Romans 1:16-17, Ephesians 6:17, Hebrews 4:12, 2 Timothy 2:15, 2 Timothy 3:16-17, John 17:17

Summary: Paul’s letter to the Romans has been referred to as the “point of departure for the study of Bible doctrine.” It is the foundation of Christian theology and has been used, along with the Gospels, to point lost souls to the cross.

Numerous sermons and commentaries have waxed eloquent about the genius of Paul’s mind and heart as he dictated this letter to his brethren who made up the church in Rome. Stories from church history, such as the conversions of St. Augustine, Martin Luther, and John Wesley, when they read the book of Romans, show the power and influence of this divinely inspired work to transform lives and shape the direction of both individuals, churches, and nations over the course of time. Evangelists have used the “Roman Road” (Romans 3:23, 6:23, 5:6-11, 8:37-39, 10:9-10) to present the Gospel and win souls to Christ.

The modern church would do well to repent of its desire to appease the fickle and wicked demands of the world (2 Peter 3:10-13) and return to the Book (John 17:17; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:19-21). We are to be in the world but not of it (Matthew 16:26; Luke 21:34; Romans 12:2; Colossians 3:2; Titus 2:12; James 4:4; 1 John 2:15-17). We are to share the truth of salvation through Jesus Christ (John 14:6; Acts 4:12; Hebrews 7:25) to people who are lost and wandering on the broad road of destruction and to bring them to the narrow road and the cross where all can be saved (Isaiah 45:22, 53:4-6: Matthew 11:28-30; John 10:28-30).

I wish to approach this masterpiece of Paul’s mind and heart from the perspective of an evangelist more than an expositor to have you see that not only is this great lion of God explaining to us the essentials of sound biblical doctrine but is also using the gifts and talents that the LORD bestowed upon him to reach out to those who have absolutely no concept of the true God as He presents Himself in creation, the inner conscience, and the revealed Word. He also wrote Romans in order to point out that, apart from the saving grace and mercy of God, we are no “good” in any way, shape, or form, and nothing we do in our own strength is going to change that, like it or not.

Paul’s personal background is a testimony to that harsh reality. He had been an avowed enemy of Christianity (Acts 8:1, 9:1-2, 26:8-11) and saw it as a blasphemous threat to all he held dear in his Jewish faith and pedigree as a Pharisee. He saw Jesus of Nazareth as nothing more than an enemy of the customs and traditions he held just as sacred as he did the Scriptures that he had committed to memory (Galatians 1:13-14; Philippians 3:3-6). To him, Jesus’ death on the cross was a visible sign that he was cursed by God (Deuteronomy 21:23; Galatians 3:13) for His claim to be the Promised Messiah (Isaiah 53:1-12) of Israel.

He would soon come to realize that the curse Jesus carried for a brief time was the curse of sin that condemns all of us to death and hell. It was the Lord Jesus whose perfect life and sacrifice on the cross freed us from that curse forever (Isaiah 53:4; John 15:13; Galatians 1:4; Titus 2:14; Hebrews 9:28; 1 Peter 3:18, 2:24; 1 John 3:5).

That saving grace is available to you as well. Swallow your pride, confess that you are a sinner, and realize that it is only the benevolence, mercy, grace, and love of God that can redeem and rescue you from the judgment all of us so richly deserve (Romans 10:9-10).

Let us see how all that applied to this murderous Pharisee who thought he was doing God a favor by eradicating the early church.

He pursued Christians with a fury that could match that of a modern ISIS or Al Qaeda jihadist. He had captured and imprisoned them and approved to have them killed as well. Paul’s rabid religious fanaticism would place him on a terrorist watch list if he were around today. That all changed when the glorified Lord Jesus Christ struck him down, forever changing him from a rabid destroyer of Christianity to becoming its most prolific preacher, soul-winner, missionary, and battle-scarred soldier who never got over the fact that instead of being destroyed by the fury of Christ, he was instrumental in bringing the everlasting word and person of Jesus Christ to both Jew and Gentile and see that the lost sheep were being brought into the fold of the Good Shepherd for all time.

It is the conversion of Paul that is one of the distinct proofs that the message, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ is true, valid, and confirmed by not just the Scriptures themselves but also affirmed by Bible scholars from both liberal and conservative schools of thought.

I know that these are points of reference that I have brought up in previous sermons and articles, but oftentimes we need to return to and reflect on the wonder of a soul that was once lost and now found and put into use for the approaching kingdom of God. Remember that at one time, you too were an enemy of God in need of redemption, just as Paul and countless others in the course of history came to realize (Romans 5:10). If you are reading this and are not a follower of Jesus Christ, you are in the enemy camp and need to get out of it before it is too late (Luke 12:13-21; 2 Corinthians 6:2; Hebrews 9:27).

Do you now see why Paul was so eager to share this life-changing Gospel with the brethren in Rome (Romans 1:8-13)?

This group of Jewish believers who lived in Rome had brought back the message of Jesus Christ years before after returning from Jerusalem and hearing the message preached by Peter on the Day of Pentecost and the birth of the church (Matthew 16:13-19; Acts 1:8, 2:1-4, 14-39). Peter proclaimed that Jesus was the Messiah and had fulfilled many of the prophecies written in the Hebrew Scriptures as proof (Isaiah 53:1-12; Psalm 16:8-11, 110:1).

His call for the Jews who heard this message to repent and trust in Christ was received by not just those Jews who had been residing in Rome, but all the Jewish pilgrims who were gathered from other nations as well (Acts 2:5-12). They heard the Gospel being preached in their language (hence the “tongues,” or “glossa,” meaning known languages) and, in turn, carried it back to their countries, further spreading the Gospel message (Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15; Acts 1:8).

This Gospel is what Paul was eager to share with the Romans in order for these brethren to receive an even deeper understanding of what it meant to be a follower of Jesus Christ. He was going to learn from them as well, and together they would all drink from the well of the Living Water, who is the Lord Jesus Himself (John 4:14, 7:38-39). Paul will explain to the Roman believers and to all who take up and read this wondrous foundation of faith that it is Christ alone who saves us and guides us in our lives and who will welcome us into the eternal heavens and the new earth. Romans is our major instruction manual apart from the Gospels themselves on how to live the authentic Christian life before the world as a witness to the truth and glory of the King of Kings who is returning soon.

Class is in session for both the world and the church to hear, learn, and receive the message. Don’t skip out.

donaldwhitchard@gmail.com

www.realitycityreverend.com

My book, The Scope of Biblical Prophecy, is now available at www.parsonsporch.com

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Donald was born and reared in the authentic “Cajun Country” of southern Louisiana. He is a graduate of Louisiana College (B.A. in History Education/ Biblical Studies, 1984), New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary (M.Div. In Christian Education, 1994), and Andersonville Baptist Seminary (Doctor of Ministry, Biblical Exposition, 2000). He has been in the Gospel ministry since 1986, serving as an evangelist, interim and supply pastor, hospital and rescue mission chaplain, high school and college teacher, and pastor in churches in Louisiana and Oklahoma.

In 2018, he began to devote his time to the rich field of internet and social media evangelism and outreach. In 2021 he became a member of the Oklahoma Conference of Southern Baptist Evangelists, using his skills as a writer to contribute articles and sermons to websites such as Rapture Ready, Sermon Central, and Inspirational Christian Blogs. He also writes Bible studies and curricula for churches in southeast and central Asia and Africa, the locations of which are anonymous. He can be contacted at: donaldwhitchard@gmail.com for inquiries, information, and speaking/preaching engagements. A copy of his resume is also available upon request.

James, the half-brother of Jesus, makes no apologies in condemning those who love the world and prefer living here rather than in the presence of God. In James 4:4, he says:

“You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”

In light of what James declares, who is a friend of the world? It’s clear: he’s an enemy of God.

Why is this so? The apostle tells us in 1 John 2:15:

“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”

What is the love of the Father?

John continues to inform us 1 John 2:16-17:

“For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.”

The love of the Father is the will of God working in a person. This is in contrast to someone who has the world working in him and lives according to the desires of the flesh, exhibiting lust and pride.

An enemy of God, then, is one who rejects the promise of God’s Kingdom and instead prefers living in this world. In fact, by choosing to embrace the world as it is today, such a person, according to John, will not enjoy God’s presence in the world to come.

The obvious person who fits this description is one who is not a believer. He has chosen to live apart from God as a pagan. This means that he does not fear or revere the Lord. Neither does he have any qualms about worshiping any other deity of his choosing instead of God. Moreover, such a person, over time, will dismiss the voice of the Holy Spirit acting through his conscience – it will literally be seared so that he cannot hear what the Lord may be speaking to him. Living like this causes his morality to plummet because he has no standard of righteousness other than his own flawed, sinful thinking. The heart of this person becomes hardened and eventually transforms into unfeeling, unyielding stone.

Here’s the problem. James, in his epistle, is writing to Jewish brothers in Christ (“to the twelve tribes in the Dispersion” – James 1:1) – not to unbelievers. If James, John, or Paul, in one of their letters, warns the church, i.e., believers in Jesus Christ, about an issue, it usually means that someone is engaging in a practice that needs warning about. Their intent is to arouse them to the danger in their midst and to correct their walk with God.

Look at James. By calling people in the church adulterous, that was for a reason. There were those to whom he wrote who were making a practice of worldly living.

John builds on this for us with the bad news that those who live for the world are no friends of God – indeed, they probably aren’t even saved. Yet, if any who are saved are engaged in loving the world rather than God, what are the consequences of that?

This is absolute speculation on my part, but might it generally be that those who love God more than the world have a pre-Tribulation Rapture perspective? Theoretically, shouldn’t we who are eagerly anticipating Christ’s soon return in the clouds for us have a greater desire to please God because of our not wishing to be found wanting when He returns? I like to ask the question when speaking to a group about this: “Would you want to be doing THIS (whatever THIS is that may not be honoring of God) when the Rapture happens? How would you like to face Him immediately after engaging in such a sinful act?”

Conversely, wouldn’t you think that someone who is not pre-Trib wouldn’t be quite as concerned about living every day for the Lord because he doesn’t anticipate Jesus coming quickly, thus reasoning that there’s plenty of time to get right? I think this may be a fallout of human nature. Many of us like to procrastinate. With this mindset, there’s plenty of time if I’m saved until I stand before God for judgment of my works or to make a salvation decision if not a believer.

Translate this to how we operate in the world in these last days. I personally know of several folks like myself: I’m so tired of the world with its abominations that I’m just plain ready for God to take me out of here. I do all that I can in trying to live for God and keep Him in mind throughout the day, meditating on His goodness and on occupying myself with the work of the Kingdom. Yet, this world has grown increasingly alien to me. I want nothing to do with it. I’m ready to go home. Again, I’m aware of others who think like this – yet there appear to be distressingly few of us.

On the other hand, particularly among those who have other than pre-Tribulation Rapture beliefs, they’re either trying to fix the world or simply buckling down to weather the storm to come. If you hear many such folks talk about the future, they speak about generations to come, about how their work will impact their children and society going forward.

If they indicate that there might be a soon culmination of the ever-present evil in the world, they always hedge their words.

Folks like me will say something like, “The Rapture is imminent. All the signs of the times declare that Jesus will soon snatch us from this hostile, alien world. The Tribulation is almost upon us, and every mechanism for implementing Satan’s designs are already at hand.”

Those who waffle might say, “The Lord is coming back, but we just don’t know when. It could be a hundred years from now, so we need to keep working toward improving the world with fair elections and local community cooperatives as we try to make it through the worst of what’s to come.”

Which perspective approximates those who are friends of the world? I’m not saying many of these aren’t saved. I think many true believers simply don’t adhere to the pre-Trib doctrine for a variety of reasons: bad teaching; poor hermeneutics; lack of daily, deep Bible reading; whatever.

That being the case, which is the more dangerous approach to a life in Christ?

If Jesus commanded us to be aware and to watch diligently for His return, what should be our response? How then should we live?

Shouldn’t it be as though we’re on the edge of eternity?

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Gary Ritter website: books & blog

http://garyritter.com/

Kindle Vella story: Tribulation Rising

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B099Z462WD