Learn To Live 3 No Scoreboard Watching; The Book of Romans By Faith in Christ Alone

By William Reid

We have learned to keep score on just about everything. Therefore we unwittingly carry that same ethic over into our spiritual lives. If we have to work hard and dedicate ourselves to achieving success, then we end up thinking that we have to keep score on achieving righteousness. Paul's emphasis is one that runs throughout the Bible: we are losers and sinners. "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God." We cannot lift ourselves by our own bootstraps. Personal works and effort count for nothing. It takes a while for this to get past our ego and pride. Paul kept it simple: righteousness is "by faith in Jesus Christ alone." No scoreboard watching.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Covenant Books, Inc.
• Release date: Jul 15, 2019
• ISBN: 9781645590217

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EVERYTHING IS ABOUT JESUS

Romans 1

For in the gospel the righteousness of God has been revealed.

—Romans 1:17

The world has become so complicated that much of the enjoyment and fulfillment of simple living has been driven underground. Simplicity is something that now requires discipline and sacrifice to achieve. We cannot run away and hide. There is really nowhere we can go without eventually being found by those who want to complicate everything we do. But we can take charge and fight back. If I want to live more simply, I have the power to do so. Simple really is better.

I recently watched a televised meeting of President Trump and his cabinet. Very seldom is something like this televised for everyone to see. As the cameras rolled, each member reported on the department he or she was charged with leading. The most interesting report was given by Mick Mulvaney. He is the director of management and budget, and he also leads the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Mr. Mulvaney presented a plan to combine several government regulatory agencies into one office and eliminate the duplications, regulations, and the bureaucracy of a complicated government. It would make life so much simpler for business and the consumer.

As best as I can recall, He said, Let me illustrate this so you can all understand. If an individual wanted to open a pizza restaurant business, he would have to deal with so many government agencies and regulations that it has become almost impossible to succeed. There is one agency that regulates the ingredients that go into the pizza dough. Another agency regulates the sausage and pepperoni. Another regulates the fish and seafood. There is a department for health and another for safety and handicap access. There is another agency that controls dairy products. So if we can combine some agencies and coordinate regulations, we can simplify and make it easier for the businessman and the consumer to succeed. And on top of that, the IRS Tax Code contains 74,600 pages and over four million words. Simple would be better.

This whole complicated thing has gone crazy. School systems have become complicated. Industry and business has become far too complicated. Some politicians are even trying to make parenting complicated by regulating parental decision making. It has all bled over into the church. Most denominations are now controlled by an elite group of leaders who have imposed a very burdensome layer of rules, regulations, and complicated business procedures.

There have to be guidelines, guard rails, stop signs, warning signs, green lights, and direction signs. There has to be an authority, laws, rules, standards, and restraints. There was a time in the not-too-distant past when the Bible was the sole authority for doctrine and procedures. It was a simpler time when a lot of things were right or wrong, holy or unholy, good or bad, and moral issues were clearly established. When you get away from simple, you obviously end up with complicated.

Some critics say the Bible is too complicated for our modern era. It is too old and out dated. I don’t think so. The Bible is easy to understand if you keep it simple. It is black and white in its clarity. There is no doubt about what is right and wrong. Moral and immoral behavior is easily defined. Heaven and hell are two options. The Ten Commandments are not ambiguous. The Bible is complicated to those who are not willing to read, study, learn, and practice the biblical instruction. Mark Twain is often quoted when he was asked the question, What is it that you don’t understand about the Bible that bothers you the most? His reply was, It’s not what I don’t understand about the Bible that bothers me, it’s what I do understand that bothers me the most.

Now we come to the book of Romans which is one of the more difficult books to understand. My approach is to keep it simple. If you keep something simple in understanding, the complications will usually resolve themselves. Romans is about Jesus and faith in Jesus Christ alone for salvation and righteousness. That’s it. Simple is better.

Everything Is about Jesus (see Romans 1–7). This is primarily a study about Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is named four times in the seven-verse introduction. Paul was writing to the Christians in Rome. He laid out an in-depth, well-thought-out explanation of who Jesus Christ is and why we accept him as our Lord and Savior. It is scholarly and theological. It is not an easy read. But if we keep in mind that Romans is about Jesus, it will make understanding the book simple and easy to comprehend. When a subject is easy and simple to understand, then it becomes much easier to apply in our lives. Romans requires effort, serious thought, and some real work at tying everything together. Simple and practical lead to greater understanding. The book of Romans is very relevant for today. Everything is about Jesus.

