“Let love be without hypocrisy.” (Romans 12:9)

Falsehood, insincerity, and lies are rampant throughout society.  The winking eye, the lying tongue, and the deceptive sleight of hand unfortunately mark many relationships.  They are pretend friends and convey love as a guise for selfish gain.  They are conditional upon reciprocity and personal benefit.  When we love only as long as we get something out of it… that is not love; it is manipulation.

Love from a place of goodness… love without hypocrisy and pretending… love for the sake of imitation of Jesus; in this, we shine His light.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

“In the same way then, there has come to be at the present time a remnant according to God’s gracious choice.” (Romans 11:5)

The Bible is full of references to ‘a remnant’.  When Israel complained and worshipped the golden calf, there was a remnant that still held fast.  When Elijah felt all alone and without companion, there remained seven thousand other souls who held to the Lord just like him.  When idolatry diseased the hearts of the nation of Judah and God drove them into captivity, a remnant of faithful like Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego purposed in their hearts to continue faithfully in a foreign land.

The pattern throughout history is that the darker things get, the more we see God highlighting His remnant that cannot be destroyed.  The faithful are always out there quietly and loyally holding to God’s unchanging hand.  They remain even when God sweeps away the legions of religious hypocrites and hedonistic masses.  There will always be a remnant until the end comes, and the remnant is exalted as victors.

Remain true and be the remnant.  There are others. You are not alone.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

“Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.” (Romans 10:11)

Whenever we put our faith in someone, we are sticking our neck out.  Whether it be vouching for a friend, relying on others for a group project, or becoming emotionally vulnerable by confiding in another – we put ourselves at risk of loss and disappointment whenever we believe in others.

The fear of rejection and past pain in being let down by others can lead us to shrink back from future relationships.  We superimpose our past pain upon new connections and run the risk of walling ourselves up because we don’t wish to be disappointed again.

Remember, God will never disappoint you.  He is faithful, and your confession and loyalty in Him will not go unrequited.  He sees you sticking your neck out.  He sees you making sacrifices, and He hears your vulnerable prayers.  He will not forsake you.

Hold fast to the good confession.  Your faith is not in vain.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

“So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy.” (Romans 9:16)

This verse when wrestled from its context has let to all sorts of troublesome doctrines leading men to believe that our personal conduct has no bearing on our salvation and that God has simply chosen who He will and will not save without regard to their obedience or will.  There are numerous passages which clearly teach the opposite of this nefarious doctrine, and I need not cite them all here – suffice it to say, the very existence of the Bible as God’s instructions to mankind disproves the doctrine.  Why instruct if our choices don’t matter?

However, Romans 9 is the conclusion to an entirely different matter.  Paul is explaining that God’s plan for the salvation of mankind came about through the counsel of God’s will and not any human’s.  God chose Jacob to be the progenitor of the nation of Israel, not Esau, before either boy had done good or bad. God used wicked men like Pharaoh to further His plans even as Pharaoh hated God.

The promises and path to Jesus were created solely because God wanted to and without the help or guidance of any human mind.  Salvation in Jesus is God’s plan, not ours.  You may decide whether or not to follow Jesus, but Jesus is King because of the will of God, and God’s will stands.  The plan is for us, but it is from Him.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” (Romans 8:18)

The Greek word used here for ‘revealed’ is ‘apokalypto’ – it is where we get the term ‘apocalypse’.  Paul is reminding us that there is a day coming in which all God’s plans will be disclosed… where the actual purpose of our lives will be uncovered and the eternal destiny of all will be unveiled.

This day is actively drawing nearer.  The plans are in action now, and God is currently working in the world, leading all of human history toward the day in which all the suffering, toil, pain, and heartache will be revealed as nothing in light of the glory of His eternal plans.  Each day, each second draws us nearer to that ultimate moment.

Come, Lord Jesus.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

“I would not have come to know sin except through the Law…” (Romans 7:7)

Sin is not a subjective thing.  It isn’t wrong because it feels wrong, nor are things right because they feel right.  Sin is based upon the law of God.  God tells us what is right and wrong.  Ethics are an objective truth based upon the authority of God’s Word.

Sin is universal – lying will always be wrong, no matter what the scenario.  Sin is not avoided by ignorance – just because a child may not know it is wrong to throw their toys at people doesn’t change the fact that it is wrong.  The first defense against sin is knowledge.  Once you know about the problem, you can begin to avoid it.  The Bible is the map around the land mines.  Through Jesus, it is also the path to reconciliation for past sins, too.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

“But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed…” (Romans 6:17)

Sin is still our master as long as it has our heart.  Notice the language of Romans 6 – when we become obedient to God from the heart, then we can truly see our slavery to sin in the past tense. 

When we change our behavior but don’t address our desires, we are going to eventually return to the same mess we just got out of.  We have to be honest with ourselves that sometimes we don’t want to change because even good change is scary.

You cannot fully follow God in a new life while looking back to the old one you left behind.  There is an oddly comforting familiarity that can be found in our old life.  Even if it is unhealthy, it is what we know.  When we look back to our sinful habits with longing, a desire to avoid change, or even a strange self-indulgent wallowing in shame, we inhibit forward progress.  These things need confession and prayer.

Commitment from the heart… obedience through love of the Lord… these things lead to walking in the light.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

“Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned…” (Romans 5:12)

When the iPhone hit the market, everyone had to have one.  There was something so enticing about a phone that could do everything – it was sleek, it was new, and it was packed with power.  You didn’t have to have one to live, but it sure felt like everyone had to have one!

Adam may have been the one to introduce sin to the world, but it has had a universal appeal.  It is enticing and darkly appealing. It glitters and shimmers in a way that our senses are drawn to it.  Sensuality is just a way of describing the idea that sin appeals to our senses and instinctual raw selfish desires.

Yet with all its sparkle and siren song, the end of sin is a contagion that spreads spiritual death like a blanket over our hearts and lives.  The culture is darker because of it, our relationships are hindered by it, and most importantly, the separation from God it brings is an eternal wound.

Recognize the universal draw of sin.  You will want it at times – but we must also remember that its desire is for us, and we must master it (see Gen 4:7).

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

“Blessed are those whose lawless deeds have been forgiven, and whose sins have been covered!” (Romans 4:7)

Sin requires that we await the consequences.  Every crime requires punishment.  We cannot cry for God to be just and fair and then expect Him to overlook our wrongdoings.  There is a price for all sin.

But what if someone stepped in to pay it?  In Romans 4:7-8, Paul quotes from Psalm 32 to describe how blessed the man is who is redeemed from his sin, not because he did it all perfectly, but because of his faith in the Son of God.

Every crime requires punishment, so Jesus hung on a cross between criminals.  His suffering was done for us, so that we no longer need to await the consequences.  His death brings hope instead of shame.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

“Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be closed and all the world may become accountable to God” (Romans 3:19)

God isn’t looking for you to explain your choices.  He isn’t looking for you to rationalize how you are better than others or justify how you deserve to go to heaven.  The people of Matthew 25 will try to talk their way through the Judgment day, and it won’t work.

God wants us to STOP talking.  No more excuses, no more rationalizations, no more arguments or self-delusions.  Own that you are a sinner and need help.  Own that you need the help only Jesus can give and that you don’t deserve it and never will.  Own that you can’t fix what you’ve broken; only He can.  Less talking, more listening.

Jew and Gentile alike needed to stop talking and stop justifying and stop pointing fingers at the other people who are worse.  Sin is sin, and finding another criminal doesn’t make you less of one yourself.

Romans reminds us that no one ever makes it to heaven without Jesus.  It’s time to listen to Him and follow.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites