Romans 1:1 (and more reasons why the Bible is awesome)

As I've stated many times before, the Bible amazes me. It's just incredible how rich every single verse is, how much there is to be learned from each verse. This is why it's my belief that every Christian should engage in serious Bible study, alone or in a group. This doesn't necessarily have to involve tons of books or software or anything like that. I'd say you'd be good with a concordance, or even just an internet connection. There's a lot of Biblical information on the internet. However, I also warn you that there is also a lot of pretty weird, even heretical information posing as Christian on the internet, so watch yourself if you decide to go the internet research route.

The following is the result of my study of one verse, Romans 1:1. I realized that a lot of things I've been thinking about, such as how the Christian should relate to suffering, the government, and justice, are all discussed in Romans, so I think I should study it more in-depth.

I should warn you: I am a geek for this stuff. I had my Bible dictionary, some free Bible study software I found called e-Sword (it's really cool, I recommend it, and it's where I get my information on Greek words), my ESVBible account open (complete with the ESV Study Bible notes), etc etc. Bible study doesn't have to be quite this insane. I just like it that way.

Romans 1:1

"Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God,"

Paul introduces himself in the beginning of his letter as a servant of Christ Jesus. This is how he identifies himself: by his faith and his calling. But by saying he is a servant of Christ he’s saying more than just that he serves Him; Paul is saying that Jesus is the only One Who he will ever try to please. In his letter to the Galatians, Paul says that “If [he] were still trying to please man, [he] would not be a servant of Christ” (Galatians 1:10).

What I find particularly interesting is the Greek word for “servant” here is δοῦλος (transliterated doulos; pronounced doo'-los). Strong’s numbers give its definition as “a slave (literally or figuratively, involuntarily or voluntarily; frequently therefore in a qualified sense of subjection or subserviency)” (G1401) It has the sense of being bound to someone. Another appropriate translation of this word seems to be “bondservant.” Paul is bound to Christ as his servant. He does what his Master commands of him.

This is not the same as the North American institution of slavery, where people were frequently abused by unjust and cruel masters. God is merciful to His own. He loves His people dearly. He truly knows what is best for them, and He always works for their ultimate good (Romans 8:28).

Paul next identifies himself as an apostle. His self-identity remains rooted in his calling to serve God, which I think is amazing. Most of us simply say we’re Christians, as well as whatever our profession is or what our hobbies are. Paul’s full and total identity is rooted in Christ alone. He was called by God to the office of apostle.

What is an apostle? According to Strong’s numbers, the word ἀπόστολος (transliterated apostolos; pronounced ap-os'-tol-os) means “a delegate; specifically an ambassador of the Gospel; officially a commissioner of Christ (“apostle”), (with miraculous powers)” (G652). Paul was very miraculously called by God to be a messenger to the world of His word (Acts 9:1-18). He was sent by God to teach, to speak to the world about the gospel of God. He also proved his authority with many signs and wonders, which is where the idea of miraculous powers comes from.

The fact that Paul was an official delegate of Christ meant that Paul had equal authority with the Old Testament prophets. The believers of Paul’s day had the Old Testament as their Bible without any New Testament. It hadn’t been fully written yet. The Old Testament, often referred to as “Moses and the Prophets” or “The Law and the Prophets” in the New Testament (Matt. 5:17; 7:12; 11:13; 22:40; Luke 16:16, 29, 31; 24:27, 44; John 1:45; Acts 13:15; 24:14; 26:22; 28:23; Romans 3:21) was the written Word of God, meaning the prophets spoke with God’s total authority.

In his first letter to the Thessalonians, Paul writes: “And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you [the Thessalonians] received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men; but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers” (1 Thess. 2:13). Paul also challenged the Corinthians with this verse: “If anyone thinks that he is a prophet, or spiritual, he should acknowledge that the things I am writing to you are a command from the Lord” (1 Cor. 14:37). Paul saw his words, the words of the apostles, as the words of God Himself!

Paul wasn’t the only apostle who believed this. Peter wrote, “[O]ur beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures” (2 Pet. 3:15-16). Do you see what Peter said? He, talking about Paul’s letters, referred to “the other Scriptures.” He’s putting Paul’s words (and his own, as Peter himself is an apostle) on the same level as the Old Testament, the very words of God! This was clearly not a belief Paul alone held.

Lastly, there is incredible significance in what Paul says he was set apart for: the gospel of God. This is a very weighty statement. Gospel means “good message” (Strong’s, G2098). This is the good message of God. This further establishes Paul’s authority, but it is far more significant than Paul’s authority. Later verses in this passage establish just what this good message is. But this verse confirms, along with the later verses, that this good message, this gospel, is of God. It is God’s, it is by His power.

Reflecting the Glory of God

One thing that Pastor Jon (from my old church in Bremerton, for you Olympians who may read this) always said was that coffee beans reflected the glory of God. It was always kind of funny to watch him revel in it, just thinking about the smell of coffee. But he was also being serious because he would always state that, however good it was, God was so much better. He wasn't so much joyful in how good the coffee smelled, but more how much better God was.

Recently this thought came back to me in a different way: everything reflects the glory of God. I already knew this, of course, but I found a prime example of this that spoke to me and may speak to other audio nuts like me.

I was in class the other day. We were learning basics of how analog recording and playback works. It was when we got to the part about records, you know, the old, giant CDs that were a sign of how giant iPods must have been back in the day. The biggest difference, besides size of course, is how the audio plays. CDs are just digital. The files are uploaded onto it and it can play them back.

But with records, there's a lot more that goes on. I don't remember all the details, but when they make a vinyl record, they basically cut lines into it. These lines vary depending on the audio being put into it. When the needle on a record player (something else no one knows exists) is stuck into the lines, it moves around. This generates a magnetic signal that, basically, reproduces the sound for us to hear. I'm pretty sure the magnetic signal is converted into a voltage of some kind.

What struck me about this was the utter brilliance of how this worked. The fact that an electrical signal can be converted into another electrical signal to generate and reproduce sound is incredible to me. While people were obviously smart for having discovered this, this was there, waiting to be discovered because God created it to work like this in the first place when the right tools and components were assembled! He invented it, He invented how it would work. It just needed to be discovered, which I believe was God's providence as well. That is to say, it reflects His utter genius and brilliant creativity! It's just like that coffee bean; when blended with the right ingredients, it creates this drink that is amazing (to some; I personally dislike coffee, but other people dislike seafood, which I LOVE).

So, the next time you're doing pretty much anything, just think about the fact that whatever you're doing works the way it does because God made it so. Think about its beauty, or the intricacy of the details that go into making it work. God is more beautiful. He is far more brilliant than whoever discovered how this thing works because He invented the way it would work. These things cannot even come close to revealing His full glory, which should thrill us to no end.

Glad To Be Back

I wanna tell you a story.

A while back I suddenly was very on-fire for God, Jesus, His Word, and what He's done in my life. I started reading my Bible. I realized that I need to define myself as a Christian, and that that definition holds absolutely everything there is to know about me. Every aspect of my life - my being a husband, a guitarist, a student, etc - was wrapped up in my being a Christian, a "little Christ," a follower of God. Whether this was my getting saved when I thought I'd been saved the whole time, I don't know. It could have just been my waking up to the fact that my Christianity really, truly means something very very deep.

Then, life happened. As it does.

I found myself becoming very busy. I was tired half the time and I stopped getting up in the morning early enough to have time for my Bible reading. I'd get up and I'd go on the computer. If I had time in the day after school, it was spent lazily. I got very wrapped up in my schoolwork actually. It didn't help that the last few weeks I had to be at school all day Sundays, preventing me from going to church for three weeks straight.

I continued to go to church after that, but I still found myself being too busy for God. Previously, I had been thinking about Jesus and His Word virtually all the time. Now? It rarely crossed my mind. It bothered me when it did, because I knew something was wrong.

I don't really remember what triggered this, but I suddenly found myself being very interested in the world's issues, particularly the issues of the United States. I wanted to know how to look at them, where to stand on some of them. It was after this that a friend of mine and I got into a short discussion about human rights. The most important part was when he asked me what rights we had as Christians. I gave a rather stupid answer at first, but then really thought about it for a while. Humanly, we had rights, the rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness and such. People aren't allowed to take those away from us because it's wrong.

But in God's perspective, the reality is that people aren't allowed to take those away from us because it's sinful, which offends a holy, righteous, perfect and just God.

It suddenly hit me like a brick. It was as if God was saying to me, "You want to know how things are? You need to see things how I see them." I remembered once again that God being real had very serious implications on my life, my worldview, and everything else.

Then I went to a conference. Long story short, I was convicted of having not read my Bible for quite a while (or at least being incredibly inconsistent with it). I learned that I needed to have someone hold me accountable on that, so I asked Sarrah. She's done a very good job of it too.

So here we are. I can feel that fire once again. I'm reading my Bible regularly and have fallen in love with it and God all over again. I remember once again that God is real, His Way is perfect, and He knows exactly how everything is and how it's going to be. And honestly, I can say I'm glad to be back.

The Importance of Scripture

I was thinking about what the Bible says about itself. Not only that, but I've been thinking about how important it is to read it, to study it, to get to know it. As a result I've come to this conclusion.

The Bible is as important to a believer's life as God Himself.

That statement may shock some people. I know there are a lot of people who just want God and don't bother with the Bible. I actually heard of a woman, a believer (supposedly), who wrote a letter to Dr. John MacArthur, saying, "'Your problem is you're too much into the Bible. Throw away your Bible ... and stop studying.'" Pretty crazy if you ask me.

Then there are people like the Pharisees who only want the law and not God. They only cared about their laws and their power (John 11:47-48). It's the opposite of the previous people. The problem with both views is this: to be a true Christian you need both.

Now why would I say this? How can the Bible, a book of words, be as important as God? It's rather simple, actually. The Bible is the Word of God. It's how we get to know Him. It's what He says to us. It's this wonderful book full of love and encouragement, reproof and correction, decrees, direction, teaching and guidance. I frequently quote 2 Timothy 3:16-17 on this: "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work" (ESV).

In Psalm 19:7-11, we find David writing with reverence for the Word of God:

The law of the LORD is perfect,
reviving the soul;
the testimony of the LORD is sure,
making wise the simple;
the precepts of the LORD are right,
rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the LORD is pure,
enlightening the eyes;
the fear of the LORD is clean,
enduring forever;
the rules of the LORD are true,
and righteous altogether.
More to be desired are they than gold,
even much fine gold;
sweeter also than honey
and drippings of the honeycomb.
Moreover, by them is your servant warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.

All of these things, the law, the testimony, the precepts, the commandment, the fear, and the rules of the Lord are found in the Bible! This book is how God has chosen to speak to us! If these words are the very words of God Himself, how on earth can the Bible be less important than Him?

I want to add a very important note to this statement, however, because if I don't I'd be omitting something that must be said.

I am not saying we should worship the Bible. The Bible is not God. It is the Word of God. It's essential to the Christian life, but it is not God, and therefore not deserving of worship. Its power comes from the One Who spoke them in the first place. We must worship only God. Even in Psalm 19, David is worshiping God. He worships God for the Word He spoke, and he most definitely loves it, but he isn't worshiping it.

So, Christians, get to your Bibles! God is speaking, and we must listen.