The great issue in Romans is faith in Jesus Christ alone. It’s not about us; it’s about him. As the author of the book of Romans, the apostle Paul claims that his knowledge of Jesus Christ came from a personal encounter with him. He stated clearly in verse 3 that the message here is in regards to God’s Son. Jesus is the Son of God in power by his resurrection. Paul condensed everything down to one subject. The entire focus is on one person, Jesus Christ. This approach is not complicated. It is simple and easy to follow. I like simple and uncomplicated.

An Important Revelation from God. For in the gospel the righteousness of God has been revealed (17). Paul wanted to make the point that God has revealed the source of salvation. Salvation is revealed by God’s power through Jesus Christ. The only requirement for salvation is to believe in Christ. From the earliest understanding of the world’s religions, worshipers have tried to attain salvation by their own effort. Nearly every world religion practices some form of sacrifice, ritual, ceremony, regulation, and law. This is what leads to the idea of scorekeeping. If salvation is by work and human effort, then how much is enough in order to attain salvation? How much should one give and sacrifice? How many ceremonies, rituals, and church services does one need to attend? How many laws and regulations does one have to keep track of? Then we have the problem of who keeps track of all this? It is complicated and burdensome to people who try to make a sincere effort to acquire salvation.

When Jesus began his ministry, his biggest critics and worst enemies were the priests and teachers who had appointed themselves as the scorekeepers. They had become the bean counters, the rules keepers, and the church watchdogs. They criticized Jesus for healing on the Sabbath because there was a rule against working on that day. The watchdogs complained about the disciples not washing their hands before they ate. The priests attacked Jesus for associating with a prostitute, tax collectors, and sinners. There were strict regulations against any contact with anyone who was not of the Jewish faith. Faith had deteriorated to trying to keep score on rules and regulations. Bean counting had become the order of the day. Jesus arrived on the scene to replace all of this with one simple act. All we have to do is place our faith in him for salvation. Believing replaces scorekeeping.

Simply put, salvation is a gift presented to man by God. God is the giver; man is the receiver. That’s it. No rules, regulations, ceremonies, rituals, or laws. It is a free gift to be received. This is the sole condition of salvation. The just shall live by faith or the righteous shall live by faith (17). Faith sets us free from the burdensome effort of scorekeeping and personal effort to achieve salvation on our own. The idea of earning salvation is now out the window. We cannot forgive ourselves, save ourselves, or make ourselves holy. But Jesus can. The only requirement for salvation is to believe. Everything depends on the mercy and grace of God in Jesus Christ. Nothing can be simpler than that. Bean counting doesn’t work. Faith does.

No Excuse for Wickedness. Without excuse (18–23). The Jewish leaders had departed from love, mercy, and grace. They no longer practiced love from the heart but had become legalistic scorekeepers. No mercy and grace; just how much and how many. Paul tells us that this kind of attitude falls under God’s wrath. Just as there is salvation for the righteous, there is wrath for the wicked. Wrath is a process by which sin ends up destroying itself. Paul assured his readers in chapter 6 that the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life.

God has plainly revealed the truth about godlessness and wickedness so that people are without excuse (20). There is no excuse for wrong and bad behavior. People can always find an excuse for wicked behavior. In today’s culture and society, there are excuses for all forms of wicked behavior. Some people were just born deprived or grew up poor. Others were uneducated or emotionally abused. Some wickedness is attributed to hurt feelings, bad habits, or some sort of syndrome. Wicked is even blamed on the schools, government, and the institutions of faith. However, the real truth is that God has revealed the source of righteousness to everyone and that all of us are without excuse. Since the creation of the world, God’s eternal power and divine nature have been clearly seen (20). There is no excuse for wickedness and godlessness. This is uncomplicated and simple.

Fools Ignore God. Their thinking became futile (useless) and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools (21–23). A good dictionary is a handy tool to use in understanding the Bible. The dictionary I use defines a fool as a stupid person; one who lacks sense. It doesn’t get much simpler than that. Who says the Bible is outdated and hard to understand?

Now that I am retired from pastoring, I don’t have to put up with some of the nonsense I used to try to handle