FRIDAY, MAY 24

Romans: Calvin on Abraham - Rom 4:18-25

With these verses Paul brings to an end the first major section of his letter to the Romans. We have learned that somehow we need to be made righteous and God has done all that is required in the sending of Jesus to be a willing sacrifice for us. All we need to do, all we can do, is put our trust in him.

Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, "So shall your offspring be." Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead--since he was about a hundred years old--and that Sarah's womb was also dead. Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. This is why "it was credited to him as righteousness." The words "it was credited to him" were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness-- for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.

The great reformer John Calvin made this comment on these verses.

Let us also remember, that the condition of us all is the same with that of Abraham. All things around us are in opposition to the promises of God: He promises immortality; we are surrounded with mortality and corruption; He declares that he counts us just; we are covered with sins; he testifies that he is propitious and kind to us; outward judgments threaten his wrath. What then is to be done? We must with closed eyes pass by ourselves and all things connected with us, that nothing may hinder or prevent us from believing that God is true.

Something to think about
In what areas of life do you need to persist in trusting God despite outward circumstances?

Something to pray about
Lord, as I wait for you to answer my prayers in your way and time, strengthen my faith. Like Abraham I want to stay focused on your promises rather than on my circumstances.

 

THURSDAY, MAY 23

Romans: Father Abraham - Rom 4:13-17

Father Abraham had many sons,
Many sons had Father Abraham.
I am one of them and so are you,
So let's just praise the Lord

I don't know if children sing this today but I know they did 30 years ago. It was a seemingly never-ending chorus that girls in our church and in our family loved. It was sung with great joy and energy.

In today's reading Paul is deep into his argument showing that the exclusive ideas he used to have about God's promises to the Jews were totally misguided. It became as clear as day to him that physical descent was not the key to enjoying the promises made to Abraham. What was vital was to share the same spiritual life blood - faith. All who trusted in Christ were heirs of Abraham.

'the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham's offspring - not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. 17 As it is written: "I have made you a father of many nations." He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed--the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were.'

Abraham believed in the God of creation and resurrection and we do too. Neither for Abraham nor for us today are these truths simply to be recited in a list of what we believe. They are to affect how we live in the every day.

Something to think about
Where do you need God to turn things around? Where is there need for resurrection of hope? Does this require you to think about things differently and in God's way?

Something to pray about
Lord, Paul found that for years he had misinterpreted the scriptures. Make me willing to learn fresh truth and be willing to change my mind where I have got things wrong.

 

THURSDAY, MAY 23

Work, rest and play

This phrase was the end of the famous tag line to Mars bar adverts when I was growing up! These last eight weeks, as far as my work life at King's is concerned, have been the busiest of the year so far for me. When Deb and I sat down at Easter and did our regular review of our diaries and all that we would be doing, we jokingly said to each other, ‘See you at half term...!' It has been an intense but fulfilling time but it is good to work - and work hard!

But now it will be ‘all change' in the Tibbert household. In the coming week, Ben returns home after completing his second year at Winchester University where he is studying history. As a result, the volume of people - and noise - in the house is about to go up! A week's holiday with the family is planned and will be fun - it is good to rest.

Then on Monday we will all enjoy going to Wembley to see Crystal Palace play Watford in the Championship promotion play-off. I also have a game of golf booked in later in the week which I'm looking forward to. But first I'm hoping for a great result for Crystal Palace!

I hope that whatever season of life you are in currently that you will be able to keep things in balance as far as work, rest and play are concerned. It can be difficult I know, in a period of demand, to get this right and it needs our constant attention. It's good to work, rest and play!

And today at the Catford site of King's we are hosting the THINK conference with the theologian N T Wright as the main speaker, organised by Andrew Wilson and his team from our Newfrontiers church in Eastbourne, with the help of Mick Taylor. It is a privilege to be able to resource this national event and to see over 200 people come from across the country and from other church streams to learn more from God's Word.

 

WEDNESDAY, MAY 22

Romans: Outrageous Grace - Rom 4:6-12

How do you feel about having a murderer and adulterer in your family? The truth is that you are part of God's family  and God has many in his family. This might be a shocking truth for us - and it is not because God is less concerned about such sins than you are. His sense of outrage at such sins, all sins, is beyond anything we could imagine. Yet, in his mercy he has provided a way for the wicked to be put right with him. This is what David speaks of in Psalm 32 and Paul quotes David's words to show that justification by faith was true, not just of Abraham but also for King David.

"David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works: "Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him."

David's words are not academic but heart-felt. He had slept with another man's wife and then sent that man to his death so his sin might not be exposed. (2 Samuel 11:1- 12:13) But God sees everything. Imagine David's panic when Nathan the prophet exposed his sin. David had been raised by God from being a humble shepherd to being the king and hero of God's people but he had abused his privileges and shown total disregard for what he knew God desired of him. When sin is exposed there can be a temptation to plead extenuating circumstances - the pressure in being king, the temptations unique to his role - but David made the right response. He acknowledged his sin and pleaded for God's mercy.

Mercy is available to the repentant; they can be put right with God by simply trusting in Christ's sacrifice for them. This truth is a wonder to those who know they are sinners and an offence to the proud.

Something to think about
Is there sin you need to seek forgiveness for today?

Something to pray
Lord, I am so thankful that you made a way for people like me to know forgiveness. I thank you that your mercy is new every morning. Help me live in ways that honour you and be quick to repent when I fail.

TUESDAY, MAY 21

Romans: Starry, starry night... Rom 4:1-3 (Gen 15:1-6)

Living in a city, the awe inspiring beauty of the Milky Way is largely shrouded by the ambient light. You need to escape into the countryside far from any street lights to get just a glimpse of what Abraham saw on the fateful night when God spoke to him.

"Look up at the sky and count the stars-if indeed you can count them." Then he (God) said to him, "So shall your offspring be."

As Abraham looked, the impossible became a certainty. Though far too old, though his wife had been unable to conceive all through her potential child-bearing years, though she too was now too old, God had spoken - and this time faith rose in his heart.

There is a mystery to faith. You can have heard the same truth many times before but where once it seemed' too good to be true' there are moments when it all makes sense and you know it will happen. In those moments you know that faith is not an achievement but a gift and it is the gift that opens the door to all other gifts God wants to give us.

To confirm all he has been saying about faith, Paul reminds us of this pivotal moment in Abraham's life. He wants to show this is the way God has always worked. Faith is the key that opens the door to heaven, to life with God, to life in all its fullness.

"Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness."

And faith doesn't just start us on the journey of walking with God, every step of every day is to be a step of faith.

We might never be able to explain the mechanics of faith but this is clear - faith is ignited in our hearts by hearing the voice of God. It is not a matter of trying to work it up. It comes by being with Him, listening to him.

Something to think about.
Where and when do you find God speaks to you most clearly? How can you carve out more opportunities for this to happen?

Something to pray about
Lord, I thank you for the day you spoke to me and I started out on this journey of faith. I thank you for your patience, for all the times I have heard the truth and not responded, but Lord - keep speaking to me and let the truth come home to me again. I thank you that with You all things are possible.

MONDAY, MAY 20

Romans: Missed connections - Rom. 3:27-31

I love long journeys by train. Book far enough in advance and it can be reasonably cheap. There is the opportunity to read and relax with no need to keep focused on negotiating traffic. But going by rail can have its frustrations. A missed connection can leave you stranded. When we read scripture the Holy Spirit wants to take us on a journey and sometimes we can get stranded in irrelevance. Look at today's reading and I will explain what I mean.

Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that of observing the law? No, but on that of faith. 28 For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law. 29 Is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, 30 since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith. 31 Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law.

Faith in Christ should lead to humility, the absence of any sort of pride. It should leave no room for arrogant boasting. Yet it is not always true that those who know the theology of Paul and the doctrine of justification that he has so magnificently expounded are known for their humility. As far as Paul is concerned, you don't really understand the truth of the Bible unless it radically affects how you think about yourself and how you treat other people. Paul has in his sights in this paragraph those Jewish Christians who are tempted to look down on their Gentile brothers and sisters. They knew their Bibles (the Old Testament) inside out. In their nation's history there were great heroes of faith. Their lives had been highly moral even before they came to faith in Christ. While the Gentile believers often came from messed up backgrounds and had little knowledge of the scriptures.

Faith is the great common denominator. It is only faith, not our behavior, our history, or our level of understanding that connects us to God. When we know this truth there is no room for boasting.

Towards the end of this letter Paul writes Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position.(12:16) This is both a remedy and a test of how much we have really learnt this lesson.

Something to think about
In your sphere of contacts who is often missed out. How can you honour them?

Something to pray about
Lord, I know that boasting is wrong but I confess I can be more concerned about not been caught boasting than in really being humble. Teach me what it means to count others as better than myself.