The Church At Brierfield

For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,

God personally created the entire universe.  His person is not visible to the human eye but His creative work is open and exposed in all that He made.

In the world around us we can see many of His characteristics.  The amazing intricacies and harmony of creation reveal His wisdom.  His goodness can be seen in all that is enjoyable and beautiful.  His faithfulness is evident in the predictability of days and nights, seasons and tides, gravity and the laws of physics.  His personal characteristics are seen in the personalities of people since we are created in His likeness.

All these characteristics of God are clearly understood by the things that God has made, especially by people.  We have the greatest capacity of all creatures to understand what God has revealed of Himself in creation.

God’s continual and limitless power is demonstrated in the most spectacular ways.  The power expended by our sun everyday is mind boggling.  The energy expended in a powerful hurricane is equivalent to 200 times the world-wide electrical generating capacity.  (NOAA)  Of all that can be seen of God in creation, power is the most clearly seen.

The word Godhead refers to Gods divinity, the fact that He is God.  His existence and the reality that He is God is revealed by His character and characteristics being seen in creation.

As a result, every person in the world is without excuse before Him.  He has provided us with overwhelming evidence that He exists and has clearly revealed to us what He is like.

Romans 1:19 – Romans 1:21

because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them.

There are things about God that are knowable to everyone. Yet, people everywhere suppress that knowledge and God is justifiably angry with them.  (vs. 18)

This information about God is not hidden.  The knowable things about God are in plain sight, visible for everybody to see and recognize.

God is not visible by accident.  He purposefully and personally put Himself on display to be seen by all.  He has shown Himself to the whole world.

Romans 1:18 – Romans 1:20

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,

The righteousness of God is revealed by faith but the wrath of God is revealed by unbelief.  Wrath is not just anger but anger that is expressed by punishment.

God makes His wrath known in many ways but ultimately it will be made clear at the end of time.  The word “revealed” is based on the same word as apocalypse and the name of the book of Revelation.  It means to reveal something that has been hidden.  People tend to believe that the wrath of God is not real because it has been hidden from them for so long.  Nevertheless, it will be revealed in a horrific way when God decides it is time.

And God has also commanded that the heavens and the earth will be consumed by fire on the day of judgment, when ungodly people will perish.  But you must not forget, dear friends, that a day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day.  The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise to return, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to perish, so he is giving more time for everyone to repent.  But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and everything in them will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be exposed to judgment.  (2 Peter 3:7-10, NLT)

God’s wrath is “against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men”.  Ungodliness is a lack of respect, honor and reverence toward God.  Ungodly people act as if God does not exist.  Unrighteousness is doing things that are wrong and violate God’s law.  Unrighteous people do what is right in their own eyes rather than what is right in God’s eyes.

God makes Himself known to us all through our conscience and His creation.  Yet, we tend to suppress and hinder the truth about God.  With our wrong actions we violate our conscience and with our wrong thinking we deny His hand in creation.

Romans 1:17 – Romans 1:19

For in [the gospel] the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”

Through the gospel, God is shown to be faithful, true and right in dealing with sinful people.  Also, through the gospel God makes sinful people right before Him.

We cannot become right by our own efforts or goodness.  When we place our faith in Jesus, God makes us right by giving us the righteousness of Jesus.

Our right standing before God comes “from faith”.  When we first put our faith in Him, He makes us right before Him forever.  This initial faith leads “to [more] faith” because “The just shall live by faith.”

The Christian life is a life produced by faith.  The same kind of faith that begins our Christian life is the kind that enables us to experience the very life of Christ each day thereafter.  Faith isn’t something we just need in difficult circumstances.  It is the very air we breath in our spiritual lives.

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.  (Heb. 11:6, NIV)

Romans 1:16 – Romans 1:18

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.

Paul preached the gospel of Christ to people where ever he traveled because he was not ashamed of Jesus.  We should not be ashamed either since “God is not ashamed to be called [our] God”  (Heb. 11:16)  Jesus had chilling words to say about those who are ashamed of Him.

If a person is ashamed of me and my message in these adulterous and sinful days, I, the Son of Man, will be ashamed of that person when I return in the glory of my Father with the holy angels.  (Mark 8:38)

The good news that Jesus died on the cross for our sins is a powerful message.  It is so powerful that it can transform a sinner into a saint, an enemy of God into a child of God, and the spiritually dead into the living body of Christ.  There is nothing else in all of creation that can save us from the wrath of God against our sin.

Although the gospel message is powerful enough to save every person in the world, only those who believe the message will be saved by it.  “For by grace you have been saved through faith.”  (Eph. 2:8)

God gave His chosen nation Israel the first chance at the Gospel.  His intention was to bring salvation to the world though them.  When they rejected Jesus, God brought the gospel to the rest of us through the small group of Jews who did believe.  It is interesting to note that Paul always went to the synagogue and preached to the Jewish people in a city before he preached to the gentiles, even though he was the apostle to the gentiles.  The Jewish people are still special to God.

