Listen to The Daily Word online. Do you have beautiful feet? Like other biblical writers, Paul uses parts of the body to describe important spiritual functions. In Romans 10.9-13, for example, he uses the mouth and the heart respectively as metonyms for public confession and authentic belief. In verses 14-17, he uses the feet as a metonym for evangelism. Here’s what Paul says: How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? … Continue reading Beautiful Feet (Romans 10.14-17)

 Listen to The Daily Word online. What must we do to be saved? Romans 10.9-13 provides the answer: That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.”  For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly … Continue reading Confess and Believe (Romans 10.9-13)

Listen to The Daily Word online.  In Romans 10.5-8, Paul distinguishes two ways of righteousness: by law and by faith. Here’s what Paul writes: Moses describes in this way the righteousness that is by the law: “The man who does these things will live by them.” But the righteousness that is by faith says: “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) “or ‘Who will descend into the deep?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in … Continue reading Two Ways of Righteousness (Romans 10.5-8)

Listen to The Daily Word online. For the past few days, we have been studying Paul’s explanation of why his fellow Jews rejected Christ. Their rejection is not a failure on God’s part. And God nonetheless used their rejection to extend salvation to us Gentiles. But we still don’t know why they rejected Christ. Romans 9.30-10.4 supplies the answer.  Here’s what Paul writes:  What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith; but Israel, who pursued a law of righteousness, has not attained it. Why not? Because … Continue reading Stumbling Stone (Romans 9.30-10.4)

Listen to The Daily Word online.  Christianity is Jewish. And yet, most Christians are not Jews and have not been for nearly two thousand years. So, how did a first-century offshoot of Judaism become home to billions of Gentiles? Romans 9-11 is Paul’s answer to this question. Here’s an outline of his answer so far:  Jews are God’s Chosen People, and his supreme gift to them and the entire world is Jesus Christ (Romans 9.1-5). Unfortunately, the vast majority of Jews in Jesus’ day rejected him. This rejection does not signal a failure in God’s plan, however, for God’s plan was … Continue reading What If? (Romans 9.22-29)

Listen to The Daily Word online. One of the most frustrating things about the Bible is that it often does not directly answer the questions we put to it. For example, Romans 9.19-29 explicitly asks how humans can be morally responsible for actions God willed them to do. Instead of just answering the question, Paul asks a challenging question of his own.  Here’s what Paul writes in Romans 9.19-21:  One of you will say to me: “Then why does God still blame us? For who resists his will?” But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? “Shall … Continue reading Potter and Clay (Romans 9.19-21)

Listen to The Daily Word online.  In the ocean of biblical interpretation, Romans 9-11 is very deep water. And Romans 9.14-29, which we begin studying today, has particularly high waves and strong undercurrents. Are you ready to swim hard? Here’s what Paul writes in verses 14-18:  What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all! For he says to Moses [in Exodus 33.19], “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” It does not, therefore, depend on man's desire or effort, but on God’s mercy. For the Scripture … Continue reading Is God Unjust? (Romans 9.14-18)