Reading Romans

Parents,
Time to get you caught up on what our students covered this past Sunday in Sunday School...in case you didn't figure this out from the title of today's post we are reading through the book of Romans.  Sunday morning students spent a good amount of time in Chapters 2 and 3.

We started the morning by wrapping up Chapter 1 where we see Paul give a detailed description of human sinfulness in verses 18-32.  As we started Chapter 2 we see that Paul is just amazed that some people thought they were free to judge other folks.  Paul spends the next few verses making it abundantly clear that we are not free to judge others for their sins because we too are sinners, at times committing the very sins we condemn or worse!

Paul declares that God's judgement of us is based on the truth...it is accurate and impartial.  This led Paul to wonder how those who were condemning the sins of others could possibly think they were exempt from God's judgement for the same sins!  Paul made it clear that if God had not yet brought judgement on some, then it was truly an example of His great kindness, restraint and patience.

And that's what we really can come away with from these first 5 verses....God is patient with us...he has spared judgement for a time giving us the chance to repent and to turn away from our wicked ways...but like many of the Jews that Paul was writing about, we only repent for a season before we rebel again against God!

In verses 6-11 of Chapter 2 we find another truth about God.....God is impartial toward us...A resounding lesson to be learned here is that claims of righteousness by works speak loudly about a person's needy spiritual condition.  God will repay each of us according to our works is what we find in verses 6-8. This shouldn't be misunderstood as a claim for salvation by works...but rather Paul was emphasizing here that people's actions always point to a source.  Every deed has a signature that links it unmistakably to either the work of self of the work of God.

In verses 9-10, Paul continues by showing the results of living for self or living for God.  One way of life leads to affliction and distress while the other leads to glory, honor and peace...doesn't sound like a tough choice to make for which one sounds more appealing does it?  Paul reaffirms in verse 11 that there is no favoritism with God!

Paul closes out Chapter 2 with a word to the Jews and warns them about boasting about a special relationship with God due simply to their heritage again reaffirming God's impartiality!

Our students then jumped into the last few verses of Chapter 3....verses 21-26 to be exact.  Here we closed out the morning with an encouraging word from Paul....God offers to forgive us!    Verses 21-26 spoke to both Jews and Gentiles of the saving power of Jesus Christ!

So Sunday morning, our students had 3 good pieces of news to study in Romans
1.  God is patient with us
2.  God is impartial toward us
3.  God offers to forgive us.

I hope your student and you as parents are encouraged by Paul's words today!  Next week students will finish up Chapter 3 and begin study in Chapter 4!  Have a great Tuesday!

Heffe