Romans 1:15 – Romans 1:17

So, as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also.

With all of his being, Paul was eager to preach the gospel to the Romans.  He was ready, prepared and willing to tell them the good news about Jesus dying for their sin.  How eager, ready, prepared, and willing are we to tell people they can have life through Jesus?  Are we always ready to speak to people God has prepared and brought into our life?  Can God trust us with people He wants to save from their sin?

Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.  But do this with gentleness and respect  (1 Peter 3:15, NIV)

Romans 1:14 – Romans 1:16

I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to wise and to unwise.

Paul felt an obligation and duty to preach the good news of Jesus to all kinds of people.  Just like God (Acts 10:34), he did not show favoritism, partiality or prejudice.  Paul knew that “in every nation, whoever fears [God] and works righteousness is accepted by Him.” (Acts 10:35)

Greeks represent the more civilized people of the world.  Even today ancient Greece stands out as one of the great societies of human history.  Barbarians represent the less civilized people of the world.  They would be the third world countries of today as well as the lower social classes in all countries.  Paul feels the same obligation to preach the gospel to civilized peoples as well as uncivilized, to the high class as well as the low class, and to the cultured as well as the unsophisticated.

Wise refers to educated people and unwise to the uneducated and ignorant.  Education is always a dividing point among people.  Paul would not be too impressed by the educated or too put off by the ignorant to preach Jesus to them.  Regardless of our education, every person stands before God as a sinner in need of a savior.  Knowledge of Jesus and His death on the cross for our sins is true wisdom.  All who know Him are wise and everyone who rejects Him is a fool, no matter how much education we have.

Romans 1:13 – Romans 1:15

Now I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that I often planned to come to you (but was hindered until now), that I might have some fruit among you also, just as among the other Gentiles.

Paul wanted the Romans to know that he not only desired to visit them but had already made plans to do so several times.  For some reason he was prevented from going to them.  We don’t know why because he does not explain it.  For His reasons, that we may never know, God will allow us to be hindered from serving Him in ways that we plan.  When this happens we should simply continue to seek and serve Him, making other plans as we go.  We must keep in mind that “A man’s heart plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps.”  (Prov. 19:9)

Paul’s motive for going to Rome was to produce “fruit” among them.  This “fruit” would be increased spirituality among the current believers and new believers converted by his preaching of the gospel.

A gentile is anyone who is not of Israeli birth.  Paul was the apostle to the gentiles.  (Rom. 11:13)  The other Apostles primary ministry was among the Jewish people.  Paul’s ministry among the gentiles had already been fruitful and he desired to minister to the gentiles in Rome as well.

It is good to look for the way God works through us specifically and focus on serving Him in that way.  “Unless the LORD builds a house, the work of the builders is useless.”  (Ps. 127:1, NLT)

Romans 1:12 – Romans 1:14

that is, that I may be encouraged together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me.

Spiritual believers spending time together sharing their faith in the Lord is a wonderfully encouraging experience.  I love those times and need them daily.  Paul was eager to spend this kind of time with the Romans.

Fleshly believers spending time together is no different than unbelievers spending time together.  They can all enjoy themselves but there is no spiritual value.

Spiritual believers spending time with fleshly believers can have various results.  The fleshly believer may become spiritual, may begin to feel guilty, may not realize there is a difference, or may become defensive.  The spiritual believer may become fleshly, may begin to pray, may begin to teach and encourage, or may begin to rebuke.

Would that we always be spiritual and encouraging to one another every day.  “Encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.”  (Heb. 3:13, NIV)

Romans 1:11 – Romans 1:13

For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established;

Paul had a great desire to see the Romans and minister to them spiritually.  He wanted to give them a spiritual gift or blessing.  This is not to be confused with the spiritual gifts or enablements given by the Holy Spirit. (1 Cor. 12:7-11)

Paul wanted to teach them spiritual truth, which is the gift he wanted them to have.  His goal in teaching was that they become strong, firm and stable in their spirituality.  This is the very reason God gave Paul, as well as all preachers and teachers, to the Church.

[Jesus] is the one who gave these gifts to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers.  Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ, until we come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature and full grown in the Lord, measuring up to the full stature of Christ.  Then we will no longer be like children, forever changing our minds about what we believe because someone has told us something different or because someone has cleverly lied to us and made the lie sound like the truth.  Instead, we will hold to the truth in love, becoming more and more in every way like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.  (Eph. 4:11-15, NLT)

Romans 1:10 – Romans 1:12