exodus 20:2-17.  Should we follow what they say?  There is a belief system out there that says no, it is not necessary.  However, it is critical that we do, but not for the reason many people think.

There is a deception called “antinomianism” that says it is ok for us not to follow the law found in the scriptures.  The word antinomianism comes from two Greek words, anti, meaning “against”; and nomos, meaning “law.” Antinomianism means “against the law.” Theologically, antinomianism is the belief that there are no moral laws God expects Christians to obey. Antinomianism takes a biblical teaching to an unbiblical conclusion. The biblical teaching is that Christians are not required to observe the Old Testament Law as a means of salvation. When Jesus Christ died on the cross, He fulfilled the Old Testament Law.  The unbiblical conclusion is that there is no moral law God expects Christians to obey.

The apostle Paul dealt with this belief in his letter to the Romans.  “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?” Romans 6:1-2.  When we became a Christian, we died to sin.  Paul, in a rhetorical fashion basically is saying, “If sin has been the occasion of grace and favor, ought we not to continue in it, and commit as much as possible, in order that grace might abound? This objection the apostle proceeds to answer. He shows that the consequence does not follow; and proves that the doctrine of justification does not lead to continuing in sin.  So if we died to sin due to His grace and love, why would we want to continue and nullify His work in us.  “Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him.” Romans 6:9. 

And also, we show our love for God through following His commandments.  “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome.” 1 John 5:3.  It is not that following the law saves us, it is that we demonstrate our love for Him by obeying His laws.  We are not under the Old Testament Law; we are under the law of Christ. The law of Christ is not an extensive list of legal codes. It is a law of love. If we love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, we will do nothing to displease Him. If we love our neighbors as ourselves, we will do nothing to harm them. Obeying the law of Christ is not a requirement to earn or maintain salvation. The law of Christ is what God expects of a Christian.

Antinomianism is not what the bible teaches, in fact it is contrary to all that is taught in the scriptures. God desires and expects us to live a life of morality, integrity, and love. Christ freed us from the burdensome commands of the Old Testament Law, but this does not give us a license to sin. Instead, it is a covenant of grace. Our goal is to overcome sin and cultivate righteousness as our lifestyle.  And the only way we can do this is through the Holy Spirit. The fact that we are graciously freed from the demands of the Old Testament Law should result in living our lives in obedience to the law of Christ.  “By this we know that we have come to know Him if we keep His commandments. The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.” 1 John 2:3-6.

Therefore, I encourage everyone to obey His commands in all ways, for this shows you are a true follower of God.  If we take the path of antinomianism, then we show we do not truly love Him as we profess.  And this is the reason we obey His commands, not to be saved, but in essence to show that we are truly saved.  He has freed us from our slavery to sin.  Let us prove it by the Godly life we live.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries. 

Romans 13:8

Verse of the Day Devotion:  Romans 13:8   

“Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.” – Romans 13:8

Paul is very clear in this verse.  We are not to be indebted to anyone.  In earlier verses in this chapter, Paul tells them they are to be subject to the government.  “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.  Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.” Romans 13:1-2.  And this includes the paying of taxes.  “For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing.”  Romans 13:6.  Whatever is owed to someone, pay it to them.  If it is money pay them.  If it is property or goods, give it to them.  If it is respect, give that to them.  Basically, if we owe anything to anyone, pay it.  This is our responsibility to those who govern us or provide goods and services we need.  However, there is a different standard for all others.

In our focus verse we read, “Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.” Romans 13:8.  In other words, pay all you owe to everyone, and let your only outstanding debt be the debt of love.   Jesus said this as recorded in the book of Matthew when in answer to a question from a Jewish lawyer said, “And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment.  And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 22:37-40.  We are to show the same love to others as we show ourselves.  Thus, in loving our neighbor we fulfill the law. 

Now there are many ways in which we can fulfil this.  One of them is to help someone who is troubled.  “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” Galatians 6:2.  We are to have sympathy, feel for each other, and consider the case of a distressed brother or sister like this distress was our own.  Paul wrote to the Colossians the following, “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.” Colossians 3:12-14.  This verse fully explains how we are to love our neighbor.  We are to have compassion on our neighbors, being humble and meek with patience, helping others through their difficult times by helping them bear their burdens.  And we are to forgive them just as Christ forgave us, even if we feel they do not deserve it.

This verse says we are to love our neighbor and not cause them harm by holding back whatever is owed to them.  All debts are to be addressed and paid; however, we are to give them all the love we have.  This means treat them as Christ did us, whereby He sacrificed His life to save ours.  And this is the love we are to show others.  “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” John 15:12. This is the type of love we are to have for our neighbor, even those who hate, despise, or want nothing to do with us.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries. 

Romans 5:8

Verse of the Day Devotion:  Romans 5:8 

“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” – Romans 5:8

Paul is speaking here in this verse about the love of God that goes beyond anyone else’s love.  And this is a love that He has manifest to us.  He fully demonstrated His deep love for us.  And He has absolutely confirmed this love as well.  And how did He show us this love? It is stated in our focus verse.  “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8. 

In an earlier verse, he includes an additional word that clarifies the why.  “For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.” Romans 5:6.  So, when we put these ideas together we see this, while we were still sinners and helpless to do anything to redeem ourselves, Christ died for all these  ungodly sinners, of which this group we were also affiliated with.  From the very beginning when Eve and Adam disobeyed God and ate the fruit, and even before because He knows the end from the beginning, He loved us enough to address our dilemma. This shows the infinite love God has for us. 

This brings up another question.  Would anyone else die for another?  He answers this in the following verse.  “For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die.” Romans 5:7.  This verse shows that the love God has for us is matchless and unparalleled.  When Paul uses the words ‘righteous’ and ‘good’, he does not mean a truly gracious and holy man that is made righteous by the obedience of Christ.  This righteousness and goodness is what he and others deem righteous and good outside of how God deems it, through Christ’s sacrifice.  Those who being outwardly moral and righteous before men who keeps to the letter of the law and what man deems and imagines as good, such as the Pharisees in Paul’s time period where goodness is determined by outward behavior.  In other words, most men who do not have a relationship with God  does not truly have a sacrificial love that helps others, even if it means their own death.  

 However, this shows the infinite love that God has for us.  For while we were still in sin and doing wrong, and while we had no means to make it right with God, and even before we knew about our situation, God sent His only begotten Son to die for us so our sins can be forgiven.  Even when we have denounced Him and refused to obey Him.  This is true love and this is the love He has for us.  If it were not for this love that God has for us, we would ultimately die in our sins and be eternally separated from God into a horrendous place.

 And finally, the kind of love God has for us is the kind we are to have for others.  “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:34-35.  We are to love our brothers and sisters in Christ AND those who are not yet Christians.  He loved all men and gave access to all men through Christ.  “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.  For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.” John 3:16-17.  We should care enough for the lost that we will do anything we can to introduce them to Christ, and we should love our fellow Christians enough to help them in any need.  Christ loved us enough to give His life for us. Do we love each other in the same way?

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries. 

Romans 2:3

Verse of the Day Devotion:  Romans 2:3 

“But do you suppose this, O man, when you pass judgment on those who practice such things and do the same yourself, that you will escape the judgment of God?” – Romans 2:3

What Paul is addressing is the idea of hypocrisy.  The main thought here is that some people believe they can get away with, or in the language of the above verse, escape the judgement of God regarding things they believe are worthy of judgement in others.  Now, this is clarified from what is denoted in chapter one.  “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them.” Romans 1:18-19.  This verse speaks of all humanity being given the knowledge of God, however not all are accepting and acting upon this knowledge.  Chapter two is referring to those who acknowledge acceptance and belief in God, be they Jew or Gentile. 

Paul starts chapter two showing their self-righteousness.  “Therefore you have no excuse, every one of you who passes judgment, for in that which you judge another, you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things.” Romans 2:1.   He speaks of judging actions they do in a negative way that they themselves do.  The problem here is that they judge the actions of another as wrong, however, because they considered themselves ‘righteous’ they believe this addresses the issue and are not to be judged.  Paul is saying that what is considered righteous and unrighteous is not based on anything  but how God sees it and has nothing to do with how we see it.  This is made very clear by the last part of this verse, “for in that which you judge another, you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things.” Romans 2:1b. 

Paul then continues with the following.  “And we know that the judgment of God rightly falls upon those who practice such things.” Romans 2:2.  Now, having accused the self-righteous person of doing the same things as another, Paul now affirms as a general principle the fact and fairness of God’s judgement of such practices.  We know that God’s judgement is according to truth.  He is affirming that God’s judgement against sin is completely just for it is based on what actually happened.  However, those who acted as such believed that their relationship with God should be a part of what is sin and what is not.  This was a huge issue with the Jews of this time period.  Paul here was not denying this relationship; however it does not shield them from the consequences of their sins.

Now we come to our focus verse.  “But do you suppose this, O man, when you pass judgment on those who practice such things and do the same yourself, that you will escape the judgment of God?” Romans 2:3  Paul is asking this very important question.  ‘Just because you have a special relationship with God, does that make it OK for you to do things you judge as wrong for someone else?’  Do they really believe they will not be judged by God for these wrongdoings?  Paul then answers this further down.  “There will be tribulation and distress for every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek, but glory and honor and peace to everyone who does good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For there is no partiality with God.”  Romans 2:9-11.   Paul is simply saying that God will judge all people and their actions in the same way, whether they have a relationship with God or not, for He is not partial in any way.  As He judges one, He judges all.

We need to be careful we do not fall into this error ourselves.  If we judge something as sin in another, then we must see it as  sin in ourselves.  There is nothing that is OK for one to do but is acceptable for another. This is the idea of Paul’s message here.  We will all be judged according to how God judges based on how He sees each action, not according to who did it.  So be careful not to pass judgement on another.  In chapter 14 he says the following, “Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions. One person has faith that he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats vegetables only.  The one who eats is not to regard with contempt the one who does not eat, and the one who does not eat is not to judge the one who eats, for God has accepted him. Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.” Romans 14:1-4. 

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries. 

Romans 3:31

Verse of the Day Devotion:  Romans 3:31  

“Do we then nullify the Law through faith? May it never be! On the contrary, we establish the Law.” – Romans 3:31

Paul here in Romans three is telling the Christians in Rome, which many were former Jews, that salvation comes not from the Law but by faith.  “But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” Romans 3:21-23.  God showed His grace by providing a means of salvation apart from man’s works, for no man is perfect, but all have sinned.  This salvation is not restricted to only some, but to all who believe, either Jew or non-Jew.  And because it was the Jews who believed in the strict adherence to the Law, the Jews would push this adherence as a necessity. 

However, salvation does not come through works, but through faith.  Paul addresses this is the following verses using boasting as an example.  “Where then is boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith. For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law.” Romans 3:27-28.  There is to be no boasting because man has done nothing to bring about his cleanliness.  Adherence to the Law does not make us righteous, for then only Jews who are perfect in keeping the Law would be the only ones saved.  And he counters this idea in the next two verses.  “Or is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles also?  Yes, of Gentiles also, since indeed God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith is one.” Romans 3:29-30.  He provides salvation for all mankind, not just the Jews through the following of the Law.

Now, we get to the crux of this section in our focus verse.  “Do we then nullify the Law through faith? May it never be! On the contrary, we establish the Law.” Romans 3:31.  First, the Law is not nullified for those who do not accept Christ for they will be judged according to the Law, for they have rejected the one who would pay for their sins.  And because all have sinned, the Law cannot save us because it cannot do away with sin, it can simply show us our sin.  “What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, You shall not covet.” Romans 7:7.  We cannot be saved by the law, but we can see where we are in sin by the law, and therefore repent and ask forgiveness.  Further on in Romans we read, “Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Romans 13:8-9.  Love fulfills the Law because if we truly love someone, we will never do them wrong.  And this includes Christ, and ultimately God.  Jesus put it this way, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” John 14:15.  Showing love to another is the fulfillment of the Law.  “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law? And he said to him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”  Matthew 22:36:40. 

By truly accepting the love God showed to us through Christ by accepting the work He did on the cross and devoting ourselves totally to Him, we show our love for God.  Through our love for Him, we choose to do all He commands of us; not in order to save us, but to show our love for Him.  Therefore, the Law was not nullified or done away with, it is fulfilled when we truly show our love for God and our fellow man.  Just as Jesus said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” John 14:15.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries. 

Romans 4:24

Verse of the Day Devotion:  Romans 4:24

“But also, for us.  It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead.”  

‘What” shall be imputed to us who believe….and why is this astoundingly great, great news?   

Paul is speaking in this portion of the verse about the judicial act of God in imputing the righteousness of Christ Himself and the judicial position of being declared righteous to any person that believes in the finished work of redemption that is of Jesus Christ – His death, burial, and resurrection.  There are two Greek words that are translated ‘impute’ in the New Testament, logizommai and ellogao.   The first one occurs 41 times and is in various places translated as:  reasoned, numbered with, reckoned among, think, counted, accounted, laid to one’s charge, and imputed.  This is the word used in Romans 4:24.   The righteousness of Christ Himself has been laid to our spiritual account.  His righteousness has been put in our account, numbered with Him, at one with His Righteousness, etc.   This is only true of course for true believers in Christ’s finished work.  No longer does God in His Holiness view a true believer as unrighteous before Him because He sees the Righteousness of Christ envelope them.   The other Greek word ellogao only occurs twice in the New Testament.  Ellogao is likewise translated as imputed as in Romans 5:13 “(For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law.”) and in Philemon 18 “put that on mine account”.   So why bring this up at all and what bearing does it have on our daily lives?  Because imputation in Scripture is either ‘real’ or ‘judicial’ in character.  

There are three major imputations mentioned in Scripture.  First, there is the imputation of Adam’s sin to all mankind.  This is ‘real’ imputation which involves ‘placing to one’s account of that for which they are personally responsible’, such as charging a man for a crime he has committed.  This is the imputation that Scripture plainly teaches that Adam transmitted to every human being that would ever be born after Adam.   Men since Adam’s day are born sinners. They do not become sinners by sinning, as did Adam: they sin because they have a nature of sin.  Many ‘believers’ miss this distinction in my opinion because of religion.  Most believe that an ‘act of sinning’ is what makes one a sinner.   However, it is the sin nature that each person is born with that is the fuel to acts of sin.   This nature of sin is referred as the Adamic nature, original sin, inborn sin, or the old man.   This imputation is very real!   There is no way to escape this condition at birth.  “For as IN Adam all die, even so IN Christ all shall be made alive” (I Cor 15:22).  The ONLY way to escape this sinful condition is by killing this sinful nature, so that it has no power to rule and reign over a person’s life.  This is NOT done by your own physical death.   It IS accomplished in only 1 way: by the Second means of imputation mentioned in the Scriptures. It is the imputation of man’s sin (your personally responsible nature of inherited sin) ONTO a substitution in your place.  And that substitute on your behalf was a sinless Man, God in the flesh, Jesus Christ that bore the whole of mankind’s sin on the Cross.  This sin nature of all mankind was killed alright – it was crucified with Christ on the Cross and your sin nature right along with Him.  “I have been (past tense) crucified WITH Christ….” (Gal 2:20a).  BUT this can only be true to a person that places their absolute full faith and belief in what Jesus did for you.   Most people do not believe this to be true.  And most people try to clean up their ugly sin nature by good behavior, falsely thinking this will help.  It doesn’t.  ONLY your sin nature crucified WITH Christ can kill the nature to sin.  That is amazing, amazingly good news (this gospel of grace).  Yet there is the Third imputation that takes place as well.   And that is the imputation of Christ’s Righteousness; the full Judicial Righteousness of God’s righteousness imputed to the believer.  Whomever is reading this, rejoice!!!!   Read the first five Chapter of Romans over and over.  Paul, by revelation as nowhere else in all of Scripture portrays the ‘how’s and why’s’ of mankind’s complete helplessness and hopelessness apart from Christ and then reveals the unmerited grace of God which can eternally save the most underserving sinner.   This Righteousness is obtained by faith.  It is accounted to you who believe that what Christ has done for you and in your place is true and real.  Apart from this faith in what Christ has done for you, you will remain IN Adam.   But thanks be to the grace of God, that all that believe by faith in Christ’s finished work on the Cross, are ‘IN Christ’ made alive!     The Righteousness of Christ shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead…”

Jaca Kier, Board Member, True Devotion Ministries, Inc. 

Romans 5:1

Verse of the Day Devotion: Romans 5:1 

“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ” – Romans 5:1

All of us can look back and see our lives the way they were prior to accepting the salvation offered to us through Christ Jesus.  Speaking for myself, I can see the many ways I did not follow God’s ways but my own.  The truth is, all of us did not follow His ways, for as Paul says, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” Romans 3:23.  And because of this, we were all declared guilty and subject to punishment, and there was nothing we could do to erase this guilt.  However, what we could not do, God did for us.  It was required that a perfect sacrifice be made on our behalf.  This is where Jesus comes in.  As expressed above, our salvation comes through accepting the gift of salvation offered to us because of the perfect sacrifice made on our behalf: the sacrifice of the perfect Son of God, Jesus the Christ.

Because of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, we all have the opportunity to be justified, pronounced and treated as righteous.  And through our acceptance of this work on the cross we are justified, and justification is the act of God not only forgiving the believer’s sins but imputing to him the righteousness of Christ.  And according to our focus verse, it is only through faith.  It is not earned through anything that we have or can do.  “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9,  And also, “But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,” Titus 3:4-6

Remember, this is not anything we can earn or buy.  It is strictly a free gift from God.  “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  Romans 6:23.  We can do nothing to earn justification.  But the sad truth is, many people believe that they must earn salvation.  In practically every religion, including some churches who falsely claim Christianity as their foundation, man is working his way to God and His approval.  They are being taught that man must do all the right things in order to be saved.  However, the truth is that only God can provide this, and all we need to do is accept it.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, a day we can spend time with family and friend giving thanks for the salvation as well as all the other blessings God has provided for us.  It is also a time where we can spend time in prayer to our God who loves us so much, He gave His only begotten Son to address our sins through a merciful act of justification.  Without this, we would be eternally separated from God in a horrible place. 

So, I want to encourage all of us to spend time giving thanks to the one who provided our salvation which we were unable to provide ourselves.  And also, throughout the year, help those who still do not understand that God did all the work for we were unable to do anything regarding our salvation;  that Christ’s death, burial and resurrection, accepted by us through faith, is the only way to have peace with God.  Our thankfulness should be the impetus for us to help others be saved and present this same thankfulness to our Almighty God.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries.