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Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem

2010-08-31T19:33:00.002-08:00

Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem

Isaiah 53 Explained

2010-07-31T23:34:00.001-08:00

Isaiah 53 Explained

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The Servant of the LORD

Isaiah 52:13-15 – 53:1-12

13 Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high.
14 As many were astonished at you; his visage was so ruined more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men:
15 So shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider.

Isaiah 53

1 Who has believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?
2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he has no form nor loveliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.
3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
4 Surely he has borne our sicknesses, and carried our pains: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he opens not his mouth.
8 He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.
9 And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.
10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he has put him to grief: when you shall make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.
11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he has poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

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With faith in God, we move forward to new opportunities!

2010-05-31T23:27:00.002-08:00

Faith in God!

With faith in God, we move forward to new opportunities!

With faith in God, we follow the path that our creator has set before us. With every new opportunity that we accept and act upon, we learn more about ourselves and what we are capable of accomplishing.

“…Nothing will be impossible for you.” Matthew 17:20

“If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” Matthew 21:22

“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:18

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Let God Arise

2010-04-30T23:42:00.000-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrCal6kE-r4

The LORD’s Passover - a special Feast, every year, to thank GOD

2010-03-30T16:05:00.003-08:00

The LORD’s Passover - a special Feast, every year, to thank GOD

Exodus 12:1-51

The Passover of the LORD is instituted - God tells Moses; this is the first month of your year, and say to all the Israelites that on the tenth day to take one young sheep for each home, and kill on the fourteen of this month
v1 The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron in the country of Egypt.
v2 He said: ‘This month will be for you the first month of your year.
v3 Tell the Israelites that the 10th day of this month is special. Each man must take a young sheep for his family. Take one young sheep for each home.
v4 The family may be too small to eat a whole sheep. Then they must eat it with another small family. You must decide this by how much each person can eat.
v5 Each young sheep must have nothing wrong with it. It must be a male that is one year old. It can be either a young sheep or a young goat.
v6 Keep the young sheep safe until the 14th day of the month. Then all Israel’s people must kill the young sheep in the evening.
v7 Then they must take some of the blood. They must put it on the wood that is round the door of their houses. They must do this to the houses where they will eat the young sheep.
v8 That night, they must cook the meat over the fire and they must eat it. They must eat it with special plants and with bread that has no yeast in it.
v9 You must cook the meat, but do not boil it in water. Cook the meat over the fire, with the head, the legs and the inside parts of the animal.
v10 You must eat all of the meat before the morning comes. If you cannot eat it before the morning, then you must burn it.
v11 This is how you must eat the young sheep: Fix your belt round your coat, put your shoes on your feet. Take your stick in your hand and eat the food quickly. This meal will be called the Passover of the Lord.

The Israelites must remember the fourteen day of the month as a special day to the LORD every year for all time
v12 I will pass through the country of Egypt on that night. I will kill every firstborn, both men and animals. I will punish all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord.
v13 The blood will be a sign for you, on all the houses where you live. When I see the blood on the house, then I will pass over you. No bad thing will touch you, when I attack the country of Egypt.’
v14 ‘You must remember this day as a special day every year. On this day, you must make a special party for the Lord. You must obey this rule in your families for all time.

The Unleavened bread days- In the first month, you must eat bread without yeast in it - Do this from the evening of the 14th day until the evening of the 21st day, for all time
v15 For 7 days, you must eat bread with no yeast in it. On the first day, you must remove all yeast from your houses. Whoever eats bread with yeast in it, during the 7 days, he does a bad thing. You must remove him from Israel’s people.
v16 On the first day, you must bring together all the people to a special meeting. And you must do the same thing on the 7th day. On these special days, you must not do any work except to prepare food. This is the only work that you can do.
v17 Enjoy the meal of the bread with no yeast in it. It was on this same day that I brought your armies out of Egypt. That is why you must enjoy this day as a special day, for all time. This is a rule that you must always obey.
v18 In the first month, you must eat bread without yeast in it. Do this from the evening of the 14th day until the evening of the 21st day.
v19 You must not have any yeast in your houses, for 7 days. Whoever eats anything with yeast in it, he does a bad thing. You must remove that person from the rest of the Israelites. You must do this if that person is a foreign person. You must also do it if he was born in that country.
v20 Eat nothing that has yeast in it. Whatever country you live in, you must eat bread without yeast in it.’

The Israelites do everything that the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron
v21 Then Moses commanded the leaders of the Israelites to come to him. He said to them: ‘Go and choose young sheep immediately, for your families. Then kill the animals for the Passover party.
v22 Take some hyssop. Make it wet with the blood that is in the dish. Then put some of the blood on the wood that is round your door. Nobody must go out of the door of his house until the morning.’
v23 ‘The Lord will pass through the country and he will kill the Egyptians. But when the Lord sees the blood on the wood round the door, he will pass over that house. He will stop the person who kills. The Lord will not let him come into your houses. The Lord will not let him kill you.
v24 You must obey these rules always, both you and your sons, for all time.
v25 You will come into the country that the Lord promised to give you. Then you must obey these rules.
v26 Your children may say to you: “What does this party mean to you?”
v27 Then you must say to them: “It is the Lord’s Passover party. The Lord passed over the houses of the Israelites when they were in Egypt. He killed the Egyptians but he saved the people in our houses.” ’ Then the people bent their heads and they worshipped God.
v28 And the Israelites did everything that the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron.

The Tenth Plague; the killing of all the firstborn sons in Egypt
v29 At midnight, the Lord killed all the firstborn sons in the country of Egypt. The firstborn son of Pharaoh, the king, died. But also, the firstborn son of any man who was in prison died. Every firstborn son in Egypt died. All the firstborn animals died also.
v30 Pharaoh and all his servants got up in the middle of the night। All the Egyptians also got up in the middle of the night. Everyone was crying in Egypt because there was a dead person in every home.

The Egyptians urge the Israelites to leave
v31 Then Pharaoh commanded Moses and Aaron to come to him, during the night. He said: ‘Get up! Go away from my people! You and all the Israelites, go! Go. And worship the Lord, as you want to.
v32 Take all your animals with you, as you have said. Go away! But ask God to do good things to me too.’
v33 The Egyptians really wanted the Israelites to leave. They wanted to send them out of the country immediately. The Egyptians said: ‘If we do not send them away immediately, we will all die!’
v34 So the Israelites took their bread before they had cooked it. They had not even put the yeast into it. They put the bread in dishes and they covered it with clothes. Then they carried the dishes on their shoulders.
v35 The Israelites had obeyed Moses. They had asked the Egyptians for silver and gold. They had also asked them for clothes.
v36 The Lord had made the Egyptians think good thoughts about the Israelites. Because of this, the Egyptians let them have all that they asked for. So the Israelites took everything that was valuable from the Egyptians.

The Israelites leave Egypt
v37 Then the Israelites traveled from Rameses to Succoth. There were about 600 000 men who walked. There were also many women and children.
v38 Many other people traveled with them. And they had a very large number of animals, both sheep and cows.
v39 The Israelites cooked the bread that they had brought with them from Egypt. It had no yeast in it, because the Israelites left Egypt quickly. The Egyptians had pushed them out. The Israelites did not have time to make bread with yeast in it. Nor did they have time to prepare any other food.
v40 The Israelites had lived in Egypt for 430 years.
v41 It was on the last day of the 430 years that all the Lord’s people left the country called Egypt.
v42 The Lord did not sleep on that night, when he brought the Israelites out of Egypt. Because of this, all the Israelites must not sleep during this special night, every year. They and their families must remember this rule, for all time. They must do this, to thank the Lord.

Rules for the Passover Feast
v43 Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron: ‘These are the rules for the Passover party.
No foreign person can eat the Passover food.
v44 If you buy a foreign slave, you must first circumcise him. Then he can eat the food.
v45 But if you pay him money for his work, he must not eat the food. A visitor must not eat the food.
v46 You must eat the meat in one house. You must not take any of the meat outside the house. You must not break any of the bones in the meat.
v47 All the Israelites must enjoy the party together.
v48 There may be a foreign person who lives among you. He may want to enjoy the Lord’s Passover too. But he must first circumcise himself and all the males in his house. Then he can enjoy the Passover party, like a man who is born in Israel. But no male person without circumcision can enjoy the Passover party.
v49 The Israelites and the foreign people who live among you must all obey this rule.’
v50 All the Israelites did everything that the Lord had commanded Moses and
Aaron.
v51 And on the same day, the Lord brought the Israelites out of Egypt, like a large army of people.
Comment:
Verse 13 - ‘I will pass over you.’ This is where the English word ‘Passover’ comes from. God made a promise. He would not kill anyone in a house that had blood on the door. He would ‘pass over’ that house.
Verse 22 - ‘Hyssop’ is a plant with lots of leaves. They held the hyssop in the hand and they used it like a paint brush. They painted some of the blood on the pieces of wood round the doors.
Verse 23 - ‘The person who kills’ was a special angel.
Verse 39 - When you make bread with yeast in it, you must wait for the bread to become light and full of air. Then you can cook it. This takes some time. The Israelites were in a hurry. They did not have time for this.
Verse 42 - ‘The Lord did not sleep.’ This does not mean that God sometimes sleeps. It means that God was watching the Israelites in a special way. He was watching them, when they left Egypt. He was keeping them safe. So the Israelites must have a special party on this night, every year, to thank God.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 1997-2006, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info

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Arguments in the Church of Corinth

2010-02-28T19:44:00.002-09:00

Arguments in the Church of Corinth

1 Corinthians 1:10-17

v10 Brothers and sisters, I appeal to you all to agree with each other. I appeal on behalf of our Lord Jesus Christ. Then there will not be divisions among you. You will be in complete agreement in all that you think.
v11 My brothers and sisters, some people from Chloe’s house have told me that there are quarrels among you.
v12 Here is what I mean. One of you says, ‘I belong to Paul’. Another person says, ‘I belong to Apollos.’ Another person says, ‘I belong to Peter’. And still another person says, ‘I belong to Christ.’
v13 We cannot divide Christ. Paul did not die on the cross for you. I did not baptize you in the name of Paul.
v14 I am grateful to God that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius.
v15 No one can say that I baptized you in my name.
v16 (Yes, I also baptized those who live in the house of Stephanas. I do not remember if I baptized anyone else.)
v17 Because Christ did not send me to baptize. He sent me to preach the good news.
He told me not to use words of human wisdom. Clever words would take the power away from the cross of Christ.
Comment:
Verses 10-11 - Paul uses the word ‘brothers’ twice. He speaks as one who loves them. They should love each other, because they are Christian brothers and sisters. They belong to the same spiritual family. God is their father.
‘In complete agreement’ translates a medical word. It is about a way to join bones together that are broken. So, they must mend the broken unity of the church. Then the ‘body’ of the church will be healthy.
Chloe may have been a business woman whose servants had traveled from Ephesus to Corinth. They had brought back news about the quarrels in the church at Corinth.
Verse 12 - Paul speaks about four groups:
1. Those who used Paul’s name. They may have been Gentiles. They were perhaps using Paul’s teaching about Christian freedom as an excuse to behave badly. One group liked Paul. But other people opposed him.
2. Those who used Apollos’s name. Apollos was a Jew from Alexandria. He knew the Scriptures and he could speak very confidently. He had visited Ephesus. Aquila and Priscilla had taught him more about the Christian faith. The Christians in Ephesus then encouraged him to go to Corinth. There he was very successful when he preached the gospel (Acts 18:24-28).
3. Those who used Peter’s name. We do not know whether Peter ever visited Corinth. But the people there knew that he traveled with his wife (1 Corinthians 9:5). His supporters probably said that he had been the leader of the 12 apostles whom Jesus chose. Jesus had called him a ‘rock’. Jesus had made a special resurrection appearance to him (Luke 24:34; 1 Corinthians 15:5).
4. Those who used Christ’s name. Those people probably said that they were the only real Christians in Corinth. But the words may be Paul’s own remark about the situation. ‘I, Paul, belong to Christ’.
Verses 13-16 - Paul uses the word ‘Christ’. He wants to make the Christians at Corinth understand about the church. It is like Christ’s body in the world. The church cannot act as Christ’s body if it is in pieces. A body in pieces is not alive.
Only a few people could say that Paul had baptized them. Crispus had been the ruler of the synagogue in Corinth (Acts 18:8). Gaius must have had a large house. He could be Paul’s host and welcome ‘the whole church’ (Romans 16:23). As he wrote, Paul remembered Stephanas. He was the first person to become a Christian when Paul came to Corinth (1 Corinthians 16:15, 17). But Paul could not remember anyone else that he had baptized. He did not want anyone to think that a person had decided to belong to him. Baptism was not ‘in his name’, but ‘into the name of Jesus’.
Verse 17 - Paul’s work was to preach the gospel. Who baptized whom was not the most important point. It was important for the Christians at Corinth to know the real nature of the gospel. The message was simple. Christ died on the cross. To speak with clever words and ideas would attract attention to the speaker. Then the message of the crucifixion would lose its power to save people.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission - © 1997-2004, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info

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Thanksgiving - Paul thanks God because the Christians at Corinth have accepted salvation as God’s gift

2010-01-30T21:18:00.002-09:00

Thanksgiving - Paul thanks God because the Christians at Corinth have accepted salvation as God’s gift

1 Corinthians 1:4-9

v4 I always thank God for you. I thank him because of his grace. He gave this grace to you by means of Christ Jesus.
v5 God has blessed you in every way because of him. He has made you speak and understand the truth more completely.
v6 You know very well the message that we gave you about Christ.
v7 Therefore there is no spiritual gift that you do not have. You wait eagerly for our Lord Jesus Christ to come again.
v8 God will keep you strong in your faith to the very end. Then you will be without blame on the day when our Lord Jesus Christ returns.
v9 You can trust God. He has chosen you to share life with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Comment:
Verses 4-7 - Paul thanks God because they have accepted salvation as God’s gift. And that gift comes by Jesus Christ. Paul speaks about God’s spiritual gifts to the Christians at Corinth. He mentions how they speak. And he mentions how they understand.
The letter shows that the Christians at Corinth had become very proud of these gifts. Paul writes about understanding or knowledge in chapter 8 and ‘speech’ in chapter 14.
Here, he says that their gifts show that they have believed the good news about Jesus. The words ‘grace’ and ‘gift’ show that they have no right to praise themselves.
Verses 8-9 - Paul also reminds the Christians at Corinth that God will keep their faith strong. He will do so until Christ returns. God has chosen them to share Christ’s life.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission - © 1997-2004, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info

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Which Is the First Commandment of All?

2009-12-31T23:19:00.001-09:00

Which Is the First Commandment of All?

The first and great commandment and the second is like it…

Matthew 22:35-40

Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying,
“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?”
Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’
This is the first and great commandment.
And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’
On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

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Paul’s greeting to the God’s church in Corinth

2009-11-08T11:06:00.000-09:00

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Paul’s greeting to the God’s church in Corinth

1 Corinthians 1:1-3

v1 This letter is from Paul. It was God’s plan to choose me to be an apostle of Christ Jesus. This letter is also from our Christian ‘brother’ Sosthenes.
v2 We are sending this letter to you, the members of God’s church in Corinth. God has chosen you to be his holy people because Christ Jesus has made you holy. He has done the same for all those everywhere who worship our Lord Jesus Christ. He is their Lord and ours.
v3 We pray that God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ will give you grace and peace.
Comment:
Verse 1 - ‘Christ’ is the Greek word for Messiah. It means the king that God would send to his people. Paul emphasises that he is an apostle because of God’s plan. He describes himself in this way in other letters. But it was important for him to state his authority to the Christians at Corinth. Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 9:1-23 show that some Christians at Corinth doubted whether he was an apostle. They doubted his right to tell them the truth and to give them advice.
Sosthenes may have been the same person as the ruler of the synagogue in Corinth. People had hit him in front of the ruler Gallio (Acts 18:12-17). Sosthenes had become a Christian and he had travelled with Paul to Ephesus. He may have acted as Paul’s secretary. Paul calls him ‘our brother’. So, the Christians at Corinth must have known him.
Verse 2 - Paul had written to the church ‘of the people in Thessalonica’. Here he speaks about the ‘church of God’ in Corinth. Paul did not want the Christians at Corinth to feel proud about themselves. So, he reminds them that the church belongs to God. They are like God’s field, God’s building and God’s workers (3:9).
The Greek word for ‘church’ is ‘ecclesia’. It means the people whom God ‘called out’ to be his own people. Their behaviour must be different from the way many Christians at Corinth were behaving. God has made them ‘holy’ because they trusted Christ. Paul says to them what he has said to Christians everywhere. The Christians at Corinth are only one part of God’s church.
Verse 3 - Paul does not use the usual greetings that began and ended letters. He prays that they will know peace. This peace comes as people know the grace of God. Grace is God’s love that they do not deserve. And they cannot earn God’s love. God has shown his love by Jesus. When they know that love, they will feel safe. God has forgiven them. So they will have inner peace.
Paul here unites Jesus Christ with God the Father. Jesus really is God. And Jesus works with God the Father to save his people.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission - © 1997-2004, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info

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A comment about Paul’s letters to Corinth

2009-10-31T21:45:00.000-08:00

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About this letter

A comment about Paul’s letters to Corinth
1. The ‘previous’ letter. Paul said, ‘I wrote you a letter. In that letter, I told you to have nothing to do with men with bad character’ (1 Corinthians 5:9). This letter is either lost or it may be in 2 Corinthians 6:14–7:1.
2. 1 Corinthians. When Paul was in Ephesus, he received news about troubles in the church at Corinth. This news came from people who were living in Chloe’s house (1 Corinthians 1:11), and from Stephanas, Fortunatus and Achaicus (1 Corinthians 16:17). A letter also came from the Christians in Corinth. They asked for Paul’s advice about various problems. Paul wrote 1 Corinthians.
3. The second ‘painful’ visit. Paul heard that problems in Corinth were worse. So he made a second visit. There is no record about this. But Paul writes about when he visited Corinth for the ‘third’ time (2 Corinthians 12:14; 13:1-2). So there must have been a second visit.
4. The ‘severe’ letter. Paul’s visit was not successful. So he wrote a letter when he was feeling very hurt (2 Corinthians 2:4). He was almost sorry that he had sent it. Some writers believe that chapters 10-13 in 2 Corinthians are the ‘severe’ letter.
5. The letter to show that the Christians at Corinth and Paul were friends again. Paul was so worried about his ‘severe’ letter that he went to meet Titus. Titus had taken the severe letter to Corinth. Paul met Titus in Macedonia and learned that all was well. So, he wrote chapters 1-9 in 2 Corinthians. It is possible that someone put the severe letter and the next letter together in the wrong order.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission - © 1997-2004, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info

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Paul’s first visit to Corinth

2009-10-08T07:20:00.000-08:00

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About this letter

Paul’s first visit to Corinth
Comment:
On his second journey to take people the good news about Jesus, Paul arrived in Corinth from Athens. He had only very little success in Athens and he did not stay there for very long. But he stayed in Corinth for 18 months.
He spent longer there than in any other city apart from Ephesus. He stayed with Aquila and Priscilla, who were tent makers like himself.
He preached first in the synagogue. When the Jews opposed him, he used the home of Titius Justus. Titius Justus lived next door to the synagogue. Paul preached very successfully. Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, became a Christian.
When a new Roman ruler arrived, the Jews took Paul to him. They said that Paul was teaching ‘against the law’. But the ruler refused to listen to the Jews.
This happened in about AD 51. Paul later went to Syria.
See…Acts 18:1-17
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission - © 1997-2004, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info

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About the city of Corinth - Go-and-teach-all-nations

2009-09-07T17:48:00.000-08:00

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About the city of Corinth

1 Corinthians - Servants of Christ

Corinth was an important city. It was on a very narrow section of land (called an ‘isthmus’) in the southern part of Greece.
1. It was the capital city of the region called Achaia.
2. It had two harbours. The harbour on the east coast was 4 miles (6 km) from the harbour on the west coast. Today a canal joins the two harbours. In Paul’s time, people pulled small boats across from one harbour to the other one. They dragged them on a kind of ship railway. Porters carried goods from large boats to the other side. They put the goods on a different boat. The journey would otherwise have been over two hundred miles round a very dangerous part of the sea.
3. As it was a busy centre for trade, Corinth was a good place for the gospel to spread. Merchants and travellers would hear the message and take it with them. There were many different people in Corinth. There were Romans because it was a Roman colony. (A colony is a city or country that another country controls.) There were Greeks, Jews, people from Asia and from further east. There were rich people and many slaves.
4. There was a temple to Aphrodite, the Greek female god of love. There were thousands of prostitutes in the city. Many of them belonged to this temple. Corinth became well-known for bad sexual behaviour. To live ‘like a Corinthian’ meant to become a drunk often or to visit prostitutes.
5. The Isthmian Games took place near Corinth. They were famous and only second in importance to the Olympic Games.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission - © 1997-2004, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info

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Go-and-teach-all-nations - Romans 16: 25-27

2009-08-30T12:08:00.000-08:00

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Romans 16: 25-27

The song to praise God
v25 And so I pray to God. He is able to make your faith strong by the good news which I preach. We declare the good news about Jesus Christ. This secret truth was unknown for long ages in the past.
v26 But now God has made it public. As the prophets wrote, people from all nations can know it. God, who lives always, ordered this. He wanted people everywhere to obey him and to trust him.
v27 So I praise God, who alone has all wisdom. All glory will always belong to him, because of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Comment:
In this song to praise God, Paul repeats the main ideas in his letter:
Verse 25
1. God has the power to make a Christian’s faith firm. God protects a Christian’s faith from wrong beliefs. He gives Christians the power to win against tendencies to sin. He gives them courage when people oppose them.
2. The good news about Jesus Christ comes to everyone by means of the people who declare it. Paul speaks about the gospel that ‘I preach’. God had given to him the task to preach, especially to the Gentiles.
3. For many centuries, people did not know God’s plan. It was like a secret that God has now made public. God had decided to rescue people, both Jews and Gentiles, by means of Jesus Christ, his son.
Verse 26
4. The Old Testament prophets said that Christ was coming. God made people understand that the scriptures were a witness to Christ.
5. God’s purpose was that the good news should be available to everyone in the entire world. Jesus himself had given the command to his disciples to tell the good news to everyone everywhere (Matthew 28:19-20).
6. Christians must show that their faith is real. They do this as they obey God. He has shown his love for them by means of Christ. So they should obey him as they show love to everyone.
Verse 27 - Paul wants God to receive the honor that he deserves. And Paul himself praises God. God showed his wisdom when he sent his son, Jesus Christ. And God’s wisdom is so much greater than any person’s wisdom (Romans 11:33-36). So Paul ends his letter with thanks and he praises God. ‘Amen’ shows that he wants everyone to join with him and to give glory to God.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission - © 2007, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info.

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Go-and-teach-all-nations - Romans 16:21-24

2009-08-23T07:55:00.000-08:00

Go-and-teach-all-nations

Romans 16:21-24

Greetings from Paul’s friends
v21 Timothy, who works with me, sends his greetings to you. So do Lucius, Jason and Sosipater, my relatives.
v22 (I, Tertius, who wrote this letter down, greet you as a believer in the Lord.)
v23-24 Gaius is my host here. And the whole church meets in his house. He sends you his greetings. Erastus is the Director of Public Works here in the city. He and our brother Quartus send you their greetings.
Comment:
Verse 21 - Timothy came from Lystra. There, Paul decided to make Timothy a companion for his journeys (Acts 16:1-3). He served Paul for many years. Paul wrote that their work together was ‘like a son with his father’ (Philippians 2:19-22). Timothy was with Paul when he was ready to go to Jerusalem (Acts 20:4). (See Romans 15:25.)
Lucius, Jason and Sosipater were Jews, like Paul. We cannot be sure who they were. Lucius might be Lucius from Cyrene (Acts 13:1) or even Luke. Jason invited Paul to stay at his home in Thessalonica. The result was that the Jews attacked Jason’s house. They dragged him in front of the city rulers (Acts 17:5-9). His name is not among the people who took the gift to Jerusalem. But Sopater (the shorter form of Sosipater’s name) took the gift from Berea to Jerusalem (Acts 20:4).
Verse 22 - Tertius is the only secretary of Paul whose name we know. He sends his own greetings here.
Verse 23 - Gaius was one of the only two people whom Paul baptised in Corinth (1 Corinthians 1:14). If his full name was Gaius Titius Justus, he lived next to the synagogue in Corinth. When Paul left the synagogue, he moved into Gaius’s home to continue his work. ‘The whole church’ (in other words, all the church members) met in Gaius’s house (Acts 18:7-8). Clearly, Gaius had a very large house.
Erastus was the Director of Public Works in Corinth. So he was a very important man in that city. His name is on a pavement (stones which cover a street or path) that people discovered in 1929. The Latin words say that he paid for the pavement himself. He appreciated the honor that the city had given to him.
Our ‘brother’ Quartus probably means that he was a Christian. The word ‘brother’ may of course mean a family relationship. Quartus means ‘4th’. One writer suggests that he was the brother of Tertius, whose name means ‘3rd’. Another writer thinks that this is rather unlikely!
Verse 24 - Many manuscripts do not include this verse. But other manuscripts have these words here: ‘I pray that the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ will be with you all. Amen.’ These manuscripts have these words here, instead of the end of verse 20.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission - © 2007, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info.

Go-and-teach-all-nations

Go-and-teach-all-nations - Romans 16:17-20

2009-08-16T10:40:00.000-08:00

Go-and-teach-all-nations

Romans 16:17-20

Paul warns about some teachers
v17 Friends, I urge you to watch out for people who want to separate you. These people cause trouble. You have learned about Christian beliefs. But such people teach ideas that are opposite to these things. Stay away from such people.
v18 People like this are not serving our Lord Christ. They are greedy people who care only about themselves. They speak well. Their words impress people. So they deceive people who are simple.
v19 Everyone has heard how you obey God. I am glad because of you. But I want you to be wise about good things. And I want you to be innocent in relation to evil things.
v20 Soon, Satan’s (the devil’s) defeat will be complete. God, who brings peace, will overcome Satan. And you will be very glad. You will be like someone who places his foot on the head of a dead snake. I pray that the grace of our Lord Jesus will be with you.
Comments:
Verses 17-18 - Paul wanted to warn the Christians in Rome about some particular dangers. In chapter 2, Paul has written about some proud teachers who were working in the churches. These men had already caused serious problems in some churches. They were trying to separate Jewish Christians from Gentile Christians. They said that they were teaching God’s law. But they were not sincere. They were using the Christian gospel as a means to make a profit (1 Timothy 6:5; Titus 1:11). And they were not really teaching the gospel. The gospel message is that people become righteous by faith in Christ. But these men said that people had to obey the law in order to become righteous.
Paul writes elsewhere about the arguments that these men caused (1 Timothy 6:3-5). And it seems that these men intended to cause quarrels (1 Timothy 1:3-4). Some men believed them. So Paul would tell Titus to choose church leaders who knew the gospel well (Titus 1:9-10). Those leaders could oppose the false teachers firmly (Titus 2:13-14).
Verse 19 - Paul was pleased to hear that the Christians in Rome were obeying God. But he wanted them to recognize good things, and to do those things. He wanted them to avoid evil things. Jesus had told his disciples to be ‘as wise as snakes and as innocent as doves (a kind of bird)’ (Matthew 10:16).
Verse 20 - Paul writes about the God who brings peace. It is Satan who causes disagreements and wars. ‘Soon’ does not mean immediately. It means that at some time in the future, God will act to end the power of Satan permanently. In the original language, Paul did not actually mention a ‘snake’ here. But we have included this word in our translation because Paul seems to be referring to Genesis 3:15 here. Paul’s words are like God’s promise that a woman’s descendant would ‘destroy the snake’s head’ (Genesis 3:15). That verse is a prophecy (description of future events). It means that the Messiah will overcome Satan.
Paul’s words also refer to an ancient custom after a battle. The captains of the army that won would place their feet on the necks of their chief enemies (Joshua 10:24). This action showed that they had completely overcome their enemies. Psalm 110:1 speaks about the Messiah who puts his feet on his enemies. Christ won victory over Satan at the cross. But Satan continues to oppose God. And Satan continues to cause trouble for God’s people. But Paul was confident that Satan’s final defeat is certain. Christ’s death was sufficient to end Satan’s power completely.
At the present time, we are still waiting for Satan’s final defeat. God has allowed this delay to give people the opportunity to trust him (2 Peter 3:9). People who refuse will suffer the same punishment as all God’s enemies (Revelation 20:13-15). But God does not want people to suffer that punishment. That is why he sent Christ into the world. Christ died on the cross to suffer the punishment for sin. People who trust him are not still God’s enemies. They have become God’s friends, and they will overcome together with Christ.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission - © 2007, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info.

Go-and-teach-all-nations

Go-and-teach-all-nations - Romans 16:6-16

2009-08-09T08:40:00.000-08:00

Go-and-teach-all-nations

Romans 16:6-16

Paul’s greetings to his friends…Paul Greeting also the church that meets in Priscilla and Aquila’s house – Part 2
v6 Greet Mary, who worked very hard on your behalf.
v7 Greet Andronicus and Junias, my relatives. They have been in prison with me. They are leaders among the apostles. They became Christians before I did.
v8 Greet Ampliatus, who is my dear friend because of our relationship with the Lord.
v9 Greet Urbanus, who works with us to serve Christ. And greet my dear friend Stachys.
v10 Greet Apelles. God tested him. Apelles proved that he was loyal to Christ. Greet the people who belong to the household of Aristobulus.
v11 Greet Herodion, my relative. Greet those who are Christians in the household of Narcissus.
v12 Greet Tryphena and Tryphosa. These women work hard for the Lord. Greet my dear friend Persis. She is another woman who has worked very hard for the Lord.
v13 Greet Rufus. He is a splendid Christian. And greet his mother. She has been like a mother to me too.
v14 Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas and the Christians with them.
v15 Greet Philologus and Julia. And greet Nereus and his sister. And greet Olympas and all God’s people with them.
v16 Greet each other with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ send greetings.
Comment:
Verse 6 - Paul mentions a woman called Mary. We know nothing about this particular woman except her hard work.
Verse 7 - Junias is probably a female name, Junia. So Andronicus and Junia may have been a married couple. They were Christians before Paul, so they are probably before the time of Stephen. They were members of the first church in Jerusalem. They are ‘among the apostles’. So, like other people, they may have seen Christ when he came back to life (1 Corinthians 15:6).
Verse 8 - ‘Ampliatus’ was a common name for a slave. But there is a splendid grave in the Christian catacombs (ancient underground graves) in Rome. It has the name Ampliatus on it. So he was probably a Christian whom people thought well of in the church.
Verse 9 - ‘Urbanus’ means someone who belongs to the city. It was a common name for someone who lived in Rome.
Verse 10 - Aristobulus was a grandson of Herod the Great. He lived privately in Rome and he was a friend of the Emperor Claudius. When Aristobulus died, his servants and slaves became the property of the Emperor. People would know them as the ‘household of Aristobulus’.
Verse 11 - Herodion may have had some relationship with the Herod family. ‘Relative’ probably means a Jew, like Paul, rather than a relative by birth.
Narcissus was a secretary to the Emperor Claudius. Narcissus had made a large sum of money from people who wanted him to give their letters to the Emperor. When Nero became Emperor, Narcissus had to die. When he died, his slaves became Nero’s property. They would be called the ‘household of Narcissus’. So there were Christian slaves in the Emperor’s household (Philippians 4:22).
Verse 12 - Tryphena and Tryphosa were sisters, and may have been born at the same time. Their names meant that they were attractive and delicate. But they worked hard for the Lord.
Persis may have come from Persia. She too worked hard for the Christian faith.
Verse 13 - Rufus meant ‘red’, so he probably had red hair. Simon from Cyrene (in Africa) had to carry Jesus’ cross. He may have become a Christian because of this experience. His sons, Alexander and Rufus, seem to be well-known as Christians, because Mark mentions them by name (Mark 15:21). Simon from Cyrene may be the same as Simeon Niger (which means Simon who was black). Simeon Niger was an important Christian in the church at Antioch (Acts 13:1). And that was the same church where Paul first worked as a leader. So, it may have been in Antioch that the mother of Rufus acted like a mother to Paul. (See Acts 13:1.)
Verse 15 - Tradition associates Nereus with Domitilla, a Christian lady from a royal family. Nereus may have been an important official for Domitilla and her husband Flavius Clemens.
Verse 16 - In 1 Corinthians 16:20 there is another reference to the ‘holy kiss’ of Christian greeting. Peter calls it the ‘kiss of love’ (1 Peter 5:14). Tertullian called it the ‘kiss of peace’.
A list of greetings like this is valuable. It shows how much Paul appreciated his friends. He encouraged them as he praised them. He mentions a variety of Christians. He mentions Jews and Gentiles. He mentions both women and men. And he mentions slaves in addition to some important people. This list shows clearly that there is ‘neither Jew nor Gentile, slave nor free, male nor female’. All are united in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:28).
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission - © 2007, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info.

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Go-and-teach-all-nations - Romans 16:3-5

2009-07-18T20:13:00.000-08:00

Go-and-teach-all-nations

Romans 16:3-5

Paul’s greetings to his friends… Priscilla and Aquila and Epenetus – Part 1
v3 Greet Priscilla and Aquila, who have worked with me on behalf of Christ Jesus.
v4 They risked their lives to save me. I am grateful to them. All the Gentile churches are grateful too.
v5 Greet also the church that meets in their house. Greet my dear friend Epenetus. He was the first person to become a Christian in the region called Asia.
Comment:
Some people say that this list of 26 names is too long. Paul could not have known all these Christians in a city that he had never visited. He even calls some of them his ‘dear friend’. But Paul had worked in Ephesus for more than two years. It is possible that Paul sent a copy of this letter to Ephesus. If so, he may have attached chapter 16 with its greetings.
Verses 3-5 - Aquila and Priscilla (verses 3-5) were in Ephesus when Paul wrote 1 Corinthians. Christians met in their house (1 Corinthians 16:19). Paul also sent them his greetings when they were still in Ephesus (2 Timothy 4:19). Epenetus (verse 5) probably became a Christian in Ephesus, which was the capital of the region called Asia. Perhaps it was by the work of Aquila and Priscilla. He is next to them on Paul’s list of greetings.
Other people disagree. They are confident that all these Christians were living in Rome. They mention these facts and possibilities:
1. Paul did not send many personal greetings to churches that he knew well. If he was greeting Christians in Ephesus, he would have known more than 26 people. He would not want to upset anyone whom he forgot to name.
2. Aquila and Priscilla had lived in Rome until Claudius ordered the Jews to leave in 49 A.D.. They had moved to Corinth, where Paul had worked with them. Then they went on to Ephesus. They may have risked their lives to protect Paul there. Claudius died in 54 A.D.. So it is likely that Aquila and Priscilla were then able to return to Rome. Other Jews may have gone back to Rome from the cities where they had met Paul. Christians would also travel to Rome on business.
3. Rufus (verse 13) may have been the son of Simon from Cyrene. Mark mentions him as a well-known person (Mark 15:21). And many people think that Mark wrote his gospel for the church in Rome.
4. The words on graves in Rome show that there were other Christian households in Rome.
5. Rome was not an ordinary city. We know that many people, including Jews and Christians, traveled to Rome. And they lived and worked there. So Paul might have known all these people before they lived in Rome.
6. Parchment (the type of paper that people used for letters) was expensive. Paul would not want to waste it. He had completed his explanation of the subjects that were the main reasons for his letter. But perhaps some parchment still remained. And Paul really cared about his Christian brothers and sisters. So he wanted to greet each of them by name.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission - © 2007, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info.

Go-and-teach-all-nations

Go-and-teach-all-nations - Romans 16:1-2

2009-06-30T14:21:00.000-08:00

Go-and-teach-all-nations

Romans 16:1-2

Paul recommends Phoebe
v1 I recommend to you our sister called Phoebe. She serves God at the church in Cenchreae.
v2 Because of the Lord, give her the honor that a Christian deserves. Accept her into your company. Give her any help that she needs. She has been a great helper to many people, including me.
Comment:
Verses 1-2 - Letters of introduction were common in Roman society. Paul introduces Phoebe to the Christians in Rome. Probably she was going to Rome on business for herself. It is very likely that she was delivering Paul’s letter to the Christians in Rome. Cenchreae was the east port of Corinth. The Greek word for ‘servant’ is ‘diakonos’. This word may mean that Phoebe had official responsibility as a leader in the church. This woman had used her wealth to support the work of the Christian church. She also encouraged Paul. So Paul asked the Christians in Rome to give her a warm welcome. They should assist her in any way that she needed.
Personal Greetings
Sometimes a church leader may seem very strict when he preaches. There are some very serious matters in the scriptures. And Paul’s letters might also seem very severe if we did not know about his character.
Paul really cared about people. Especially, he cared about the Christians whom he worked with (2 Corinthians 11:28-29). He genuinely loved them (2 Corinthians 11:11). We can see this at the end of his letters. He asks the person who receives each letter to greet certain people on his behalf. He remembers people who have been kind to him in the past. He recommends church leaders whom he approves of. He gives advice to some people. He asks the Christians to encourage some other people. Occasionally he has to warn the church about someone.
Many of these greetings are very personal. They show us much about Paul’s attitudes. They refer to events that we would otherwise know nothing about. They inform us about the problems in the first Christian churches.
These greetings are still valuable for us to read. They remind us today about the love that Christians should have for each other. And the words of advice that they contain are still helpful today.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission - © 2007, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info.

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Go-and-teach-all-nations - Romans 15:30-33

2009-05-24T13:45:00.000-08:00

Go-and-teach-all-nations

Romans 15:30-33

Paul’s need of prayer
v30 Friends, I urge you by our Lord Jesus Christ to join me in my struggles. Pray to God on behalf of me. Pray for me because of the love that the Holy Spirit gives.
v31 Many people in Judea do not believe. Pray that God will rescue me from them. Pray that God’s people in Jerusalem will accept my work.
v32 Then, if God wants, I will come to you with joy. Then you and I will enjoy a pleasant time together.
v33 I pray to God who makes us calm and content. I pray that he will be with you all. Amen.
Comment:
Verses 30-31 - Paul knew that there was danger for him in Jerusalem. The Christians in Caesarea had tried to stop him so that he would not go. But he refused to change his plans (Acts 21:10-14). He needed prayer for two reasons:
1. He knew that the Jews in Jerusalem would oppose him. Years before, he himself opposed the Christian faith strongly. Then, after Paul became a Christian, he had spoken in Jerusalem about his new faith. People had plotted to kill him. So Paul had left Jerusalem and he had returned to Tarsus (Acts 9:28-30).
2. He was not sure how the Jews would accept the gift from the Gentile churches. Some Jewish Christians may have been unhappy about this gift. Paul had taught the Gentile Christians that they did not have to obey the Jewish laws. And those Jewish Christians considered their law to be very important. So they might refuse the gift because Paul was bringing it.
Paul asked for prayer because they all belonged to the same Lord Jesus Christ. They had the Holy Spirit, who gave them love for each other.
Verse 32 - Paul prayed that he would reach Rome. But he said, ‘if God wants’. He had said this at the beginning of his letter (1:10). Prayer helps us to agree with God’s purposes. If he did reach Rome, Paul and the Christians in Rome would be a help to each other.
We think that the Jewish Christians accepted the gift. Luke does not mention it when he describes Paul’s arrival in Jerusalem. But Luke records what Paul told the ruler called Felix. Paul said that he had returned to Jerusalem to bring gifts to help poor people (Acts 24:17).
Paul’s prayer for safety had a different answer. The Jews in Jerusalem caused trouble for him. The Romans had to rescue him. But the Romans did not free him. Instead, they kept him in prison. They later sent him to Caesarea because of a plot to kill him. After a series of court meetings, and more than two years in prison, he appealed to the Emperor. So Paul went to Rome as a prisoner. Instead of a brief stay, he spent two years there. He was under house arrest. In other words, he lived in his own home, but a Roman soldier did not allow him to leave. But he was able to receive visitors. Also he preached to his Roman guards (Acts 28:16-31).
Verse 33 - Paul blesses the Christians in Rome. He prays that God will cause them to be calm and content.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission - © 2007, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info.

Go-and-teach-all-nations

Go-and-teach-all-nations - Romans 15:25-29

2009-04-26T17:49:00.000-08:00

Go-and-teach-all-nations

Romans 15:25-29

Paul made plans to go to Jerusalem
v25 But now I am traveling to Jerusalem to help God’s people there.
v26 The Christians in Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to give some money for the poor people. They heard about the poor people among the Christians in Jerusalem.
v27 So they wanted to give. And of course, they owe it to them. The Gentiles have shared in the Jews’ spiritual blessings. So the Gentiles should share their physical blessings with the Jews.
v28 I want to finish my task. I want to make sure that the poor Christians in Jerusalem receive this gift. Then I will go to Spain, and I will visit you on the way.
v29 I am sure that I will come to you with a wonderful blessing from Christ.
Comment:
Verses 25-29 - In the immediate future, Paul made plans to go to Jerusalem. He had urged the Christians in Macedonia and Achaia (north and south Greece) to give some money to help the poor Christians in Jerusalem. Paul spoke about this Christian aid in 1 Corinthians 16:1-4 and 2 Corinthians 8:1-14. The Christians in Jerusalem may have been poor because of a lack of food in the region. Agabus gave a prophecy about such an event (Acts 11:28). Or perhaps the poor Christians had no work. Perhaps they had lost their jobs when they became Christians.
There were several reasons why Paul wanted the Gentile churches to help the poor Christians in Jerusalem:
1. The leaders of the church in Jerusalem had agreed that Paul would work among the Gentiles. But they asked that he and Barnabas should continue to help poor people (Galatians 2:9-10).
2. Paul thought that the Gentiles had a debt to the Jews. Jews had preached the gospel to them. The Gentiles had received spiritual blessings when they heard it. Now the Jews were poor and they needed help. So it was right that the Gentiles should help to provide for the Jews.
3. The gift would help to unite Jewish and Gentile Christians. It would remind them both that they were part of a world-wide church.
4. It would show that Christians had a practical faith. Christians were aware of other people’s problems and they acted to help them.
Paul wanted to go with the Christians from the different churches (Acts 20:4). They would hand over the gift in Jerusalem. When Paul had done this, he intended to travel to Rome on his way to Spain. Probably he thought that Rome would be a useful place for his work. There were good roads from Rome to many other important cities. And there was already a large church in Rome. Paul hoped that the Christians in Rome would help him on his journey. He did not intend to stay in Rome for a long time.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission - © 2007, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info.

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Go-and-teach-all-nations - Romans 15:23-24

2009-04-03T12:19:00.000-08:00

Go-and-teach-all-nations

Romans 15:23-24

Paul’s plans for the future - he intended to travel to Rome on his way to Spain
v23 But now there is nowhere else where I could work in these regions. I have wanted to see you for many years.
v24 So I want to see you when I am traveling to Spain. I hope to visit you while I travel through. And I hope that you will help me on my journey to Spain. But first, I want to enjoy some time with you.
Comment:
Verses 23-24 - Paul wanted to go to Spain. He hoped to preach the gospel ‘in the regions beyond’ Corinth (2 Corinthians 10:16). Spain, at the western end of Europe, was part of the Roman kingdom. It was an important place for trade. There were famous writers whom Paul perhaps could persuade to believe the gospel message. Seneca, who became the Emperor Nero’s chief minister, was from Spain.
We do not know whether Paul actually reached Spain. However, we know that Paul reached Rome as a prisoner (Acts 28:14-16). He may have gained his freedom after two years of house arrest in Rome (Acts 28:30). (‘House arrest’ means that he lived as a prisoner in his own home.) Afterwards, Paul may have gone to Spain and worked there. However, we know that the Romans killed Paul at some time during the rule of the Emperor Nero.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission - © 2007, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info.

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Go-and-teach-all-nations - Romans 15:17-19

2009-03-29T11:49:00.000-08:00

Go-and-teach-all-nations

Romans 15:17-19

Paul’s service as an apostle - everywhere he declared the complete good news about Christ
v17 Because I belong to Christ Jesus, I can have pride about my work on God’s behalf.
v18 I will not try to speak about anything except what Christ has done by means of me. He has led the Gentiles to obey God. He has done this by means of my words and actions.
v19 He has given to me the power of the Holy Spirit to do signs and miracles. So I have traveled the entire distance from Jerusalem to Illyricum. And everywhere I declared the complete good news about Christ.
v20 I have always wanted to preach the gospel where people do not know Christ. I did not want to work in any place where someone else had already started to work.
v21 Rather, as scripture says,
‘ALTHOUGH NOBODY TOLD THOSE PEOPLE ABOUT HIM, THEY WILL SEE.
ALTHOUGH THEY HAVE NEVER HEARD ABOUT HIM, THEY WILL UNDERSTAND.’
v22 This work has often stopped me so that I could not come to you. It is the reason why I have delayed my visit.
Comment:
Verses 17-19 - Paul considers that he has received a great honor. God has used Paul to bring the Gentiles into God’s kingdom. This honor comes only because Christ is working by means of Paul. Paul is speaking on behalf of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20). By Paul’s words and actions, he has declared the Christian message. The Holy Spirit gave Paul the power to do ‘signs and miracles’. These showed that he was a genuine apostle (2 Corinthians 12:12). For example, Paul ordered a man in Lystra to stand up. This man had a problem with his feet. He had never been able to walk. But when Paul ordered the man to stand, God cured the man. The man stood on his feet, and he walked (Acts 14:8-10). And God did many other miracles when Paul prayed. For example, by Paul, God had cured many people in Ephesus (Acts 19:11-12).
Paul had finished his work in the east Mediterranean area. He had declared the Christian message across the whole region. From Jerusalem to Illyricum, he had established Christian churches in all the important towns and cities. Illyricum includes parts of Albania, Serbia, Kosovo, Bosnia, and Croatia, today.
Verses 20-22 - Paul did not want to continue the work that other people had started. This was because Paul did not want to interrupt anyone else’s work. So Paul was like a farmer who plants seed. Or, he was like a builder who lays a good foundation (base for a building) – 1 Corinthians 3:6-10. He wanted to preach the gospel to people who had not heard it before. Paul uses words from Isaiah 52:15 that describe the work of God’s servant. Christ was making these words true by means of Paul.
At the beginning of his letter, Paul said that he had decided to visit Rome on many occasions. But he had not been able to do so (Romans 1:13). He did not explain what had prevented him. But now he explains the reason. It was important for him to finish his work in the east part of the Roman world (that is, in the regions that the Romans ruled in the east).
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission - © 2007, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info.

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Go-and-teach-all-nations - Romans 15:14-16

2009-03-24T18:09:00.000-08:00

Go-and-teach-all-nations

Romans 15:14-16

Paul’s service as an apostle - God gave him grace to be a servant of Christ Jesus among the Gentiles
v14 My brothers and sisters, I am quite sure about you. Your goodness is extraordinary. With such complete knowledge, you should be well able to teach each other.
v15 I have written to you very boldly about some matters. I wanted you to think about them again.
v16 God gave to me grace to be a servant of Christ Jesus among the Gentiles. My work is like the work of a priest. I take the gift that is God’s good news. Then I want to offer the Gentiles to God in a way that pleases him. And the Holy Spirit makes them holy.
Comment:
Verses 14-16 - Paul calls the Christians in Rome his brothers. He then shows that he appreciates their good qualities. He praises them in a fond manner. He feels confident that they will understand his letter. They seem well able to teach the gospel. And they will warn those people who are doing wrong things.
In fact, Paul’s words may seem to praise the Christians in Rome a little too much. But Paul did not want to offend them. Paul had not even visited their church yet, but he had written to them in a bold way. He wondered whether he had upset them. He explained that he wrote this letter to remind them about important matters in the Christian faith. People are quick to forget. So there are many references in the New Testament about the need to remember. For example, 1 Corinthians 15:1; 2 Peter 1:12.
Paul describes how God had made him a servant to the Gentiles. Paul uses words which describe the worship in the temple. There a priest would offer a sacrifice that pleased God. Paul considered himself as a priest who was offering a gift. The Gentiles were like the gift that the Holy Spirit made favorable to God. God’s law did not allow Gentiles to enter the inner Temple. But the gospel changed their situation. Now the Gentiles would have a real relationship with God. And God’s Holy Spirit would make them holy.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission - © 2007, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info.

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Go-and-teach-all-nations - Romans 15:7-13

2009-03-22T09:28:00.000-08:00

Go-and-teach-all-nations

Romans 15:7-13

Jesus Christ and the Gentiles; …THE GENTILES WILL PUT THEIR HOPE IN HIM.’
v7 Christ has given a welcome to you. So give a welcome to each other in order to bring honor to God.
v8 I tell you this. Christ acted as a servant to the Jews to show that God is truthful. The purpose was to bring about the things that God promised to our ancestors.
v9 Christ did this so that the Gentiles may praise God because of his mercy. The scripture says,
‘THEREFORE I WILL PRAISE YOU AMONG THE GENTILES.
I WILL SING IN ORDER TO PRAISE YOUR NAME.’
v10 Again it says,
‘YOU GENTILES, BE JOYFUL TOGETHER WITH GOD’S PEOPLE (the Jews).’
v11 And again,
‘PRAISE THE LORD, ALL YOU GENTILES.
PRAISE HIM, ALL YOU NATIONS.’
v12 And again Isaiah says,
‘THE ROOT OF JESSE (THE MESSIAH) WILL COME.
HE WILL BECOME GREAT IN ORDER TO RULE THE GENTILES.
THE GENTILES WILL PUT THEIR HOPE IN HIM.’
v13 And God gives hope. I pray that he will give you great joy and peace by your faith. I pray that, by the power of the Holy Spirit, you will have great hope.
Comment:
Verse 7 - Paul repeats his command to give a welcome to other Christians (14:1). Christ has given a welcome to them. So Christians should give a welcome to other Christians. When Christians show their love for each other, God will receive honor.
Verses 8-9 - Christ became a servant for two reasons:
1. His life showed that we can trust God. God had done the things that he promised to Christ’s Jewish ancestors. Zechariah, in his song of praise, remembered God’s promises. God told Abraham that he (God) would show his kindness to his (Abraham’s) descendants (Luke 1:73-75).
2. The Gentiles would receive God’s mercy.
Paul then uses a series of verses from all three parts of the Jewish Old Testament: the Law, the Prophets and the other books. Paul is showing how the Old Testament teaches about God’s plan for the Gentiles. The Gentiles would praise God because God has been kind to them. (Paul was using the Greek translation of the Old Testament, called the ‘Septuagint’. Paul himself would also be familiar with the original Hebrew passages. Perhaps he used the Septuagint so that the Gentiles would understand the words.) In Psalm 18:49, David, the king of Israel, says that he will praise God among the Gentiles.
Verse 10 - This comes from the Song of Moses in the book of the law. It is Deuteronomy 32:43.
Verse 11 - The writer of Psalm 117 declares that people from all nations should praise God because of his love and faithfulness.
Verse 12 - Jesse was the father of David. The Messiah came from the family of David. The Messiah would rule the nations, who would learn to trust him (Isaiah 11:10).
Verse 13 - Paul has spoken about the hope of the Gentiles in verse 12. So he speaks about the God who brings hope. Faith brings joy and peace. Paul had already spoken about joy and peace as evidence of those who belong to God’s kingdom (14:17). He prays that Christians will know that joy and peace completely. The Holy Spirit will give hope to them. And that hope will encourage their Christian life.
The hope that God gives will not disappoint. Christians eagerly expect the time when Christ will return. He will then complete their salvation when he will give to them a resurrection body and a new life in heaven. ‘We wait for the wonderful things that we hope for. We wait for our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ’ to appear in his glory (Titus 2:13).
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission - © 2007, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info.

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Go-and-teach-all-nations - Romans 15:1-6

2009-03-15T12:10:00.000-08:00

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Romans 15:1-6

Do not try to please yourself; Jesus Christ did not please himself
v1 Because we are strong, we should assist weak people. Our faith is strong, so we should help them to deal with their weaknesses. We should not just please ourselves.
v2 Instead, we should serve other people. We should help them. And we should encourage them.
v3 Even Christ did not please himself. But as the scripture says, ‘The people, who were insulting you, have insulted me.’
v4 The purpose of these ancient books is to teach us. The scriptures encourage us. And they teach us to be patient. So we have hope.
v5 Our God gives to us patience and he encourages us. I pray that he will help you to overcome your differences. I pray that your thoughts will be alike, because of Christ Jesus.
v6 Then you can all join together to praise God. He is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Comment:
Verses 1-3 - People with a strong faith should support those whose faith is weak. Paul includes himself with the ‘strong’ when he says ‘we’. We should encourage other people. Paul did not mean that we should praise a person in an untrue way. And we should not encourage that person to continue his wrong acts. Instead, we should always act to help him and to encourage his faith to grow. Christ did not please himself. Paul uses words from Psalm 69:9. Christ suffered because he was serving God. The insults that people gave to God came to Christ.
Verses 4-6 - Because he has used words from the Old Testament, Paul speaks about the purpose of the scriptures. The study of the scriptures will show how God has acted in the past to rescue his people. So the scriptures will encourage Christians. The Old Testament speaks about God’s faithful love. And it promises to Christians ‘a future and a hope’ (Jeremiah 29:11). The hope that God gives will never disappoint us. Paul prays that, with the help of God, Christians may live in agreement with each other. If the Christians do not argue, their church will be strong. Together, they will be able to declare the gospel in a powerful manner. And they will bring glory to God.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission - © 2007, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info.

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Go-and-teach-all-nations - Romans 14:19-23

2009-03-01T11:16:00.000-09:00

Go-and-teach-all-nations

Romans 14:19-23

Christians must do everything possible to make the Christian faith strong
v19 So let us work hard to have a calm and content attitude. Let us work hard to encourage each other.
v20 Do not damage the work of God because of food. All food is clean (acceptable). But it is wrong for you to eat anything that causes problems for someone else.
v21 Do not do anything that would cause your brother to sin. It is better not to eat meat or not to drink wine if your action would have that result.
v22 So whatever you believe about these things, keep between yourself and God. Do the things that you believe to be right. Act in the way that your conscience directs. And God will approve.
v23 But a person should not eat anything that is against his conscience. If that person eats, he is guilty. That is so because faith does not direct his actions. And everything that does not come from faith is sin.
Comment:
Verses 19-23 - Paul includes himself by the word ‘us’. Christians must do everything possible to make the Christian faith strong. A Christian must not do anything that will cause another Christian to sin. Paul mentions ‘wine’ as well as meat. Many Christians feel free to drink a little wine on social occasions. But some believe that they should not drink wine.
Christians do not have to tell everyone their opinions about such matters. But they should always obey their own conscience. To act against one’s conscience is a sin. That is because a Christian must always act in faith. In other words, a Christian must trust God completely. Without faith, it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6).
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission - © 2007, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info.

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Go-and-teach-all-nations - Romans 14:13-18

2009-02-22T13:51:00.000-09:00

Go-and-teach-all-nations

Romans 14:13-18

Christian love; one Christian’s freedom to act might hurt another Christian’s conscience; to respect another Christian’s conscience in situations like this would be to show him love
v13 So we should not continue to judge each other. Instead, decide not to do anything that will cause problems for your brother. Do not make it difficult for him to live a Christian life.
v14 I am completely sure that no food is actually unclean (unacceptable for Christians to eat). The Lord Jesus convinced me about this. But someone may think that something is unclean. If he does, then it is unclean for him.
v15 Your brother may be unhappy because of what you eat. If so, you are not still showing love to him. Do not destroy the faith of your brother by what you eat. Christ died on his behalf.
v16 So do not cause people to say evil things because of something that you believe to be good.
v17 The kingdom of God is not about food and drink. It is about the righteousness, peace and joy that the Holy Spirit gives.
v18 Everyone who serves Christ in this way pleases God. And other people approve of them.
Comment:
Verses 13-15 - Paul urges the ‘strong’ Christians to think about their actions. These actions will affect their Christian brothers and sisters. Some Christians thought that to eat meat is wrong. Some Christians thought that they ought to obey the Jewish food laws. They thought that some food was unclean (not acceptable for Christians to eat). Jesus had shown that all food was clean (acceptable) – Mark 7:19. Paul himself, as a Christian, felt free to eat any kind of food. But one Christian’s freedom to act might hurt another Christian’s conscience. To respect another Christian’s conscience in situations like this would be to show him love. A good reason to show him love is that Christ died on his behalf. Every person is valuable to Christ.
However, if someone forced that ‘weak’ Christian not to obey his conscience, that Christian’s faith would become even weaker. His faith was already weak (verse 1). So other Christians ought to encourage that person. They ought to care about him, because God loves him.
Verses 16-18 - Christians must not cause trouble for someone else because of their own personal opinion. They must not think that food and drink are more important than God’s kingdom. To be a member of God’s kingdom is not about food and drink. It is to be in a right relationship with God. Then the Holy Spirit will give a person peace in himself. He will give a Christian the power to have a calm and content relationship with other people. A Christian will show sympathy for another person’s opinion. A Christian will have joy when he makes other people glad.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission - © 2007, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info.

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Go-and-teach-all-nations - Romans 14:5-12

2009-02-20T06:27:00.000-09:00

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Romans 14:5-12

Christian freedom – Part 2
Paul shows that we must be careful to help those Christians whose faith is weak; we should not hurt them by our unkind words; instead, we should love each other
v5 Some people think that one day is more special than another day. Other people think that every day is the same. Each person should be completely clear in his own mind what he should do.
v6 He who thinks that one day is special does so to give honor to the Lord. Someone who eats meat gives thanks to God. And so he gives honor to the Lord. And the person who does not eat meat is trying to please the Lord. That person also gives thanks to God.
v7 The life or death of any person among us is not a matter for that person alone.
v8 If we live, we live to give honor to the Lord. If we die, we die to give honor to the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.
v9 Christ died and he came back to life for this reason. It was so that he might become our Lord in life and in death.
v10 You should not accuse another Christian. You should not be cruel to that person. We shall all stand in front of God when he acts as judge.
v11 Scripture says,
‘ “YOU CAN BE SURE THAT I LIVE”, SAYS THE LORD.
“SO YOU CAN BE SURE THAT EVERYONE WILL KNEEL IN FRONT OF ME.
AND EVERY PERSON WILL GIVE HONOR TO GOD.” ’
v12 So each of us will have to explain to God the things that we have done.
Comment:
Verses 5-6 - The ‘weak’ Christians wanted to have some special holy days in the calendar. For example, the new moon or the Sabbath (Colossians 2:16). It is not wrong to have special days for rest, prayer and worship. But Paul believed that every day is special. It is a gift of time from God and it is an opportunity to serve him.
Some people eat whatever they like. Then they thank God. Other people eat only what their conscience allows them. But they also thank God for their food. So all these people are giving honor to God. Everyone must be sure that he does right things. ‘Whatever you choose to eat or to drink, do it all for the glory of God’ (1 Corinthians 10:31).
Verses 7-8 - Each Christian’s life affects other Christians. He should feel responsible towards them. He should not only think about himself.
Verses 9-12 - Christ died and came back to life. So he is Lord of people who are dead. And he is Lord of people who are alive. He is the Lord of everyone. So the ‘weak’ Christian is also a servant of Christ (verse 4). So the ‘strong’ Christian should not accuse the ‘weak’ Christian. Everyone will have to appear in front of God for judgment. Paul uses words from Isaiah 45:23. In Philippians (2:10-11) Paul shows that everyone will have to respect Jesus as Lord. Here the words remind Christians that we are all responsible to God. We must be careful to help those Christians whose faith is weak. We should not hurt them by our unkind words. Instead, we should love each other.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission - © 2007, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info.

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Go-and-teach-all-nations - Romans 14:1-4

2009-02-19T08:36:00.000-09:00

Go-and-teach-all-nations

Romans 14:1-4

Christian freedom – Part 1
People in the church should be kind to a Christian whose faith is weak; nobody should judge him just because he has a different opinion
v1 Accept people whose faith is weak. But do not argue with them about their opinions.
v2 Some people believe that they may eat anything. But other people eat only vegetables because their faith is weak.
v3 Nobody should be cruel to the person who does not dare to eat something. And that person should not accuse anyone who decides to eat that food. Remember that God has accepted that other Christian.
v4 You have no right to judge someone else’s servant. Only the master can decide whether his servant’s work pleases him or not. And that other Christian will please the Lord, because the Lord will support him.
Comment:
There were many disagreements between the Christians in Rome. The Christians could not agree whether they should be obeying the Jewish laws.
Paul has already discussed this subject in this letter. He explains that God gave the law. But the law could not make people righteous (Romans 3:20). The purpose of the law was to show people that everyone has sinned (Romans 7:7). Nobody can become righteous by means of their own efforts (Romans 10:3). Only Christ, by his death, makes people righteous (Romans 5:8-9).
Christians should allow God’s Holy Spirit to rule their lives (Romans 8:4). Then they will be living in a manner that pleases God. So the Jewish law does not control their lives. Instead, the Holy Spirit controls their lives. But this is not the opposite of the law (Romans 3:31; Romans 13:10). In fact, such people are living in the manner that God always wanted people to live.
God did not give the law so that people could obey lots of rules! Rather, he wanted people to realize that they need to trust him completely. In other words, without faith in God, it is impossible to please him (Hebrews 11:6).
Paul wanted the Christians in Rome to love each other. He did not want them to argue about rules and customs. He knew that some Christians only had a little faith. He asked the Christians whose faith was stronger to encourage those people.
For example, some Christians thought that it was still necessary to obey certain food laws. They thought that they must be careful to keep special holy days. Those Christians were ‘weak in the faith’. They had not discovered the real meaning of Christian freedom. They were worried that certain practices were still necessary.
Paul considered that he and other Christians were ‘strong’ (Romans 15:1). Paul did not believe that the Jewish law ruled him. He had the freedom that God’s Holy Spirit gives. So Paul was free to decide what he should eat. And he did not make any distinction between days. But Paul was very careful about how he used this freedom. He chose to obey the Jewish law so that he did not offend Jewish people (1 Corinthians 9:20; Acts 16:3). And Paul would not use his freedom in a manner that might cause another Christian to sin (verse 21).
Paul did not hesitate to accuse people who denied the essential beliefs of the Christian faith. But when people have different opinions about certain actions, the ‘weak’ and ‘strong’ Christians should respect each other. In things that are not essential to the faith, a Christian must be free to obey his own conscience. Martin Luther said, ‘A Christian is a most free lord of all (in other words, a free citizen), under no other person.’
Verses 1-4 - ‘Accept’ means ‘give a welcome’. So people in the church should be kind to a Christian whose faith is weak. Nobody should judge him just because he has a different opinion. A Christian might decide to eat only vegetables. Many people did not prepare meat in the proper Jewish way. So a Christian might not eat any meat. But that person should not argue with someone who eats meat. The first man should not think that the second man is not true to the faith. Some people feel free to eat whatever they choose. But they must not think that the ‘weak’ Christian is stupid. Paul gives two reasons in these verses why they must accept the weak Christian:
1. God has accepted him (verse 3).
2. That Christian is Christ’s servant. Only Christ, his master, can decide whether he is a loyal Christian.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission - © 2007, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info.

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Go-and-teach-all-nations - Romans 13:11-14

2009-02-17T09:25:00.000-09:00

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Romans 13:11-14

Be ready – Paul tells that Christians should not be lazy as they wait for Christ to return; God has given them important duties to carry out
v11 When you do these things, remember the importance of the present time. The present time is like the early morning, when people should awake from sleep. So you need to be aware of what is happening. Our final salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.
v12 It is as if the dark night is nearly over. The day when Christ will return is almost here. So we should free ourselves from all evil activity. Such activity is like the darkness. Instead, we should prepare ourselves as soldiers who dress for battle. Then we will be ready for the daylight.
v13 And we should behave as people ought to behave during the day. We should not have wild parties, where there is excess alcohol. We should not sin in relation to sex. We should not have jealous arguments.
v14 As you choose your clothes for the day, choose also to live for the Lord Jesus Christ. And do not make plans to satisfy your wrong human desires.
Comment:
Verses 11-12 - Paul describes someone who is asleep. This person needs to wake up in order to dress for a very important occasion. Christians should realize that Christ will return soon. They must eagerly expect that time because then they will receive their new resurrection bodies. Their salvation will be complete. Nobody knows when Christ will return (Matthew 24:36). So everyone must be like servants whose master has gone on a journey. Until the master returns, the servants must carry out their duties faithfully (Matthew 24:45-50).
Paul tells the Christians to think about how people should behave during the day. When the night has ended, people should wake up in order to work. In the same manner, Christians should not be lazy as they wait for Christ to return. God has given them important duties to carry out.
Paul compares the work of Christians to the work of soldiers. A soldier cannot behave in the manner that he himself would choose. He must be loyal and he must obey his captain. Christians too cannot behave in any manner that they themselves might prefer. Instead, they must behave in the manner that pleases God. Soldiers need to put on special clothes for a battle. Those clothes will protect them as they fight. And Christians too need to prepare in a special way to do God’s work (verse 14; 1 Thessalonians 5:8; Ephesians 6:11-18).
When Paul writes about the ‘dark night’, he is thinking about the power of the devil and the power of sin. John used a similar description in John 1:5. (Job 24:13-17 explains this idea. Many evil people would wait until nightfall before they carried out their wicked schemes. For example, most thieves prefer to steal by night. They are afraid of daylight, because people may recognize them.) But Paul writes that the dark night is nearly over. So the opportunity for people to do evil things is nearly over. Christ defeated the power of sin and the devil when he died for us. And our salvation will be complete when he returns.
Verses 13-14 - When St. Augustine read these verses, they changed him. He became a Christian and he began a new life. Paul writes a list in verse 13 to show how people should not behave. He mentions some evil activities that often happen by night. People have parties where they are greedy. They drink so much alcohol that they cannot even control their own behavior. They have sex with the wrong people and in the wrong manner (Romans 1:26-27). They argue. They are jealous.
People do such things by night. Then they feel sorry when the next day begins. They feel ill because they ate too much. They are ashamed because the alcohol caused them to do stupid things. They have upset their husbands or wives. They have made their friends angry.
But Christians should not do such things. It is as if those activities belong to the night. But Christians do not belong to the night, if ‘the night’ means sin and the devil. Christians belong to Christ. ‘The day when Christ will return is almost here’ (verse 12).
So Christians must always choose right behavior. They must live in the manner that pleases God. They must live as Christ wants them to live. They must not even think about things that would satisfy their sinful human desires.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission - © 2007, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info.

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Go-and-teach-all-nations - Romans 13:8-10

2009-02-15T11:58:00.000-09:00

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Romans 13:8-10

Love and the law - Christians should always love other people
v8 So pay all your debts. The only debt that you should have is the duty to love each other. If you do this, you will be obeying the other laws completely.
v9 The law contains many commands. ‘Obey your marriage promises.’ ‘Do not murder.’ ‘Do not steal.’ ‘Do not be jealous of other people.’ These and any other commandments together make this one rule, ‘Love other people as much as you care about yourself.’
v10 Someone who loves other people does not do evil things to them. So, if you love, you are obeying the law completely.
Comment:
Verse 8 - Paul has spoken about a Christian’s debt to the state. Now he says that Christians should be careful to pay their personal debts. The duty to love other people is like a debt. But Christians always have that duty. It is not like a debt that someone can pay off. Christians should always love other people.
Verses 9-10 - Paul mentions the 5 commandments that deal with relationships in human society. He does not mention them in the same order as in Exodus 20:13-17. Some manuscripts include (in verse 9), ‘You must not tell lies about other people.’ The sin of adultery ruins families. But a person who loves does not want to spoil anyone’s life. People may steal, or they may be jealous. But the person who loves does not rob anyone. And the person who loves is not jealous. In fact, the person who loves wants to give to other people. Jesus said about the law, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ It was one of only two laws that were necessary (Matthew 22:37-39). Paul repeated those words in his letter to the Galatians (Galatians 5:14). He urged the Christians to ‘serve each other in love’. If Christians show real love for other people, they are obeying the law completely.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission - © 2007, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info.

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Go-and-teach-all-nations - Romans 13:1-7

2009-02-13T13:40:00.000-09:00

Go-and-teach-all-nations

Romans 13:1-7

A Christian’s duty to the state; Christians should obey the rulers to whom God has given power
v1 Everyone ought to obey their rulers. No government has authority unless God has allowed it. God has appointed the people who are ruling now.
v2 So when you oppose the rulers, you oppose God’s rule. People who do that must expect punishment.
v3 Honest citizens have no reason to be afraid of their rulers. But people who do evil things should be afraid of their rulers. You want to be free from fear of the person in authority. So do what is right. Then the ruler will approve of you.
v4 The ruler is God’s servant who will do good things for you. But if you do evil things, you ought to be afraid. The ruler carries a sword for a good reason. He is God’s servant. He is acting for God. He will punish anyone who does evil things.
v5 Therefore you must obey the rulers. This is not merely because an evil person will receive punishment. You must also obey them because it is the right thing to do.
v6 You should pay taxes for the same reason. The rulers are God’s servants who give all their time to govern.
v7 Give to everyone what he ought to have. So pay national and local taxes to the people who collect them. And show fear and honor to the people whom you should respect.
Comment:
Paul may have had several reasons to write about Christians’ duty to the state.
1. The Jews hated to pay taxes to the Romans who had occupied their country. Some Jews felt very angry that the Romans were in their country. Those Jews would attack the Romans wherever they could. Possibly some Jewish Christians also had the same thoughts about the Romans. The Romans had considered that Christians belonged to the Jewish religion. But Paul was teaching the Christians not to oppose the government.
2. Paul believed that the state existed to protect its citizens against attack and crime. The state punished people who did wrong acts. And it rewarded people who did right acts. Paul himself had received protection from angry Jews (Acts 18:12-16).
3. The state gives benefits, which its citizens enjoy. Paul was able to travel on good Roman roads on his journeys to preach the gospel.
4. Those who govern are God’s servants (Daniel 4:17).
A few years after Paul wrote this letter, the Roman government began to fight against the Christians. The Romans were very cruel and the Christians suffered greatly. Many Christians died during those troubles. The Christians who lived in Rome suffered especially.
But although the Romans attacked the Christians, the Christians did not fight back. Jesus had explained how they should behave in such situations (Luke 21:12-19). Paul does not mention such troubles here. But in fact, he was teaching them about the same subjects.
Paul told the Christians to respect and to obey the rulers. Christians should try to be ideal citizens. They should pay the taxes and they should obey the law. They should even consider their rulers to be God’s agents on earth.
The Christians in Rome followed this advice. And they continued to do so even when the Romans attacked them. Of course, the Christians could not obey the Roman laws that ordered them to serve false gods. And the Christians did not obey laws that ordered them to insult Christ. And they did not obey when rulers ordered them not to tell people about Christ. But the Christians obeyed all the other laws. They obeyed all the laws that did not oppose the Christian faith.
The result was that their confidence in God impressed everyone. It is true that those Christians suffered in the most awful manner. But God helped them to be noble and brave. Even while they were dying, they continued to speak about God’s goodness. They were not afraid to die because they were glad to go to a better home, in heaven.
Many people who saw their attitudes wanted to become Christians too. The Romans thought they could destroy the Christian faith. But in fact, the numbers of Christians in Rome actually increased. Three centuries afterwards, the Roman government decided that the Christian religion would become their official religion.
Verses 1-2 - Christians should obey the rulers to whom God has given power. To oppose people who have authority is to oppose God. But, if a powerful ruler or state does something wicked, Christians do not have to agree with it. Paul does not mean that. Jesus said that we must pay taxes to our rulers. But we must also give to God everything that belongs to him (Mark 12:17). When Christians have to choose between these two duties, they must ‘obey God rather than men’. Peter said this when the Jewish authorities told the apostles not to speak about Jesus (Acts 4:18-20). Daniel was also unable to obey a law. He risked his life. He continued to pray to God when the king told him not to (Daniel 6:10).
Verses 3-4 - Rulers have a duty to punish people who are wicked. Good citizens have no reason to be afraid of them. People who do wrong acts must expect the rulers to punish them. So they have reason to be afraid. A sword was the sign of a judge’s power over life and death. He carried it himself or someone carried the sword in front of him. It showed that he had real power to punish people.
Verse 5 - Christians must obey the rulers for a better reason than the fear of punishment. Their conscience should tell them that it is the right thing to do.
Verses 6-7 - Because the Romans were the rulers, the Jews had to pay taxes to them. They had to pay a tax on their grain, wine and fruit. Each person between the ages of 14 and 65 had to pay a personal tax. There was also a tax on income. In addition to these, people had to pay local taxes. There were customs taxes on the import and export of goods. There were taxes to use roads, markets and harbors. Paul believed that Christians must pay all these taxes to the state and to the local government. In this verse, he uses a word for ‘servants’ that can also mean a priest. Officials are doing a public service and Christians should respect them.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission - © 2007, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info.

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Go-and-teach-all-nations - Romans 12:17-21

2009-02-10T18:05:00.000-09:00

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Romans 12:17-21

Christian attitudes towards enemies; Paul urges Christians not to behave wrongly
v17 Someone may have done something wrong to you. But do not do something wrong yourself in order to punish them. Do the things that everyone knows to be right.
v18 If possible, be friendly with everyone.
v19 My friends, when your enemy hurts you, do not try to punish him. Leave it to God’s anger. God says,
‘I WILL JUDGE PEOPLE WHO DO EVIL THINGS. I WILL PUNISH THEM.’
v20 INSTEAD, ‘IF YOUR ENEMY IS HUNGRY, GIVE HIM FOOD TO EAT.
IF HE WANTS A DRINK, GIVE HIM SOMETHING TO DRINK.
THEN HE WILL FEEL AS IF YOU HAVE GIVEN HIM HOT COALS FOR HIS FIRE! (In other words, your kindness will make him ashamed.)’
v21 Do not let evil things defeat you. But defeat evil things by your good behavior.
Comment:
Paul had been a witness of Stephen’s death. At that time, Paul was among Stephen’s enemies. But Stephen prayed for the people who were killing him (Acts 7:60). Stephen asked God to forgive them. Paul also knew Jesus’ words from the cross (Luke 23:34). He knew what Jesus taught about enemies (Matthew 5:38-48). So Paul urges Christians not to behave wrongly. Even when someone hurts a Christian, the Christian must not hurt that person.
Verses 17-18 - Christians must refuse to do what is wrong. But they must also show that their actions are good. They must do everything possible to encourage peace. It may not be possible always to live in a quiet manner. Enemies may oppose Christians, even when the Christians are behaving well. And sometimes it is right for Christians to protest against wicked acts. Especially, a Christian should protest if other people are suffering rather than himself. But the Christian must do everything possible to avoid quarrels.
Verses 19-21 - A Christian must not attack back when someone has hurt him. Paul gives three reasons why.
1. Only God has the right to punish actions. Paul uses words from Deuteronomy 32:35. In the present, human law courts have the responsibility to show God’s wrath (Romans 13:4). In the end, God himself will show his fair judgment (Romans 2:5).
2. If an enemy receives kindness, he may be sorry for his actions. He may change his ways. Paul uses words from Proverbs 25:21-22. ‘Hot coals’ means that the enemy will be very ashamed.
3. A Christian must not hate someone who hates him. Such behavior only makes the situation worse. And a Christian who hates is not behaving in the proper manner. A Christian should show love, not hate. The enemy will have succeeded if the Christian starts to behave in a wicked manner. Evil deeds cannot defeat someone who is evil. Instead, Christians overcome evil powers when they do the right things. They do the things that God wants them to do. And that is the only way to defeat sin.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission - © 2007, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info.

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Go-and-teach-all-nations - Romans 12:9-16

2009-02-08T14:48:00.000-09:00

Go-and-teach-all-nations

Romans 12:9-16

The way of love - Christians should show the same kind of love to other Christians
v9 Your love must be sincere. Hate everything that is evil. Love everything that is good.
v10 As Christian brothers and sisters, love each other fondly.
Give honor to each other. And do this even more than you care about your own honor!
v11 Do not be lazy in your work on behalf of the Lord. Keep your spiritual energy.
v12 Be joyful in hope. Be patient when you suffer. Be faithful in prayer.
v13 Share with God’s people who are poor. Invite strangers into your home.
v14 Bless those who attack you. Bless them, and do not speak bad things to them.
v15 Be happy with those people who are happy. Weep with those people who weep.
v16 Live in agreement with each other.
Do not be proud. But be willing to be a friend to people who are not important.
Do not think that you are better than other people.
Comment:
Christians are like a family. So we should love each other. The Greek word for this kind of love is ‘agape’. This is the love that God has for us. So this love benefits everyone. Paul gives a list of brief rules. Christians should do these things. Their actions will show that their love is real. There are 12 different rules.
Verse 9 - 1. Love must be sincere. The word ‘sincere’ is a translation of the Greek word. It means that a person is not pretending. People used that Greek word to describe an actor in a play. The actor hid his real character behind a mask (cover) on his face. Christians must not be like actors. They must not merely pretend to love each other.
- 2. Hate everything that is evil. Love everything that is good. Sin should disgust us.
Sometimes people do not hate their sin. They only hate the thought that someone will discover their sin. They are afraid. Someone may find out what they have done. Such an attitude is not right. A Christian should confess his sin to God. And that Christian should pray for God’s help, so that he does not sin in the same manner again. Instead, that Christian should try to do the things that please God. Christians must desire greatly to love all good things.
Verse 10 - 3. Love other Christians, like brothers and sisters. Paul uses words that describe the good feelings between relatives in a human family. Christians form a spiritual family. So Christians should show the same kind of love to other Christians. They should look after each other like sisters and brothers.
- 4. Christians must give honor to other people. Christians should not insist on their rights. In other words, they should not always argue for their own benefit. They should not want thanks and honor for themselves. They should be humble and they should give honor to other people.
Verse 11 - 5. Christians must work hard in their service for the Lord. With the Lord’s help, Christians are opposing sin and the devil, so they must not be lazy. They must use all their energy in the battle on God’s side.
Verse 12 - 6. Hope, patience and prayer. A Christian can eagerly expect his future glory with the Lord. But he needs to be patient when he suffers in the present. He must continue to pray on behalf of himself and other people as they all wait for the Lord’s return.
Verse 13 - 7. Share with people who are poor. In the first church in Jerusalem, the Christians gave to anyone who needed help (Acts 2:44-45). The Christians in Antioch sent gifts to Jerusalem when there was not enough food for the Christians there (Acts 11:29-30). We often read in the New Testament about such gifts. And Christians should continue to act in the same manner today.
- 8. Invite other people to stay in your home. In Paul’s time, there were not many places where travelers could stay. Travelers often had to sleep in unsafe places. So Christians should invite travelers into their homes. The writer to the Hebrews said, ‘Do not forget to entertain strangers. Some people did this. And they did not even know that angels were their guests’ (Hebrews 13:2).
Verse 14 - 9. Bless those who insult you. Pray for those who attack you. Be kind to them. Do not speak bad things to them. Paul was saying the same words as Jesus (Luke 6:27-28). To bless and to pray for enemies is the evidence of Christian love.
Verse 15 - 10. Sympathize with other people. Christians should share other people’s joys and pains. Christians should care about other people. And Christians should look after other people.
Verse 16 - 11. Christians should live in agreement with each other. This does not mean that they must always have the same opinions. But they should work together with the same purpose. They all should serve Christ. Paul told the Christians at Philippi to have ‘the same love and to be united in spirit and purpose’ (Philippians 2:2). If they do this, their work is more likely to be successful.
- 12. Christians must not judge other people by their wealth or by their important position in society. They must not be too proud to be friendly with poor people. Christians should be friendly with people whom the world considers unimportant. Jesus was not afraid to be in the company of those whom other people did not approve of. James said that a poor person might not receive the same welcome at a meeting as a wealthy person. This was wrong because they were Christian brothers and sisters (James 2:1-4).
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission - © 2007, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info.

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Go-and-teach-all-nations - Romans 12:3-8

2009-02-05T08:53:00.000-09:00

Go-and-teach-all-nations

Romans 12:3-8

Use of the skills that God gives to Christians; Paul tells Christians to think properly about their skills
v3 God has given to me his grace. So I say this to each one of you. Do not have too proud an opinion of yourself. But rather, think clearly. Judge yourself by the faith that God has given to you.
v4 Each of us has one body, which has many parts. All these parts do not have the same function.
v5 So we who belong to Christ are many people. But we are like one body. We all belong to each other.
v6 By the grace of God, God has given different skills to us. These skills are different because of the nature of God’s grace. For example, someone might give a message from God. But that person must be careful not to use this skill in a way that is greater than his faith.
v7 And a person who has some other skill should also use his skill in the same way. So, some people serve. Other people teach.
v8 And other people can encourage. The person who gives should be generous. The person who leads should be eager. And the person who shows kindness should be cheerful.
Comment:
Verse 3 - Paul uses the words, ‘I say to you.’ Often Jesus began an important statement with similar words (for example, John 3:3). God had shown his grace to Paul, so that he had become an apostle. So he speaks with authority. He tells Christians to think properly about their skills. They must not be proud. They must not think that they are better than other people. The standard by which they must judge themselves is the standard of the faith. That faith means to trust in Christ. He lived and died for them. When they think about Christ’s action they will be humble.
Verses 4-5 - Paul talks about the human body. All the different parts of a body are necessary. In the same way, all members of a Christian church should work together. Then the church can work properly. The people may have a variety of skills. But each skill is necessary for the purpose of God’s work in that church.
Verses 6-8 - Christians should be humble because their skills come from God. Then Paul gives 7 examples of special skills that Christians should use. He mentions other special skills in 1 Corinthians chapter 12 and in Ephesians chapter 4.
1. Prophecy. A Christian might receive a message from God. That Christian would give this message to the local church. But he must only give such a message if he has faith. In other words, he must trust God that the message comes from God. Christians must not give prophecies that do not come from God. So any prophecy must agree with the Bible’s message.
2. To serve. The Greek word is ‘diakonia’. It can mean various activities. The apostles were ‘serving’ when they preached (Acts 6:4). And the same word describes the work of the 7 disciples who gave food to poor widows (see Acts 6:2-3). So a person should use whatever skills he has in order to serve other people.
3. To teach. After people become Christians, they need to learn about the meaning of their faith in their daily life. Someone must teach them.
4. To encourage. This has two meanings: a) to persuade with strong words. A preacher can do this. b) to comfort and give courage. Barnabas is an example of this meaning. He was well-known among the first Christians because of the way that he encouraged people (Acts 4:36-37; Acts 9:27).
5. To give. If we share our possessions, money or time with other people, we should do so in a generous way. We should enjoy ourselves as we give to other people.
6. To lead other people. Church leaders should carry out their responsibilities eagerly.
7. To show kindness. This can mean a) to forgive people who have offended us or b) to give help wherever anyone needs help. The good Samaritan was a man from Samaria whom Jesus spoke about. We can read this story in Luke chapter 10. This Samaritan had mercy on a traveler who was hurting. The Samaritan delayed his own journey in order to help the man. And the Samaritan even paid so that the man could stay at a house (Luke 10:30-37).
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission - © 2007, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info.

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Go-and-teach-all-nations - Romans 12:1-2

2009-02-04T20:26:00.000-09:00

Go-and-teach-all-nations

Romans 12:1-2

True worship; Christians must offer their bodies as a sacrifice to God
v1 Brothers and sisters, God has shown you his kindness. Therefore I am appealing to you. Offer your bodies to him as a sacrifice that is alive. Your gift will please God greatly. This is true spiritual worship.
v2 Do not live any longer in the way that this world lives. Change completely the way that you think. Then you will be able to test what God wants. You will discover that God’s plan is good and acceptable. It is perfect.
Comment:
Chapters 12-15 – Paul’s practical advice
Paul has explained the gospel. Now he gives practical advice. He describes how a Christian should live in the world. He gives advice about attitudes. A Christian should behave well towards other Christians and towards his enemies. Paul deals with the relationship of the Christian to the state and its laws. He writes about responsibilities. A Christian has a responsibility to people whose faith is weak. Finally, he writes about himself. He writes about his work as an apostle and his plans. And he requests prayer (15:14-33).
Verse 1 - Paul appeals to all the Christians in Rome. God has shown his great love to them all. So they should be grateful. If they have the right attitude to God, then they will think rightly about themselves. This will make a difference to their relationships with other people. Paul uses the idea of a priest who offers a sacrifice. The sacrifice had to be a perfect animal. Then it would please God (Leviticus 1:3, 9).
Christians must offer their bodies as a sacrifice to God. Paul is not writing about death here. He is explaining how Christians should live their lives in this world. They should try to use every part of their bodies in a manner that pleases God. They will use their feet. They will go where God wants them to go. They will use their hands to give practical help to other people. With their ears, they will listen to other people’s problems. With their mouths, they will speak to encourage other people and to tell them the good news about Christ. The right use of the body will be like the perfect sacrifice that pleased God. Their worship would not just be a ceremony. This is the right kind of worship. It is spiritual. It is the worship that God asks for.
Verse 2 - Christians must also change the way that they think. The word ‘change’ is the same word that describes the change in Jesus’ body. Jesus changed when he showed his glory to the three apostles (Mark 9:2). It is easy for people to copy what other people do. But Christians should not copy everything that people in the world do. Christians belong to God’s world. So they should behave in a different way from people who are not Christians.
What Christians think will affect what they do. Christians will think differently about the use of money. Christians will remember that money belongs to God. So they will try not to waste it or to use it selfishly. They will have a different opinion about sex. They will make careful choices about what they read. They will select carefully what they watch on television. The Holy Spirit will guide Christians as they try to please God. They will want to obey God, so that they can ‘reflect the Lord’s glory. Then they will continue to change and to be like him’ (2 Corinthians 3:18).
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission - © 2007, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info.

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Go-and-teach-all-nations - Romans 11:33-36

2009-02-03T10:13:00.000-09:00

Go-and-teach-all-nations

Romans 11:33-36

A song to praise God; God should be praised and glorified for ever
v33 God’s wisdom and knowledge are very wonderful!
We can never understand his judgments.
And we can never find out his ways!
v34 NOBODY CAN EVER KNOW WHAT IS IN THE MIND OF THE LORD.
NOBODY CAN EVER GIVE ADVICE TO HIM.
v35 NOBODY HAS EVER GIVEN ANYTHING TO GOD
SO THAT GOD HAS TO PAY HIM BACK.
v36 All things come from God. Everything exists by him and for him.
We should always give the glory to God! Amen.
Comment:
Paul has explained the gospel in the first 11 chapters of his letter. He has written about God’s great plan for both Jews and Gentiles. He has written about God’s great love, which people can never deserve. So he ends this part of his letter with a song to praise God.
Verse 33 - Paul’s praises two things: God’s wisdom and his decisions. It is impossible for a person to understand God’s ways. The word ‘wonderful’ shows that God’s wisdom is far greater than the wisest thoughts of any wise person. His judgments are better than the judgments of the wisest human judge. A human judge might know about a person’s actions. But only God understands that person perfectly. God knows the real reasons for an action. God can judge thoughts as well as actions.
Verse 34 - Paul uses Isaiah 40:13. The two statements remind us that ‘God’s ways are not our ways. His thoughts are not our thoughts’ (Isaiah 55:8).
Verses 35-36 - In verse 35, Paul refers to God’s words in Job 41:11. God cannot owe us anything. Whatever we might give to him has come from him. David realized this: ‘Everything comes from you. We have given to you only what comes from you’ (1 Chronicles 29:14). God created everything. God spoke, and the world and everything in it started to exist. Everything was for God. So he was the beginning, and he will be the end. Glory belongs to God alone. People should not be proud. They should not behave as if they do not need God. So Paul prays that people will always praise God. They should praise him because of who he is. And they should praise him because of what he has done.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission - © 2007, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info.

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Go-and-teach-all-nations - Romans 11:28-32

2009-02-02T17:39:00.000-09:00

Go-and-teach-all-nations

God’s plan for Israel’s future

Romans 11:28-32

The future for Israel - the Jews themselves will receive God’s mercy
v28 The Jews may seem to be your enemies when they oppose the good news. But God chose them and he loves them because of his promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
v29 God does not take back his gifts. He does not change his mind about those whom he has chosen.
v30 At one time, you Gentiles did not obey God. But now you have received his kindness. This happened because the Jews did not obey him.
v31 And God has a similar plan for the Jews. They do not obey him now. But God has been kind to you so that they too will know his kindness.
v32 God has made everyone like prisoners, because they do not obey him. This is his plan so that he can show his kindness to them all.
Comment:
Verses 28-29 - Because of unbelief, many Jews opposed the first Christians. Those Jews acted as if they were enemies. But God loved the Jews. God had chosen them to be his people. He would never forget the promise of blessing that he had made to their ancestors. God is not like people. He brings about the things that he promised (Numbers 23:19).
Verses 30-31 - In the past, the Gentiles did not obey God. Now, because the Jews had not obeyed him, the Gentiles receive God’s mercy. As the result of God’s mercy to the Gentiles, the Jews themselves will receive God’s mercy.
Verse 32 - Paul has shown that there is no difference between Jews and Gentiles. They all have sinned (Romans 3:9). They all can receive God’s salvation (Romans 10:12-13). Now Paul adds that all people are like prisoners. They are like prisoners because they are unable to obey God. Until they receive God’s salvation, sin controls their lives. The scripture says that the whole world is like a prisoner. This is because sin controls everybody in the world (Galatians 3:22). There is only one way out of this prison. God’s mercy can make free everyone who trusts him.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission - © 2007, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info.

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Go-and-teach-all-nations - Romans 11:25-27

2009-02-01T10:54:00.000-09:00

Go-and-teach-all-nations

God’s plan for Israel’s future

Romans 11:25-27

The future for Israel - God will take away the sin of Israel
v25 Brothers and sisters, I want you to understand this mystery. I do not want you to become proud. Part of Israel has become unwilling to trust God. This will last only until the full number of Gentiles has come into God’s kingdom.
v26 And so God will save all the people in Israel. Isaiah writes,
‘THE SAVIOR WILL COME FROM ZION.
HE WILL REMOVE ALL KINDS OF WICKED THINGS FROM JACOB’S FAMILY.
V27 THIS WILL MAKE MY COVENANT WITH THEM BECOME TRUE,
WHEN I TAKE AWAY THEIR SINS.’
Comment:
Verses 25-27 - Paul tells his Gentile brothers and sisters about God’s future plan for the Jews. Many prophets wrote about that plan, for example Isaiah 60:1-14; Daniel 12:1; Micah 7:11-12; Zechariah 8:1-23. So Paul was sure that God has a plan to save the Jews.
Paul refers to Proverbs 3:7 as he warns the Gentiles not to ‘become proud’. In the original language, those words are, ‘Do not become wise in yourselves.’
So Paul urges the Gentile Christians to trust God’s wisdom and to believe God’s plan. Many Jews who do not believe might behave like enemies. But Christians must love the Jews as friends, because God loves them (verse 28). And God wants Christians to impress the Jews by means of their (the Christians’) love for God. Then the Jews too will want to receive God’s kindness (verse 31). And that is God’s plan to save the Jews (verse 26).
Paul says that the Jews will not always oppose God. When the full number of Gentiles has come into the kingdom, God will save all Israel. In other words, he will save all the Jews that remain (Zechariah 13:8-9).
Paul uses words from Isaiah to support this idea. He uses the Greek translation (called the Septuagint). Isaiah 59:20 says, ‘The Savior will come from Zion (Jerusalem).’ This may refer to the time when Jesus came.
Zion was the place from which the gospel came. But God only saved the first of the Jews at that time (Romans 11:16). His future plan is for those Jews that remain. And he will bring about his plan when Christ returns.
So Paul was thinking also about the second time that Christ will come. God will take away the sin of Israel then (Isaiah 27:9).
The prophet Jeremiah said that God had promised a new covenant (31:33-34). People will want to obey God, because he has taken away their sins.
At the last supper, Jesus spoke about this new covenant. His death would be the beginning of the new covenant. God’s promise would become true (Matthew 26:28). People start to receive the benefit of this covenant when they invite Christ into their lives. So the Jews will also receive the benefit of this same covenant. They will know God’s kindness because of Christ.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission - © 2007, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info.

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Go-and-teach-all-nations - Romans 11:22-24

2009-01-29T04:48:00.000-09:00

Go-and-teach-all-nations

God’s plan for Israel’s future

Romans 11:22-24

Paul warns the Gentiles - you must continue to live in God's kindness. If He had removed some branches, he could remove another branch
v22 Remember! God is kind. But he is also strict. He was strict with those who refused to obey him. But he was kind to you. So you must continue to live in his kindness. Otherwise, you cannot have a relationship with God. You would become again like branches that are not part of the tree.
v23 If the people from Israel do not continue in their unbelief, God will mend their relationship with him. It will be as if those natural branches are again part of the tree. God is able to do this.
v24 A gardener can cut a branch from a wild olive tree. And he can join that branch to an olive tree in his own garden. But that is an unnatural event. Remember that you Gentiles are like that wild branch. But the natural branches come from the same tree. So it is much more natural that they should be part of the tree again.
Comment:
Verses 22-24 - God had joined the Gentiles to his people, the Jews. Paul warns the Gentiles. They must not be too proud that they are now part of God’s people. Paul may have worried about the way that many Gentiles thought about the Jews. These Gentiles did not understand the Jews and they laughed at the Jews. Paul did not want the Gentiles in Rome to have the wrong attitude towards the Jews. The Christian faith came from the root of the Jewish faith. Paul imagines that a Gentile speaks proudly. He says, ‘The Jews are like the branches that the gardener removed. And I have now taken their place.’ Paul warned that Gentile. If God had removed some branches, he could remove another branch. He could remove the branch that he had joined to the tree. Gentiles can stay in God’s kingdom only if they remain firm in their faith (see also Hebrews 3:14). But this is not a reason for Gentile Christians to worry that they will lose their salvation. God is able to protect them (Jude verse 24). They now belong to God’s people. God has chosen them to be his special people. They are his royal priests. They belong to his kingdom (1 Peter 2:9). God has changed their lives completely (1 Peter 2:10).
God had been firm with the Jews who refused to obey him. He had been kind to the Gentiles. So the Gentiles must remain loyal to God. They did not deserve salvation. They only received salvation because of God’s kindness. But long ago, God chose the Jews to be his own special people. He made his covenant with them. And his promises still stand today. Paul eagerly expected a time when his own people, the Jews, would believe the gospel. God can make this happen.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission - © 2007, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info.

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Go-and-teach-all-nations - Romans 11:17-21

2009-01-26T16:23:00.000-09:00

Go-and-teach-all-nations

God’s plan for Israel’s future

Romans 11:17-21

Paul warns the Gentiles; you have taken the place of the Jews simply because you believed God
v17 A gardener might remove some branches from an olive tree. Then he might take some branches from a wild olive tree. And he can bind the wild branches onto his own tree. Those branches would then share the strength that comes from its root. You Gentiles are like those wild branches.
v18 But do not imagine that you are better than the Jews! The branches of a tree do not support the root. It is the root that supports the branches. So remember who gave you the opportunity to know God’s kindness.
Now, the Jews are like the branches that the gardener removed.
v19 You, who are Gentiles, might say, ‘They are like the branches that the gardener removed. And I have now taken their place.’
v20 Yes, but this happened because they did not believe God. You have taken their place simply because you believed God. Do not be proud. Be afraid of God!
v21 God did not save them, although they were like the natural branches. And he will not save you (unless you are humble).
Comment:
Verses 17-21 - Paul continues to think about a tree. There were very many olive trees in the country. So an olive tree became a description of the Jewish nation. ‘The Lord called you a healthy olive tree’ (Jeremiah 11:16).
Paul describes a technique called grafting. Farmers and gardeners world-wide still use grafting today.
The problem is that a strong tree does not always yield good quality fruit. A weaker tree might yield better quality fruit. But because that tree is weak, it cannot yield much
fruit.
If both trees are of the same kind, the gardener can try grafting. He removes the branches from the strong tree. Then he binds a small branch of the weaker tree to the stem of the strong tree. This is a difficult task. Only a skilled gardener has a good possibility of success. But if the gardener succeeds, he will have a much better tree. It will be a strong tree that yields good fruit. And the fruit will be plentiful.
Many Jews refused to believe God. Those people lost their opportunity to have a right relationship with God. They were like the branches that the gardener removes from the tree.
But many Gentiles believed God. And they were able to have a real relationship with God. They would be like the new branches, which would receive strength from the root. Jesus used a similar description in John chapter 15.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission - © 2007, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info.

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Go-and-teach-all-nations - Romans 11:13-16

2009-01-25T15:27:00.000-09:00

Go-and-teach-all-nations

God’s plan for Israel’s future

Romans 11:13-16

Paul warns the Gentiles; he is teaching the Gentiles to become righteous by means of faith
v13 I am talking to you who are not Jews. I am the apostle to the Gentiles. So I think that my work for them is very important.
v14 I will make the Jews jealous by my work among the Gentiles. So I hope that some Jews will trust Jesus.
v15 The result of their temporary loss was that the whole world could return to God. But when the Jews return to God, the result will be wonderful. Life will replace death.
v16 People offer dough to God. If the first piece is holy, all the dough is holy. If the root of a tree is holy, so are the branches.
Comment:
Verses 13-15 - Paul was an apostle to the Gentiles. So he speaks to them about his work. Paul was teaching the Gentiles to become righteous by means of faith. He knew that the Jews were also eager to become righteous. But they were trying to do this by their own efforts. And such a method could not succeed. But the Jews would see that God accepted the Gentiles. And the Jews would be jealous. Then they too would want to have faith in Christ.
Paul was sad that so many Jews had refused God’s way of salvation. But now the rest of the world had the opportunity to have a relationship with God. In the end, when the Jews believe the gospel, the result will be as wonderful as life from death.
Perhaps Paul was thinking about Ezekiel’s vision of the dry bones (Ezekiel 37:1-14). The bones came alive as a sign that God would cause Israel to live again.
Verse 16 - Paul uses two word pictures. He shows that God would not turn away from the Jews permanently.
1. The first piece of dough was a gift to God (Numbers 15:17-21). The rest of the dough became holy too. ‘The first piece’ means the first people who believed the gospel. They are the Jewish Christians. When they believed, the rest of the Jews could become believers.
2. The root of a tree affects the whole tree. ‘The root’ probably meant Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, who were the ancestors of the Jewish nation. Their descendants were the branches in Paul’s time. God had made a covenant with Abraham which would last always. He would be the God of Abraham’s descendants (Genesis 17:7). As Abraham’s descendants, the Jews would benefit from the promises of God’s covenant.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission - © 2007, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info.

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Go-and-teach-all-nations - Romans 11:11-12

2009-01-22T06:29:00.000-09:00

Go-and-teach-all-nations

God’s plan for Israel’s future

Romans 11:11-12

The results of the Jews’ failure to obey God – because Israel has sinned, salvation has come to the Gentiles - Part 3
v11 I am not saying that they could never recover from their troubles. That is certainly not correct. But because of their wrong deeds, the Gentiles have received salvation. God wants to make the people in Israel jealous.
v12 The whole world benefited as a result of their wrong deeds. The Gentiles benefited because of their error. But everyone will benefit much more when God’s plan to save Israel is complete.
Comment:
Verses 11-12 - Many Jews refused to believe the gospel. Paul has explained about the terrible punishments that those people will suffer because of their unbelief.
But that is not the end of God’s relationship with the Jews. God still has a plan for their families.
Paul emphasizes that the Jewish people will recover from their troubles. They will again be the people whom God has chosen.
But in the meantime, God offers salvation to everyone who will accept it. Because Israel has sinned, salvation has come to the Gentiles.
In the Book of Acts, Luke records 4 occasions when Paul began to preach to Gentiles. But those Jews refused his message of salvation. So Paul offered it to the Gentiles (Acts 13:46; 18:6; 19:8-9; 28:28).
The Jews would see how God had brought blessings to the Gentiles. So the Jews would be jealous and they would turn to God themselves. Their sin had brought blessings.
So there will be an even greater blessing for everyone in the end.
The Jews will return to God. The number of Jewish believers will be complete.
And Jews and Gentiles will be glad together because of what God has done.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission - © 2007, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info.

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Go-and-teach-all-nations - Romans 11:9-10

2009-01-21T06:28:00.000-09:00

Go-and-teach-all-nations

God’s plan for Israel’s future

Romans 11:9-10

The results of the Jews’ failure to obey God – Paul associates David’s words with the Jews who refused to believe God’s good news - Part 3
v9 And David says,
‘I PRAY THAT THEIR GREEDY ATTITUDES WILL CAUSE TROUBLES FOR THEM.
I PRAY THAT THEIR ENEMIES WILL HUNT THEM WITH NETS AND TRAPS.
I PRAY THAT THEY WILL SUFFER A COMPLETE AND PROPER PUNISHMENT.
V10 MAKE THEIR EYES BLIND.
BEND OVER THEIR BACKS SO THAT THEY CAN NEVER RECOVER.’
Comment:
Verses 9-10 - Paul also uses words from Psalm 69:22-23. The writer of that Psalm asks God to act against his enemies. His enemies are like people who sit at a feast. They feel happy and safe. But enemies could attack them before they realize it.
Paul associates that passage with the Jews who refused to believe God’s good news. Paul suggests that they feel happy and safe. But their selfish satisfaction is like a trap that will cause terrible pain.
The day will come when they cannot see (know) the truth at all. Then, they will suffer. They will be like blind people.
Or, they will be like a person who bends over with a great load on his back. Their wrong attitudes will cause them great trouble.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission - © 2007, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info.

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Go-and-teach-all-nations - Romans 11:5-8

2009-01-20T08:24:00.000-09:00

Go-and-teach-all-nations

God’s plan for Israel’s future

Romans 11:5-8

The results of the Jews’ failure to obey God – The two groups of Jews in Paul’s time; one group showed faith but the second group showed unbelief - Part 2
v5 So too, at the present time, there remain some people who are loyal to God. God has chosen them because of his kindness.
v6 And if God chose them by his kindness, then their relationship with God does not depend on their good deeds. If that were true, then kindness would not have any real meaning.
v7 So then, the people in Israel did not obtain what they wanted. But the people whom God chose obtained it. The rest of the people became unwilling to change.
v8 Scripture says,
‘GOD MADE IT HARD FOR THEM TO UNDERSTAND.
IT WAS AS IF HE MADE THEM BLIND. SO THEY COULD NOT SEE (KNOW) THE TRUTH.
IT WAS AS IF HE MADE THEM DEAF. SO THEY WERE UNWILLING TO LISTEN TO HIS MESSAGE.
AND THEY ARE STILL LIKE THAT TODAY.’
Comment:
Verses 5-6 - Even as in the time of Elijah, there were still Jews who were loyal to God. God had chosen them because he loved them. They did not deserve his love. They could not receive salvation because of their own deeds. God showed his kindness when he saved them. But if they deserved salvation, God would not be showing any kindness. So God gives gifts to people that they do not deserve.
Verses 7-8 - In Paul’s time, there were two groups of Jews. This is still true in many nations today.
One group showed faith. They were the people whom God chose. He saved them because of his kindness.
But the second group showed unbelief. They were unwilling to obey God.
Paul combines two passages of scripture. He shows what happens to people in that second group. They do not believe the gospel. And they even become unable to hear or to understand it.
First Paul uses Isaiah 29:10: ‘The Lord has made you sleep. He has closed your eyes.’
Then Paul uses Deuteronomy 29:4: ‘Even today the Lord has still not given you a mind that understands. It is as if your eyes cannot see. It is as if your ears cannot hear.’
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission - © 2007, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info.

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Go-and-teach-all-nations - Romans 11:1-4

2009-01-19T03:34:00.000-09:00

Go-and-teach-all-nations

God’s plan for Israel’s future

Romans 11:1-4

The results of the Jews’ failure to obey God – Paul shows in two ways that God has not ended his relationship with the Jews - Part 1
v1 So, I tell you that God did not decide to end his relationship with his people. That is certainly not correct. I am an Israelite myself. I am a descendant of Abraham. I belong to the family of Benjamin.
v2 God did not decide to end his relationship with his people, whom he chose long ago. You ought to know what scripture says about Elijah. He complained to God about Israel.
v3 He said, ‘LORD, THEY HAVE KILLED YOUR PROPHETS. THEY HAVE DESTROYED YOUR ALTARS. I AM THE ONLY PERSON WHO IS STILL LOYAL TO YOU. AND THEY ARE TRYING TO KILL ME.’
v4 This is how God answered him. He said, ‘I HAVE KEPT 7000 PEOPLE WHO ARE STILL LOYAL TO ME. THEY HAVE NOT WORSHIPPED BAAL’ (a false god).
Comment:
Verse 1 - God had wonderful plans for the Jews. He sent their messiah, who is Jesus. He offers them grace, salvation and righteousness. But the reaction of most Jews was unbelief. They refused to accept God’s generous gifts. It might seem that God’s plans for the Jews had failed. But Paul shows in this chapter that God’s plans had not failed. In fact, God has an even more wonderful plan for the future of the Jews.
Paul has already spoken about the effects of unbelief. In Romans 9:17, he spoke about Pharaoh (the ruler of Egypt). Pharaoh tried to stop God’s plans. Pharaoh’s efforts could not succeed. Pharaoh and his army suffered a terrible punishment. But of course, God’s plan was successful. He even used Pharaoh’s unbelief to win a great victory.
The situation at the time of Paul was similar. People had shown great unbelief. But they could not stop God’s plan. And this is still true today. God still has a plan for the Jews. Those people who show unbelief will not benefit. Unless they repent, they will suffer the punishment for their sins. But God’s plan will succeed. He will win a great victory.
Paul shows in two ways that God has not ended his relationship with the Jews.
1. Paul is a Jew himself. He is a descendant of Abraham. He is from the family called Benjamin. This was a small family, but the first king of Israel came from it. Paul had acted against God in the past before he became a Christian. God had forgiven him. So God could forgive other Jews as well.
Verses 2-4
2. Paul reminds the Jews about the answer that God gave to the prophet Elijah. The queen made plans to kill Elijah. He knew that the people no longer worshipped God. They had destroyed God’s altars. Prophets had died because of their faith. Elijah thought that he was the only person in Israel who was still loyal to God. God told him that this was not true. There were still 7000 people who were loyal to God. They had not worshipped the false god, Baal (1 Kings 19:14-18).
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission - © 2007, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info.

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Go-and-teach-all-nations - Romans 10:19-21

2009-01-18T11:34:00.000-09:00

Go-and-teach-all-nations

Romans 10:19-21

Paul answers the Jewish excuses – because of their unbelief, they would not obey the gospel and they could not say that they had no opportunity to hear the gospel message - Part 2
v19 And also, I consider that the people in Israel understood God’s message. First, Moses says:
‘I (GOD) WILL CHOOSE PEOPLE WHOM YOU DO NOT EVEN CONSIDER TO BE A NATION.
AND I WILL MAKE YOU JEALOUS.
I WILL CHOOSE PEOPLE WHO SEEM FOOLISH.
AND I WILL MAKE YOU ANGRY.’
v20 And Isaiah declares boldly what God says,
‘PEOPLE WHO WERE NOT LOOKING FOR ME HAVE FOUND ME.
I HAVE SHOWN MYSELF TO PEOPLE WHO DID NOT ASK FOR ME.’
v21 But Isaiah also explains what God says about Israel,
‘ALL DAY LONG I HAVE APPEALED TO THESE PEOPLE.
BUT THEY CONTINUOUSLY REFUSE TO OBEY ME. AND THEY OPPOSE
Comment:
4. Verses 19-20 - Someone might say, ‘Even if people had heard the message, they might not understand it.’ Paul answers with words from the two main parts of the Hebrew Bible. These parts are the law and the prophets.
God spoke by means of Moses. God said that he would make the Jews jealous of the Gentiles (Deuteronomy 32:21). Already Paul has used Hosea’s message (Hosea 2:23) about people who were not God’s people (Romans 9:25). Nobody had taught the Gentiles about God. So they were people who ‘did not understand’. Paul adds a prophecy from Isaiah (65:1). Isaiah’s message to the Israelites was very bold. God would show himself to people who were not looking for him. In other words, God would save people who were Gentiles. Paul has already explained how God saved Gentiles because of their faith. But many Jews did not have faith. Instead, they showed unbelief. God offers righteousness as a free gift. But they wanted to become righteous by means of their own efforts. And that is impossible (Romans 9:30-32).
5. Verse 21 - The answer to all these excuses was in Isaiah (65:2). Most Jews did not hear or understand the gospel because of their sinful attitudes. Because of their unbelief, they would not obey the gospel. All during their history, God had appealed to the Jews. Like a father, God held out his hands, ready to receive them like a child. But they did not want to obey him. They wanted to achieve salvation by their own efforts. But that is simply not possible. God offers salvation as a free gift to everyone who trusts him. That is the only way to receive salvation. And it is available to both Jews and Gentiles.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission - © 2007, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info.

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Go-and-teach-all-nations - Romans 10:14-18

2009-01-15T07:11:00.000-09:00

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Romans 10:14-18

Paul answers the Jewish excuses – because of their unbelief, they would not obey the gospel and also they could not say that they had no opportunity to hear the gospel message - Part 1
v14 But people cannot call upon the name of the Lord unless they believe in him. And they cannot believe in him if they have not heard about him. And they cannot hear about him unless someone preaches to them.
v15 And nobody will preach unless someone sends that person. So, the scripture says, ‘IT IS WONDERFUL WHEN SOMEONE GOES TO DECLARE A GOOD MESSAGE.’
v16 But people do not always obey the good message. In fact, Isaiah wrote, ‘LORD, IT SEEMS THAT NOBODY BELIEVES OUR MESSAGE.’
v17 So faith comes when people hear the message. And the message that people hear is the word of Christ.
v18 But I consider that the people in Israel heard God’s message. It is as the scripture says:
‘THE SOUND OF THEIR MESSAGE HAS GONE OUT INTO ALL THE EARTH.
PEOPLE HAVE HEARD THEIR WORDS EVEN IN DISTANT PLACES ACROSS THE WORLD.’
Comment:
Verses 14-15 - These words are still true today. Nobody can believe in Christ unless that person has heard about him. People cannot hear about Christ unless someone tells them. God must send someone to tell them the good news.
A person must have faith in order to please God. The opposite of faith is unbelief. But when many people hear the gospel, their reaction is unbelief.
In this passage, Paul is thinking about the reasons for this reaction. Especially, he is thinking about the Jews. Paul was himself a Jew. God had given many benefits to the Jews. But still most Jews had refused to accept Christ. Paul shows that there is no proper excuse for unbelief.
1. Verse 15 - Someone might try to explain this unbelief. Perhaps the people would believe if they heard God’s message. But that explanation cannot be correct. Someone can only show unbelief after they have heard a message. Paul refers to Isaiah 52:7 to show how the people had heard God’s message. In that verse, the person was bringing the good news about freedom to the Jews. They could return from Babylon where they were prisoners. Paul knows that the Jews have heard the good news of freedom from sin. Because of Christ’s death, God will free everyone who accepts him, both Jews and Gentiles.
2. Verse 16 - Not everyone believed the good news, even if they had heard it. Paul showed that this was true in Isaiah’s time. Nobody would believe God’s message about his suffering servant (Isaiah 53:1). That message about the suffering servant was a prophecy about Jesus’ death. Jesus died on the cross so that God would forgive people’s sin. But not everyone obeys God’s message. The reaction of many people is unbelief.
3. Verses 17-18 - Faith comes when people hear the message. That is, the message about Christ. But the Jews could not say that they had no opportunity to hear this message. Paul replies with words from Psalm 19:4. The words describe how the sun, moon and stars are like witnesses to God, their Creator. Paul uses the words to mean that the Jews have heard. It is true that the gospel message has still not gone out through the whole world. But many Jews lived in the countries round the Mediterranean Sea. Paul knew that they had been able to hear the gospel. Paul himself had preached it in many cities.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission - © 2007, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info.

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Go-and-teach-all-nations - Romans 10:6-13

2009-01-14T16:21:00.000-09:00

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Living by the law and by faith

Romans 10:6-13

Living by faith; righteousness is by faith in Christ
v6 But the way to do what God wants begins with faith in him. Scripture says, ‘DO NOT IMAGINE THAT YOU HAVE TO GO UP TO HEAVEN.’ (That means to go up into heaven in order to bring Christ down.)
v7 ‘AND DO NOT IMAGINE THAT YOU HAVE TO GO DOWN INTO A DEEP PLACE.’ (That means to bring Christ up from death.)
v8 This is what it says. ‘THE WORD IS NEAR YOU. SPEAK IT WITH YOUR MOUTH! BELIEVE IT IN YOUR HEART!’ That means the message that we are preaching. You must put your faith in it.
v9 Say with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord.’ Believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from death. If you do these things, God will save you.
v10 As you believe in your heart, God will make you righteous. And as you declare this with your mouth, God will save you.
v11 Scripture says, ‘WHOSOEVER BELIEVETH ON HIM SHALL NOT BE ASHAMED’.(Christ will never disappoint anyone who trusts in him.)
v12 There is no difference between Jews and Gentiles. They all have the same Lord. God is generous to everyone who asks him for help.
v13 Scripture says, ‘GOD WILL SAVE EVERYONE WHO CALLS UPON THE NAME OF THE LORD.’
Comment:
Verses 6-7 - People receive a right relationship with God by faith in Christ. It is not difficult to find God. Paul thinks about Moses’ words in Deuteronomy 30:12-14. What God teaches is not difficult to find. People do not have to search for it in heaven or in the depths of the sea. Paul says the same thing about the gospel as Moses said about God’s law. There is no need to search for Christ. He had already come down from heaven as a man. And he had risen from death, so there was no need to look for him in the grave.
Verses 8-11 - The message that the apostles preached was about trust in Christ and his resurrection. In other words, it was about faith. And God would save people who have faith in Christ. They would have a right relationship with God. God would make them righteous. He would give them the Holy Spirit. And God’s Spirit would teach them how to live in a manner that pleases God.
Their relationship with God would not depend on the law. It would depend on Christ, who made the law complete. By his death, Christ did everything that the law orders to make people righteous. And by his resurrection, we too receive a new life. (See Romans 6:1-8.) That is why Paul emphasizes Christ’s death and resurrection here.
Paul tells the people to declare, ‘Jesus is Lord.’ The word ‘Lord’ has two meanings. Slaves would call their master, ‘Lord’. The word shows that the slave intends to obey his master. In the same manner, Christians should obey Jesus completely (John 13:13-16).
But the word ‘Lord’ is also a translation of God’s most sacred name. So Paul was emphasizing that Jesus is God. And Paul said that this belief was essential for Christians to declare.
In verse 9, Paul is describing the moment when a person becomes a real Christian. For the first time, that person has real faith in God. That person believes in his or her heart. It is not sufficient simply to say the words without faith. But if that person is sincere, God will give faith to that person (Matthew 7:7-8). And the actual words that a person speaks at that moment do not always need to be these words. But these are good words to say.
In fact, ‘Jesus is Lord’ was the earliest form of creed. People would declare in public, ‘Jesus is Lord’ at their baptism. Afterwards, they would continue to tell other people about their faith (1 Peter 3:15). Christ will never disappoint anyone (Isaiah 28:16). He will save everyone who trusts him.
Verses 12-13 - Christ is Lord of both Jews and Gentiles. Christ offers salvation to everyone. He will save everyone who asks him. Paul uses words from Joel 2:32 to emphasize this. Peter used the same words at the end of his speech on the day called Pentecost (Acts 2:21).
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission - © 2007, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info.

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Go-and-teach-all-nations - Romans 10:1-5

2009-01-13T19:52:00.000-09:00

Go-and-teach-all-nations

Living by the law and by faith

Romans 10:1-5

Living by the means of the Law; apart from Christ himself, nobody had ever obeyed the law perfectly
v1 Brothers and sisters, my greatest desire is for the people from Israel to accept salvation. I pray to God on behalf of them.
v2 I am sure that they are eager about God. But they do not know what he really wants.
v3 They do not know how God makes people righteous. Instead, they try to become righteous by their own efforts. So they refuse the means by which God makes people righteous.
v4 Christ has completed the law. So now everyone who believes can be righteous.
v5 Moses wrote about people who want to become righteous by means of the law. He wrote, ‘SOMEONE WHO OBEYS THE LAW WILL LIVE BY MEANS OF THE LAW.’
Comment:
Verses 1-2 - Paul repeats his great desire. He wants very much his own people to accept their Messiah. He knows from his own experience how much the Jews wanted to serve God. Paul had been a Pharisee (a strict Jew). At that time, Paul thought that the Christians were wrong about God. And Paul was so eager to please God. So Paul arrested many Christians (Philippians 3:6). But Paul had to learn an important lesson. It is not good to be eager, if one does not have knowledge (Proverbs 19:2).
Verses 3-4 - The Jews were trying to please God. But they did not know how to please God. The Jews thought that they must obey all their laws. Then they would be in a right relationship with God. But this is not correct. Nobody can earn a right relationship with God by means of that person’s own efforts. A person has a right relationship with God if he or she believes in Christ. The purpose of God’s law is to show people that they need faith in Christ. Christ showed more completely what the law meant (Matthew 5:17). His death was the perfect sacrifice for sin. And he gives the Holy Spirit. With the help of the Holy Spirit, people can live in a manner that pleases God.
Verse 5 - Moses had said, ‘Someone who obeys the law will live by means of the law’ (Leviticus 18:5). He was explaining that people had to obey God’s law completely. If they did so, they would have a right relationship with God. But Paul is emphasizing that people did not obey the law. Apart from Christ himself, nobody had ever obeyed the law perfectly. But Moses explained that a proper relationship with God is not difficult to achieve. We do not achieve this by our own efforts. Instead, we need to believe his message in our hearts. And we declare the message that God has given to us. We do this by faith, in other words, because we trust him. (See Romans 10:6-10.)
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission - © 2007, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info.

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Go-and-teach-all-nations - Romans 9:30-33

2009-01-12T04:54:00.000-09:00

Go-and-teach-all-nations

Romans 9:30-33

The stone that people trip over; is not useful to a person who does not recognize its value
v30 So, we say that the Gentiles were not trying to become righteous. But many Gentiles did become righteous. They achieved this simply because they trusted God.
v31 The people from Israel were trying to become righteous by means of their own efforts, as they obeyed the law. But they did not succeed. They could not obey the whole law.
v32 This is the explanation. They were not trusting God. They were trying to become righteous by means of their own efforts. They were like someone who trips over a stone.
v33 The scripture uses the same description:
‘LOOK! I AM LAYING IN ZION A STONE THAT CAUSES PEOPLE TO TRIP.
THAT ROCK WILL CAUSE TROUBLE.
THE ROCK MEANS SOMEONE WHOM PEOPLE WILL TRUST.
AND HE WILL NEVER DISAPPOINT THEM.’
Comment:
Verses 30-31 - Paul contrasts Jews and Gentiles. Gentiles were not looking for a way to have a right relationship with God. But when they discovered the gospel, they accepted it by faith. But most Jews thought that they could earn their way to heaven. So they tried to obey the law. They thought that God would accept them because of their good deeds. But because they could never be perfect, they could never receive a right relationship with God. They ought to have accepted the gospel by faith, as the Gentiles were doing. The gospel is for everyone, both Jews and Gentiles. Nobody can earn salvation by means of their own efforts.
Verses 32-33 - Most Jews did not accept God’s offer to forgive them, although Christ died for them. Paul says that the message about the cross was like a stone (1 Corinthians 1:23). A large stone can be useful. It can become a strong base for a building. But that stone is not useful to a person who does not recognize its value. That stone may cause trouble. Someone may trip over it. And so the person who believes the message about the cross benefits from that message. But the same message causes trouble for the person who refuses to believe it.
Paul combines two prophecies in Isaiah. Isaiah 8:14 describes God as a rock that could provide Israel with a place of safety. But if they refuse his offer of security, they will suffer. They will be like someone who falls over a rock.
Isaiah 28:16 speaks about a stone that is the most important stone in the building. It is the corner stone that joins two walls together. Or it is the stone that completed a curve.
Psalm 118:22 speaks about a stone. The builders thought that it had no value. But it became the most important stone in the building.
Jesus used these words about himself (Matthew 21:42).
Peter combined the words from Isaiah with Psalm 118:22 when he wrote about Christ and his church (1 Peter 2:4-8).
Christ will never disappoint those who trust in him. Another translation of Isaiah 28:16 is: ‘THOSE WHO TRUST IN GOD WILL NOT BE IN A HURRY.’ They will not rush about in fear when other people are afraid. Instead, they will trust that God will carry out his plans.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission - © 2007, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info.

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Go-and-teach-all-nations - Romans 9:27-29

2009-01-11T04:37:00.000-09:00

Go-and-teach-all-nations

Romans 9:27-29

The Creator’s plans – Part 3
v27 Isaiah cries out about Israel,
‘THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE FROM ISRAEL MAY BE AS MANY AS THE SAND BY THE SEA.
BUT GOD WILL RESCUE THOSE PEOPLE THAT REMAIN.
V28 THE LORD WILL CARRY OUT HIS PUNISHMENT ON EARTH. HE WILL CARRY IT OUT QUICKLY AND HE WILL COMPLETE IT.’
v29 Earlier Isaiah had said,
‘THE LORD (COMMANDER OF HEAVEN’S ARMIES) GAVE DESCENDANTS TO US.
OTHERWISE, WE WOULD HAVE BECOME LIKE SODOM.
WE WOULD HAVE BEEN LIKE GOMORRAH.’
Comment:
Verses 27-29 - God has promised many wonderful things to the Jews. And he will do the things that he has promised to do. His salvation is for all the Jews who remain (Isaiah 10:20; Zechariah 13:1). But that will only happen after terrible troubles, which will affect the whole earth. Few people will remain then to receive the benefit of God’s promise (Zechariah 13:8-9).
Verses 27-28 - Isaiah wrote at the time when an army from Assyria was attacking Judah, the southern kingdom of Israel. God had promised to Abraham that his descendants would be very many. Nobody would be able to count them, like the sand by the sea (Genesis 22:17). But because of their sin, God was using Assyria to punish the people in Israel. So only a few of them would remain (Isaiah 10:22-23).
Verse 29 - When God destroyed the wicked cities called Sodom and Gomorrah, their punishment was total. Nothing remained in those places. Everybody from those cities died (except for Lot and his two daughters). So the people from Sodom and Gomorrah had no descendants. Their punishment was sudden and final.
But God did not deal with the Israelites in the same manner. Their evil deeds had become very severe at the time of Isaiah. And Isaiah warned them that they would suffer a terrible punishment. But God still had a plan for the Israelites. So the punishment would not be total or final. He would allow them to have descendants (Isaiah 1:9). Isaiah gave his son the name, Shear-jashub (Isaiah 7:3). This name means ‘those who remain will return.’ The name was a sign to the king and to the people. If they trusted God, some Jews would remain free to return to their country. For Paul, Isaiah’s words were a prophecy that many Jews would not trust God. Only a few would accept his son and avoid judgement. These few would ‘return’ to God to obey him. And by them, God would carry out his promise to save the Jews.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission - © 2007, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info.

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Go-and-teach-all-nations - Romans 9:22-26

2009-01-08T03:38:00.000-09:00

Go-and-teach-all-nations

Romans 9:22-26

The Creator’s plans – Part 2
v22 God is like that potter. God shows his anger and his power. He has been very patient with some people although he is angry with them. Those people are like the pots that the potter will destroy.
v23 God has done this so that he can show the greatness of his glory. He has prepared other people to receive this glory, because of his kindness to them.
v24 We are the people whom he has called. But he did not just call Jews to be his people. He called people from all the nations.
v25 That is why God says in the Book of Hosea,
‘THESE PEOPLE WERE NOT MINE. BUT I WILL CALL THEM, SO THAT THEY WILL BECOME MY PEOPLE.
NOBODY LOVED HER. BUT I WILL LOVE HER.
v26 I TOLD THEM, “YOU ARE NOT MY PEOPLE.”
BUT, IN THE SAME PLACE, I SHALL CALL THEM “CHILDREN OF THE GOD WHO ALWAYS LIVES”.’
Comment:
Verses 22-23 - God has the right to show his anger and his power. But he has been very patient with the people who oppose him. He has delayed the time for judgment. He has given them more opportunity to repent. Because they do wicked things, they are preparing themselves for punishment.
But God is preparing for glory the people who have received his mercy. These people will see God’s glory. And they will share it themselves (Romans 8:17-18).
Verses 24-26 - Paul includes himself with the Jews to whom God has shown mercy. But Paul then says that Gentiles have become God’s children too.
Paul uses words from the prophet Hosea. These words show that God intended this to happen. Hosea had a wife who was not loyal to him. Hosea thought that he was not the father of his wife’s second and third children. So he named the second child Lo-ruhamah.
This name means that Hosea felt unable to show love to this child. Hosea named the third child Lo-ammi, which means ‘not my people’. These children were signs that Israel had not been loyal to God. But in the future, God would be able to call Israel ‘my people’. And at that time, God would show real love to them (Hosea 1:6, 8-9; 2:23).
Hosea was speaking about Israel in his time. Paul saw Hosea’s words as a prophecy. The Gentiles would also be people whom God loved. And Paul could see that this was starting to happen by means of his own work among the Gentiles.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission - © 2007, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info.

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Go-and-teach-all-nations - Romans 9:19-21

2009-01-07T02:28:00.000-09:00

Go-and-teach-all-nations

Romans 9:19-21

The Creator’s plans – Part 1
v19 Someone may say, ‘God should not still blame us. Nobody can oppose what God wants to do.’
v20 I shall reply to such a person: you are a mere man. You have no right to accuse God. Scripture says,
‘AN OBJECT THAT SOMEONE HAS MADE CANNOT SAY TO ITS MAKER, “YOU SHOULD NOT MAKE ME LIKE THIS.” ’
v21 The potter has the right to make different kinds of pot. Some pots are for noble purposes. Other pots are for unclean use. But the potter makes both kinds of pot from the same lump of clay.
Comment:
Verse 19 - Paul imagines a person who is complaining about God. That person argues that God should not blame people. Paul will now show that such an opinion is seriously wrong.
Verse 20 - Paul reminds people that God is the Creator. People exist because God created them. It would be very wrong for a person to accuse his Creator. Paul is not talking about people who are sincere. They ask questions because they want to know the truth. Paul is talking about people who do not want to obey God. They try to find an excuse to oppose God’s authority.
Verse 21 - Paul uses an example from the work of a potter. Isaiah had used the idea of clay and a potter. A clay pot cannot pretend that the potter has no skill. In fact, the pot is evidence of the potter’s skill (Isaiah 29:16; 45:9).
Paul uses a similar idea. He says that the potter has the right to make different kinds of pot. Some pots may be beautiful. Other pots may be ordinary. Still other pots are for unclean use. So God has the right to deal with people as he chooses. God does not have to explain to people what he does. People should respect God. His decisions are always right. His judgments are perfect.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission - © 2007, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info.

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Go-and-teach-all-nations - Romans 9:14-18

2009-01-06T02:35:00.000-09:00

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God’s right to act as he wishes

Romans 9:14-18

Evidence from the Old Testament; Israel’s Rejection and God’s justice
v14 We certainly cannot say that God is unfair.
v15 He said to Moses,
‘I WILL CHOOSE THE PEOPLE WHO WILL RECEIVE MY MERCY.
AND I WILL CHOOSE WHOM I WILL PITY.’
v16 So our relationship to God does not depend on what we want. And it does not depend on what we do. It depends on God’s mercy.
v17 In scripture, the Lord says to Pharaoh (the ruler of Egypt), ‘I HAD A SPECIAL REASON WHY I MADE YOU KING. I USED YOU TO SHOW MY POWER. I WANTED PEOPLE EVERYWHERE IN THE WORLD TO KNOW MY NAME.’
v18 So God does what he wants to do. He shows mercy to anyone whom he chooses. But he makes a person unwilling to change when he wants to.
Comment:
Verses 14-16 - God does not choose a person merely because of that person’s ancestors. And God does not choose someone because of that person’s deeds. But Paul emphasizes that God is not unfair. He is righteous and he is perfect. Paul uses words from scripture to show that God cannot be unfair. God told Moses that he is kind to people. He acts with mercy and love when he deals with people (Exodus 33:19). He does not deal with them as they deserve. He shows his love to them as he chooses.
Verses 17-18 - The Israelites used to be slaves in Egypt. The Pharaoh (ruler of Egypt) refused continuously to let the Israelites go. God sent Moses as a prophet to Pharaoh, to tell Pharaoh to free the Israelites. But still Pharaoh refused. He was unwilling to change his decision. We often say that such a person has a hard heart. So Pharaoh made his heart hard against Moses and the Israelites. So in the end, God let his heart stay hard. In verse 17, Paul refers to Exodus 9:16. God used the situation with Pharaoh for his (God’s) own purposes. God himself overcame Pharaoh’s strong army. And so God freed his people. And people across the entire region heard what God had done.
The Bible contains many passages that warn people not to have the same attitudes as that Pharaoh. Isaiah knew that the hearts of unbelievers would become hard (Isaiah 6:9-10). And Jesus used Isaiah’s words when the Jews refused to believe in him (John 12:39-40). But God is not unfair if he makes a person’s heart hard. The result of sin is God’s judgment.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission - © 2007, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info.

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Go-and-teach-all-nations - Romans 9:6-13

2009-01-05T04:47:00.000-09:00

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Romans 9:6-13

God’s sovereign choice; Israel rejection and God’s purpose
v6 Of course, God’s word has not failed. Not all the people who came from the family of Israel really belong to Israel.
v7 Not all the descendants of Abraham are his true children. But the scripture says, ‘IT IS BY MEANS OF ISAAC THAT YOU WILL HAVE DESCENDANTS.’
v8 In other words, someone does not become a child of God by natural means. Only the children that God promised became the descendants.
v9 These are the words of God’s promise, ‘I WILL COME BACK AT THE RIGHT TIME, AND SARAH WILL HAVE A SON.’
v10 And that is not all. Rebecca’s children had the same father, our ancestor Isaac.
v11 God spoke to Rebecca before her two sons were born. God spoke to her before the two sons did anything good or bad. God showed his purpose and his choice. He decided what would happen.
v12 It was not because of anything that the two sons did. It was because God chose it. So God told Rebecca, ‘THE OLDER SON WILL SERVE THE YOUNGER SON.’
v13 It is even as the scripture said, ‘I LOVED JACOB, BUT I DID NOT CARE FOR ESAU.’
Comment:
Verses 6-9 - Although they had all these special blessings, many Jews did not accept God’s son. But Paul knows that God’s plan for his people could not fail. Paul uses two examples from the Old Testament to explain this.
The Jews (or Israelites) were the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. God made a covenant with Abraham. But not all of Abraham’s descendants are Jews. That is because the covenant has a relationship with God’s promise. Abraham had several sons. But Isaac was the only son that God promised to Abraham.
God’s promise has a relationship with the work of God’s Spirit. Isaac was not born in a natural way. Sarah (Isaac’s mother) was too old to have children. So the real descendants of Abraham are people who receive God’s promise by means of his Spirit. And a person only becomes a child of God when that person receives God’s promise by means of his Spirit (verse 8).
So, not everyone who has Jacob (Israel) as his ancestor is a true Israelite. A physical descendant of Abraham might not be a real Jew in the spiritual sense. Those who believe God’s promises are Abraham’s real descendants. Paul had explained this in chapter 4:13-16. God promised to give to Abraham a son, Isaac. Abraham had a son already, Ishmael, who was born to a slave called Hagar. But it was by means of Isaac that God would give Abraham descendants. Paul mentions the promise that Abraham’s wife Sarah would have a son. This promise is in Genesis 18:10.
Verses 10-13 - Paul gives a second example of God’s choice. Isaac’s wife Rebecca gave birth to two babies at the same time, Jacob and Esau. Before they were born, God said that the older son would serve the younger son. Esau was born first, but God chose Jacob. His choice made no reference to their character. God made his choice before their birth. He chose before they could act in good or bad ways. Esau’s descendants were called the Edomites (or Edom). Jacob’s descendants were called Israel. The Edomites did serve Israel at times in their history (for example, 2 Samuel 8:13-14). However, the words from Malachi 1:1-3 which refer to Israel and Esau emphasize God’s choice. The original words ‘I hated Esau’ mean ‘I did not choose Esau’.
These events show that Jacob did not earn the benefit of the covenant. Jacob received the benefit because of God’s grace (kindness). Paul often emphasizes that nobody can earn salvation by their own efforts. And he repeats this principle in verse 12.
Our salvation depends completely on God’s kindness. It is a free gift.
We can only accept or refuse that gift.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission - © 2007, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info.

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Go-and-teach-all-nations - Romans 9:4-5

2009-01-04T04:19:00.000-09:00

Go-and-teach-all-nations

Romans 9:4-5

God’s blessings for the Jews – Part 2
v4 God adopted my brother and sister Israelites as his sons and daughters. God gave to them glory. They received the covenants. They received the gift of the law, the worship in the temple and the promises.
v5 Abraham, Isaac and Jacob belong to them. Christ was born into their family. And Christ is God over all. He should receive honor always. Amen.
Comment:
Verses 4-5 - Paul makes a list of the special ways that God has shown his kindness to the Jews.
1. God had adopted them as his sons. ‘Israel is my first born son’ (Exodus 4:22). ‘Out of Egypt I have called my son’ (Hosea 11:1).
2. The glory was the evidence that God was present with his people. The name for it is the ‘Shekinah’. It descended on the tent that the Israelites used for worship in the desert (Exodus 40:34). Also it descended on the temple that Solomon built (1 Kings 8:10-11). In the most holy place in the temple, God’s glory was over the ark. That was the special box that contained the commandments.
3. The main covenant that Paul refers to is the covenant with Abraham. God made a covenant with Abraham that Abraham would have a son and many descendants (Genesis 17:4-19). God would give them the country called Israel. And God would show his kindness to all nations by means of Abraham and his descendant.
However, Paul does not just mention one covenant. So perhaps he also means the other agreements that God gave to the Jews.
When God gave the Law (at the mountain called Sinai), he made an agreement with Moses and the Israelites (Exodus 24:8).
God promised to King David that God would establish his royal family (Psalm 89:34-37).
4. The Law. God had told his people how to obey him.
5. The worship in the temple. The book of Leviticus gives all the rules for the priests and for the ceremonies. When Paul wrote to the Romans, the Jews were still using the temple to offer sacrifices to God.
6. The promises. God promised to Abraham that by one of his descendants, God would show kindness to all the families on earth (Genesis 12:3). God promised a king who would belong to the family of David. An example is in Isaiah 9:6-7.
7. In the original language, Paul simply writes ‘the fathers’. He means Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Jacob’s 12 sons were the ancestors of the 12 tribes. (That is, the 12 large families which became the Israelites.)
8. Christ was born as a Jew (Matthew 1:1).
The last words of verse 5 are words to praise God. But there is no mark to separate words in the Greek manuscript. So it is not clear whether ‘God over all things’ refers to God the Father or to Christ.
In the New Testament, people usually praise God rather than praise Jesus. Usually Paul calls Jesus ‘God’s son’ and not ‘God’.
But Paul thinks about Jesus as God. Paul calls Jesus ‘Lord’ and he speaks about Jesus’ part in creation (Colossians 1:16-17).
Jesus is ‘our Lord in life and in death’ (Romans 14:9).
So Jesus Christ is ‘God over all things’. Honor is due to him.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission - © 2007, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info.

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Go-and-teach-all-nations - Romans 9:1-3

2009-01-01T03:23:00.000-09:00

Go-and-teach-all-nations

Romans 9:1-3

God’s blessings for the Jews – Part 1
v1 I speak the truth in Christ. I am not lying. The Holy Spirit guides my conscience. The Spirit agrees that I am telling the truth.
v2 I am very sad. The great pain in my spirit never ends.
v3 I am sad because of my relatives. I mean the people from my own nation called Israel. I would be willing to do anything to save them. I would even be willing to suffer God’s punishment or to separate myself from Christ.
Comment:
Verse 1 - Paul wants his readers to understand that he is sincere. So he makes three statements that will persuade them. He is speaking the truth because Christ is with him. He is not lying. We cannot always trust the human conscience. But Paul has the Holy Spirit as a witness. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth.
Verses 2-3 - Paul is so sad when he thinks about his relatives, the Jews. They have not accepted their Messiah. He may remember what Moses prayed.
In Moses’ time, the Israelites sinned when they worshipped a gold calf (a model of a young cow or bull). Moses thought that God might not forgive the Israelites. Moses asked God to punish him instead. He asked God to ‘remove his name from the book of life’ (Exodus 32:32).
Paul, like Moses, would ‘suffer God’s punishment’. This is a translation from the Greek word ‘anathema’. It means something that a person would destroy completely in order to hand it over to God. If possible, Paul would be willing to suffer this punishment so that the Jews could receive God’s salvation.
This statement shows how deeply Paul wanted the Jews to trust Christ. It shows how eagerly Paul was praying for them. Paul loved them so much that he did not even care about himself. Instead, he appealed to God on their behalf.
But Paul realized that nothing could separate him from God’s love (Romans 8:38). And Paul knew that the Jews had to trust Christ in order to receive God’s salvation. This is the answer that God gave to Moses: ‘I will remove from my book the name of the person who has sinned against me’ (Exodus 32:33).
Our prayers are powerful. But they do not change the principles of how God acts. His mercy is great. But he will only save people when they put their trust in him.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission - © 2007, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info.

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God’s plan for Jews and Gentiles - Romans 9 to 11

2008-12-31T04:47:00.000-09:00

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Romans 9 to 11

God’s plan for Jews and Gentiles
In these chapters, Paul explains God’s future plans for the Jews (in other words, the Israelites). God had prepared the Jews during their history, but most Jews had refused to accept their Messiah. Because Paul was a Jew too, he felt great pain in his spirit. His own people had not accepted their Savior. Paul was an apostle to the Gentiles. So he explains how God’s plan for the Jews agreed with his plan for the Gentiles too.
Chapter 12 can follow chapters 1-8 easily.
So chapters 9-11 may seem like an interruption. But they should not interrupt Paul’s thought. Paul had explained the gospel in chapters 1-8.
Now he discusses why his own people, the Jews, did not accept the salvation of the gospel. Also, Paul may have wanted to explain the situation in Rome.
There were now many Gentile Christians in Rome. Jewish and Gentile Christians may have had wrong ideas about each other’s importance to God. Paul needed to write about this.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission - © 2007, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info.

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Go-and-teach-all-nations - Romans 8:37-39

2008-12-30T03:10:00.000-09:00

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The Holy Spirit and God’s children

Romans 8:37-39

God’s eternal love; neither death nor life can separate us from His love
v37 But in all these troubles, we shall overcome. We shall do so by means of God who loved us.
v38 I am completely sure that nothing can separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life can separate us from God’s love. Neither angels nor rulers can do so. Neither the present age nor the age to come can do so. No powers can do so.
v39 Neither height nor depth can separate us from God’s love. Nothing whatever can do so. God has shown us his love by means of Christ Jesus our Lord.
Comment:
Verse 37 - Even while we are suffering, we shall not be without hope. And that hope will not disappoint us. God is on our side. Nobody can successfully oppose us (verse 31). And so we shall overcome. We shall win a great victory. We shall win by the power of God who loved us.
Verses 38-39 - Paul thinks about everything that might try to separate us from God’s love. But nothing will be able to do that. While we are alive, Christ is with us. If we die, we will be nearer to Christ in heaven. So neither death nor life can separate us from God’s love.
Then Paul thinks about spirits. And he thinks about powerful rulers. Their power and authority is immense. But even they are unable to separate us from God’s love.
Then Paul tries to describe things that we can hardly imagine. He refers to the entire period of history. He refers to the future age and the new world that God will create. Then Paul thinks about vast measurements of height and depth that seem to have no end. Perhaps he is thinking about the distance between heaven and hell. Perhaps he is thinking about the battle between the spiritual forces that rule heaven and hell.
It is difficult for us even to think about such things. But Paul is confident that God’s love is more powerful than anything else. There is nothing anywhere in time or space that can separate God’s children from their Father. God loves us and he has shown us that love by means of Jesus Christ. When Jesus died for us, God showed us his love (John 3:16). He did this because he wanted to adopt us as his sons and daughters. He did not want sin to control us. He wanted to forgive us. He wanted to make us righteous. He is our Father God, who really loves his children.
And Jesus Christ is our Lord because we want to obey him. Jesus is God. So Jesus loves us as much as God the Father does.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission - © 2007, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info.

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Go-and-teach-all-nations - Romans 8:31-36

2008-12-29T06:13:00.000-09:00

Go-and-teach-all-nations

The Holy Spirit and God’s children

Romans 8:31-36

Nothing can separate us from Christ’s love
v31 This then is what we shall say. God is on our side so nobody can successfully oppose us.
v32 God did not keep back (rescue) his own son. But he gave him up on behalf of us all. So surely God will freely give us all things, with Christ.
v33 Nobody will accuse God’s special people. It is God who makes us righteous.
v34 Nobody can declare that we are guilty. Christ Jesus died. But God raised him to life. Now he is by God’s right hand. He too is praying on behalf of us.
v35 Nothing can separate us from Christ’s love. Trouble cannot, neither can hard times. Nor can attacks from those who oppose our faith. Hunger or lack of clothing cannot separate us from Christ’s love. Danger or war cannot.
v36 The scripture says:
‘BECAUSE OF YOU, PEOPLE ARE KILLING US ALL DAY LONG.
THEY CONSIDERED US AS SHEEP THAT THEY KILL.’
Comment:
Verses 31-32 - God did not save (rescue) his son, Jesus. God’s love is so great. He gave his only son to die on the cross. This was the greatest gift that people could ever receive. So God will certainly give us everything else that we need.
Verses 33-34 - Paul thinks about a court of law. The Christian has to appear there in front of a judge. God is the judge. He has said already that the Christian is not guilty. So nobody can accuse Christians when God is on their side.
Christians also have someone to speak on their behalf, like a lawyer in court. It is Christ. Paul uses an early form of creed. He says that Christ died. Christ rose again to life. Christ is now by God’s ‘right hand’. God’s ‘right hand’ means the place of greatest honor and authority. There Christ is speaking on behalf of his people.
So Christians have the Holy Spirit to speak for them on earth (Romans 8:26). They also have Christ to speak for them in heaven. He speaks to God the Father. ‘If anybody sins, we have someone who speaks for us to the Father. Jesus Christ, who is righteous, speaks for us’ (1 John 2:1).
Verse 35 - Paul says, ‘Nothing can separate us from Christ’s love.’ He gives a list of 7 possible troubles. People might think that such troubles could end our relationship with Christ.
But Paul is sure that they cannot do so. In fact, Paul had known many of these troubles himself (2 Corinthians 11:23-27). The word ‘war’ is a translation of the word ‘sword’. Paul may mean something else.
People may kill Christians because of their faith. But even this will not separate them from God’s love.
Verse 36 - Paul reminds his readers that God’s people suffered in the past. He uses words from Psalm 44:22. These words describe how the people in Israel were suffering. They were suffering because they were loyal to God. They appealed to God to help them.
Like them, we may suffer terrible troubles in this world. But like them, we shall overcome because God loves us. Nothing can separate us from Christ’s love.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission - © 2007, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info.

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Go-and-teach-all-nations - Romans 8:28-30

2008-12-28T11:48:00.000-09:00

Go-and-teach-all-nations

The Holy Spirit and God’s children

Romans 8:28-30

God made a plan for people who trust in Christ; He would adopt them as his children and they would become Christ’s brothers and sisters
v28 We know this. In all things, God works to help those people who love him. They are the people whom God chose because of his plan.
v29 God decided long ago about the people whom he knew. He decided that they would become like his son. Then Christ would be the first among many brothers and sisters.
v30 God had made his decision about them long ago. So he called them. He called them, and he made them righteous. He made them righteous, and he gave them glory.
Comment:
Verse 28 - ‘We know’ means that Christians already have had this experience. God is already working in our lives. We have suffered pain and disappointment. People have opposed us. Our troubles have been great. But even at the worst times, God was working for our benefit. He was helping us. He looked after us when nobody else cared. He is our Father, who loves us.
And God promises to continue to look after the people who love him. So we should not be afraid of future problems. And we should not be angry when unpleasant things happen. Instead, we should trust him. He has a plan. He chose to adopt us as his sons and daughters. He is looking after us during our present troubles. And so he will bring us into his new age, when we shall be free from all these troubles.
Verse 29 - Paul speaks about the people whom God already knew. They are God’s special people. God loves them. He has a plan for their lives.
In the Old Testament, God chose the people from Israel to be his special people (Amos 3:2). God looked after them in the desert (Hosea 13:5). He gave them many benefits (Romans 9:4-5). And he still cares about them today (Romans 11:1).
But God also has a plan to benefit people from every nation. Because of his love, God made this plan before the world began. He decided to save people. He would help them to be holy. He would do this by means of Christ his son (2 Timothy 1:9; 1 Peter 1:20). Christ shows us the glory of God (2 Corinthians 4:4). Christ was the beginning of creation (Colossians 1:15). By his resurrection, Christ is the beginning of a new creation. God made a plan for people who trust in Christ. God would adopt them as his children. They would become Christ’s brothers and sisters. He would make them righteous. And they would share his glory. That is how they would become like Christ (1 John 3:2).
Verse 30 - It was God’s purpose since the beginning of the world to call people to himself. He has made them righteous. The glory for Christians is in the future. But Paul speaks as if they have already received that glory from God. God decided this before the world began. So Paul is certain. God will do everything that he has promised to do. ‘When Christ appears, you will appear with him in glory’ (Colossians 3:4).
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission - © 2007, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info.

Go-and-teach-all-nations

The Government of the Promised Son

2008-12-25T09:43:00.000-09:00

The Government of the Promised Son

Isaiah 9:6-7

For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of His government and peace
There will be no end…

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Go-and-teach-all-nations - Romans 8:26-27

2008-12-24T04:56:00.000-09:00

Go-and-teach-all-nations

The Holy Spirit and God’s children

Romans 8:26-27

The Holy Spirit and prayer; God will answer the prayer of the Spirit on behalf of us
v26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us because we are weak. We do not know how we ought to pray. But the Spirit himself acts on our behalf. He prays with cries of pain that words cannot express.
v27 God, who knows our hearts, knows the mind of the Spirit. The Spirit prays on behalf of God’s people, even as God wants him to pray.
Comment:
Verses 26-27 - We do not know how to pray in our present situation. We do not know what is best for other people or for ourselves. But we have the Holy Spirit to help us.
Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit would be our advocate (someone who speaks to support another person). The Greek word is ‘paracletos’ (John 14:16).
That is, the Holy Spirit will speak on our behalf. The Spirit knows about our pain and he knows about the pain in the world. He knows what God wants.
So the Spirit prays on behalf of us. God knows our thoughts and the mind of the Spirit.
So God will answer the prayer of the Spirit on behalf of us.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission - © 2007, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info.

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Go-and-teach-all-nations - Romans 8:23-25

2008-12-23T09:47:00.000-09:00

Go-and-teach-all-nations

The Holy Spirit and God’s children

Romans 8:23-25

Living in the time between pain and glory
v23 That is not all. We ourselves already have the Holy Spirit as a promise of future blessing. But we are crying inside as we wait eagerly for God to adopt us completely as his children. Then he will free our bodies as he raises them to a new life.
v24 God saved us because we had this hope. This would not be hope if we had already received these things. Nobody hopes for what he has already.
v25 But we hope for what we do not have already. So we wait for it patiently.
Comment:
Verse 23 - Paul has described how the world seems to cry in pain. It is waiting for the new age when God’s children will have complete freedom. And God’s children (the real Christians) also cry inside, because they also desire that time.
Now our bodies suffer pain. But then pain and death will end (Revelation 21:4).
Now our relationship with God seems distant. But then we shall see his face (1 Corinthians 13:12). Now our lives are not perfect. But then everything will be perfect.
The word ‘promise’ means that the Holy Spirit is like the ‘first fruit’ of the harvest. The first fruit is the beginning of the harvest. It is like a promise that the full (complete) harvest will follow.
So Christians have received the Holy Spirit. He brings joy in the present and a promise of blessing in the future. But we share the pain of the world that God made.
We want to be free from the weakness of our physical bodies. We desire to be free from our human nature, which still sins.
God has adopted us as his children already (Romans 8:16). But we are eager for the time when God will change our human bodies.
He will change them to be like Christ’s glorious body (Philippians 3:21).
Verses 24-25 - We can be confident about God’s plans for the future.
We live in the time between pain and glory. God will do what he has promised to do.
We know this. So we wait eagerly and patiently at the same time.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission - © 2007, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info.

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Go-and-teach-all-nations - Romans 8:18-22

2008-12-22T04:31:00.000-09:00

Go-and-teach-all-nations

The Holy Spirit and God’s children

Romans 8:18-22

The hope of glory that God will show us
v18 We suffer now. But our present troubles seem very slight when we think about the glory. In the future, God will show us that glory.
v19 Everything that God created waits eagerly for that time. Then God will show who his children are.
v20 The world that God created suffered defeat. This was not the fault of the world itself. But God allowed this because there was a future hope.
v21 God promised that he would rescue the world. God would free the world so it would not become bad. He would free the world so that it can share in the wonderful freedom of God’s children.
v22 We know how deeply everything suffers. Everything that God created is crying in pain right up to now. It is in pain like the pain of a mother who is giving birth to a child.
Comment:
Verse 18 - Paul could speak about troubles and pain from his own experience. People had opposed him and punished him. Those people hated Paul because he spoke God’s message. Paul had suffered physical difficulties like cold and hunger as he traveled on land and sea. He also seems to speak about a physical problem that was a painful nuisance to him. But he was sure that he would suffer for only a short time. Glory would last always. Present pain is very slight when we compare it with the splendid life of heaven.
Verses 19-22 - When people sinned, the world itself suffered. The world lost its original purpose. And everything in the world suffered because of human sin. People had sinned. But often they knew that they were doing wrong deeds. Nature had no choice. Plants and animals also suffer illness and death. We know how human sin spoils God’s earth. For example, when people cut down trees for selfish reasons, they make the land bare. Then animals that live in forests cannot continue to live there. And the crops that grow there are often weaker than the old trees. So that place becomes poorer because people were selfish. However, God promised that he would free his world. Then the world could share the freedom of God’s children (that is, the real Christians). The Jews were expecting a new age when the Messiah would rule. The prophets spoke about this time.
Nations would be at peace with each other. People would make tools for war into tools for farmers (Micah 4:3-4).
The land would produce plentiful fruit (Joel 3:18; Amos 9:13).
Even among animals, natural enemies would not attack each other (Isaiah 11:6-9).
Until God changes his world, the world will cry in pain. It is like a woman who gives birth to a child in pain. Or, it is like someone who waits (verse 19). It is waiting for the new age to begin. That age will begin when Jesus returns as king. When he returns, everybody will see his glory. And real Christians will share his glory. They are the children whom God adopted. And the world will have peace at last.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission - © 2007, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info.

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Go-and-teach-all-nations - Romans 8:12-17

2008-12-21T02:39:00.000-09:00

Go-and-teach-all-nations

The Holy Spirit and God’s children

Romans 8:12-17

The Holy Spirit is the witness in us that we have become God’s children
v12 Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have a duty. But this is not a duty to our human nature. So we do not live in order to please our own desires.
v13 If you live to please your own desires, you will soon die. Instead, live by means of the Spirit. It is as if your body’s natural behavior must die. Then, you will really be alive.
v14 Those whom the Spirit of God leads are God’s children.
v15 You did not receive a spirit that controls your life, like a slave. Such a spirit would make you afraid again. But you received the Holy Spirit, who makes you God’s child. By the Spirit, we call God ‘Abba’ (‘Dad’), Father.
v16 The Spirit joins with our spirit to declare that we are God’s children.
v17 Now, the children in a family will receive their father’s wealth. And we are God’s children. So we shall share all the wonderful things that God provides for us. We shall share these things with Christ. We suffer together with him. So we shall also share his glory.
Comment:
Verses 12-13 - Christians must end all the wrong behavior that belonged to their past life. In Galatians 5:24, Paul wrote about this matter again. People who belong to Christ should end all sinful behavior. They should act as if their human nature died on the cross. And all the desires and emotions of the human nature have ended too. When people do this, the Spirit of God gives new life to them. They will know the real freedom that God gives. And so they will really know what it means to be alive.
Verses 14-17 - Paul speaks about the difference between a slave and a son. He describes someone who adopts a child. At the time when Paul wrote, a person might choose to adopt a child. That child would continue that person’s name. And that child would receive that person’s property. There was a serious ceremony in Roman law that handed over the child to his new father. The ceremony had to happen in front of witnesses. The former life of the child did not still exist. He began a completely new life. He had the same rights as children by birth. He would receive his new father’s property.
Our old life, which the sinful nature controlled, has gone. We have begun a new life. We are the sons and daughters whom God has adopted. The Holy Spirit is the witness in us that we have become God’s children. We can call God ‘Abba’. ‘Abba’ is the word for ‘father’ in the language called Aramaic. This word shows the family love between father and child. Children in Jewish families still use it today. Jesus used the word himself (Mark 14:36). It showed the close relationship between Jesus and his Father, God. Jesus taught his disciples to think about God as Father when they prayed. (Luke 11:2). Paul added the Greek word for ‘father’ for Romans who did not know the word in the Aramaic language.
Christians receive similar benefits to children whom someone has adopted. Christians have the promise of God’s property, because he is their new Father. They will share the glory of God’s own son, Jesus Christ. Christ suffered before he received his glory.
So Christians must expect to suffer too. But they have the promise of future glory. And that is a wonderful promise.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission - © 2007, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info.

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Go-and-teach-all-nations - Romans 8:9-11

2008-12-18T06:48:00.000-09:00

Go-and-teach-all-nations

The Holy Spirit and God’s children

Romans 8:9-11

Two kinds of life; Part two; a life that the Holy Spirit controls
v9 But your natural desires do not control you. The Holy Spirit controls you if the Spirit of God lives in you. But anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to Christ.
v10 Christ lives in you. It is as if your body is dead because of sin. But your spirit is alive, because Christ has made you righteous.
v11 God’s Spirit lives in you. This is the same Spirit that raised Jesus from death. In the end, your bodies will die. But the Spirit, who rose Christ Jesus from death, will also bring life to your bodies. This will happen because the Spirit lives in you.
Comment:
Paul contrasts two kinds of life in these verses.
• a normal life without the power of the Holy Spirit. Someone who lives such a life cannot please God. Instead, that person lives by their own thoughts and desires. And such a life will be sinful, because sin controls that person’s mind. Death is the result of such a life.
• a life that the Holy Spirit controls. This is the kind of life that a real Christian should have. God’s Spirit guides that person’s thoughts and desires. So that person pleases God. And the results of that person’s life are good.
Verses 9-10 - Real Christians do not need to worry about their human nature. God has sent the Holy Spirit to live in their lives. It is as if their human nature is not still alive. Instead, their spirits are now alive. And God’s Holy Spirit guides and directs their lives.
Verse 11 - In the end, the human body will die. But the death of the body will not be important, because the spirit will remain alive. God raised Jesus from death. Those who share Christ’s life by the Holy Spirit will rise again too. They will have a new body that will never die again. Paul explains this in 1 Corinthians chapter 15.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission - © 2007, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info.

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Go-and-teach-all-nations - Romans 8:5-8

2008-12-17T15:07:00.000-09:00

Go-and-teach-all-nations

The Holy Spirit and God’s children

Romans 8:5-8

Two kinds of life - Part one: a normal life without the power of the Holy Spirit
v5 Some people live under the control of their human nature. Their natural desires control their minds. Other people live under the control of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit guides their minds.
v6 The result of our natural thoughts and desires is death. But the result of the thoughts that come from the Spirit is life and peace.
v7 Our natural thoughts and desires oppose God. Such thoughts do not obey God’s law. In fact, such thoughts are not even able to obey God’s law.
v8 Nobody who lives by their natural desires can ever please God.
Comment:
Paul contrasts two kinds of life in these verses.
• a normal life without the power of the Holy Spirit. Someone who lives such a life cannot please God. Instead, that person lives by their own thoughts and desires. And such a life will be sinful, because sin controls that person’s mind. Death is the result of such a life.
• a life that the Holy Spirit controls. This is the kind of life that a real Christian should have. God’s Spirit guides that person’s thoughts and desires. So that person pleases God. And the results of that person’s life are good.
In verses 5-8, Paul speaks in a general manner. In verses 9-11, he speaks directly to the Christians in Rome when he says ‘you’. But these words are also true for every Christian.
Paul uses three different names for the Holy Spirit. These are: the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ and the Spirit of God. But Paul is not describing three different Spirits. The Holy Spirit comes from God the Father and God the Son. So the Holy Spirit is also the Spirit of Christ and the Spirit of God. And the Holy Spirit works in the life of the real Christian.
Verse 5 - Paul contrasts two opposite situations. Human nature causes sinful behavior. But life in the Holy Spirit pleases God.
Paul shows this difference very clearly in Galatians 5:19-21. He sets out many kinds of behavior that people follow because of human nature. But everything in that list is sinful. And such things cause pain or trouble. Because of human nature, people may desire power, entertainment or possessions. And they do evil acts in order to gain these things. But then, in Galatians 5:22-23, Paul sets out a very different list. This is the list of the results of the Holy Spirit’s work in a believer’s life. Everything in this second list is good. And everything there helps other people. This is because the Holy Spirit works to achieve good things for other people by the believer’s life.
Verses 6-8 - The results are different. Death is the result of sin. Life and peace come from the Holy Spirit. A person will have the gift of eternal life. He will be at peace with God. He will be at peace with other people. He will be at peace in himself, because he is not still afraid of death. He can now obey God. So he is no longer God’s enemy. These good things happen because that person is not still trying to please himself. Instead, the Holy Spirit guides that person’s mind. So that person’s natural thoughts and desires seem unimportant.
A person can live in such a manner as soon as that person invites God into his life. The Holy Spirit is God’s gift to every believer. And the Holy Spirit gives to the believer the power to live in a manner that pleases God.
Of course, this does not mean that Christians have perfect lives. They do not. The devil continues to use their natural thoughts and desires in order to test them. Such thoughts and desires cause sinful acts. So these thoughts and desires cannot please God. But Christians learn to depend on the Holy Spirit. This can be a slow process. They may make many mistakes. But Christians learn that God is now controlling their lives. God will provide the things that they need.
People begin the Christian life by trust in God. Then they should continue their Christian life in the same manner.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission - © 2007, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info.

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Go-and-teach-all-nations - Romans 8:3-4

2008-12-16T16:15:00.000-09:00

Go-and-teach-all-nations

The Holy Spirit and God’s children

Romans 8:3-4

The Holy Spirit gives to Christians the power to live a holy life
v3 The written law had no power, because our human nature made it weak. But God did what the law could not do. He sent his own son to be like people who have a sinful nature. God sent Jesus to be a sacrifice for sin. And so God judged sin in Christ’s human nature.
v4 Now we can obey all that the law sets out in order to make us righteous. We do not live by our natural desires now. The Holy Spirit rules our lives instead.
Comment:
Verse 3 - The written law showed people the nature of sin. But it could not free people from sin, because nobody can become righteous by their own efforts. But God’s grace was more powerful than sin was. And God had a plan to rescue people from the power of sin.
God sent his son to live in a human body. Jesus had a real human nature that could be tired, hungry and thirsty. (‘Thirsty’ means that he was sometimes desperate to drink.) Paul says, ‘like’ sinful human nature. Paul knew that Christ never sinned. Christ obeyed his Father completely. Then, on the cross, Christ offered himself for human sin. So, as a perfect sacrifice, he removed the punishment for human sin. We can receive the benefit of his death. God will forgive us and he will make us righteous. But first, we need to accept what God did by Jesus. God did this because of his great love for people (John 3:16).
Verse 4 - We could not become righteous by our own efforts. And we could not obey God’s written law by our own efforts. But God has changed our situation. Now we can be free from guilty feelings and from the fear of punishment.
The Holy Spirit will guide a Christian. He will give to Christians the power to live a holy life. ‘Live by the Spirit. Then you will not do the sinful things that you want to do because of your human nature’ (Galatians 5:16).
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission - © 2007, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info

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Go-and-teach-all-nations - Romans 8:1-2

2008-12-15T04:06:00.000-09:00

Go-and-teach-all-nations

The Holy Spirit and God’s children

Romans 8:1-2

Freedom from sinful nature
v1 Therefore the people who belong to Christ Jesus are not still guilty.
v2 Because of what Jesus Christ has done, the law of his Holy Spirit has given me life. He has freed me from the law of sin that brings death.
Comment:
Verse 1 -Paul has explained how powerful sin is. People might want to please God. And they might try to obey his law. But human nature is too weak to oppose the power of --sin.
God’s law explains how he wants people to live. But - sin seems like another law, which opposes God’s law. So people feel as if they are struggling against sin. And their efforts to do the right thing seem hopeless.
But the wonderful news is that God frees people from the power of sin. And he frees them completely. He forgives their sin. He makes them righteous. He does these things because of his grace. And he does these things for everyone who belongs to Christ Jesus. They are not guilty now. They have become God’s special, holy people (Ephesians 2:1-9).
Verse 2 - Sin is like a law that controls people. Nobody could avoid its power. And sin caused the most terrible troubles. People have to obey sin, but the only result of these efforts is death (Romans 6:23).
But God made another law that would free people from the law of sin. Paul does not mean the written law, which told people the nature of sin. He is writing about a new law, which tells people how to live in order to please God.
Jeremiah wrote about such a law (Jeremiah 31:33-34). It would not be like the written law. It would be in people’s hearts and minds. It would show them how to know God and to love God. It would give them a right relationship with God. And God would forgive their sins.
This new relationship with God was possible because of the death of Jesus. After Jesus’ death, God sent the Holy Spirit. And the Spirit lives in us, if we are real Christians (John 14:16-17).
It is the Holy Spirit that gives life. It is the Holy Spirit who makes people able to breathe and so to live (Genesis 2:7). It is the Holy Spirit who gives spiritual life to Christians (Galatians 5:16). And it is the Holy Spirit who raises dead bodies to life (verse 11).
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission - © 2007, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info.

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Go-and-teach-all-nations - Romans 7:23-25

2008-12-14T07:59:00.000-09:00

Go-and-teach-all-nations

Freedom from Law

Romans 7:23-25

Paul’s struggle against sin – part two
v23 But I see another law that works in the parts of my body. This other law fights against the law of my mind. It makes me a prisoner of the law of sin. The law of sin controls the parts of my body.
v24 I am a very miserable person. I ask who will rescue me from this sin. It brings death to my body.
v25 But I give thanks to God. He rescues me by means of Jesus Christ our Lord.
So in my mind, I am a slave to God’s law. But in my human nature, I am a slave to the law of sin.
Comment:
Verse 23 - Paul uses another military description. A law was fighting a war against his mind. The law of his human nature was making him a prisoner of the law of sin. He struggled to obey his conscience. He knew what was right. But he could not do right things. His cry in verse 24 is a cry of despair.
Verse 24 - Paul is grateful that he can win the victory over his sinful human nature because of Jesus Christ. Paul will explain in chapter 8 how the Holy Spirit can give to Christians the power to live a holy life.
Verse 25 - Some people who have translated the Bible want to change the order of the verses. They think that the second part of verse 25 should be before the cry of verse 24. They say that it is in the wrong place after Paul’s words in verse 24. But there is no manuscript evidence for this. In verse 25 Paul emphasizes again his moral struggle, which he described in verses 14-24. And the words lead naturally to Romans 8:1, which begins with the word ‘Therefore’.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission - © 2007, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info.

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Go-and-teach-all-nations - Romans 7:14-22

2008-12-11T07:53:00.000-09:00

Go-and-teach-all-nations

Freedom from Law

Romans 7:14-22

Paul's struggle against sin – part one
v14 We know that the law is spiritual. But I am not spiritual. It is as if sin has bought me as a slave.
v15 I do not understand what I do. I do not do what I want to do. Instead, I do what I hate.
v16 I am doing things that I do not want to do. So I have to agree that the law is good.
v17 I do not still control my own actions. Instead, sin, which lives in me, controls me.
v18 I know that nothing good lives in me. I mean that there is nothing good in my human nature. I want to do what is good. But I cannot.
v19 I do not do the good things that I want to do. I continue to do the wicked things that I do not want to do.
v20 I do the things that I do not want to do. I do not choose to do such things. Instead, sin, which lives in me, controls me.
v21 So I discover that this law (principle) is operating in my life. When I want to do good things, evil desires are there with me.
v22 In my spirit, my delight is in God’s law.
Comment:
Verses 14-25 - Paul had used ‘I’ and ‘me’ in verses 7-13. He spoke there about the past. In verses 14-25, he speaks in the present tense. It is clear that he is describing his own struggles with sin. Most people have had such an experience. So Paul speaks for everyone, not just for himself.
There are two opinions about when this struggle took place:
1. Maybe Paul was writing about his experiences before he became a Christian. At that time, Paul wanted to please God. So Paul tried to obey God’s law. Paul was very sincere. But he discovered that he was unable to obey God’s law completely. Paul did not want to sin. But sin controlled his human nature. So Paul was even doing things that he knew to be wrong (verses 18-20).
This was a terrible struggle for Paul. Paul loved God’s law (verse 22). But Paul could not obey it. So he made himself rules in his mind (verse 23). But he could not even obey those rules because the control (law) of sin was too powerful for him.
So Paul felt miserable and desperate. He needed someone to rescue him from sin (verse 24). At last, he realized that he could not save himself by his own efforts. And that is when Christ changed his life (verse 25; Acts 9:1-22; Galatians 1:11-17).
2. Or maybe Paul was writing as a Christian. He said that he loved the law (verse 22). Someone who does not believe probably would not say this. But a Christian is not ‘a slave to sin’ (verse 25; Romans 6:17-18). And a Christian should not say, ‘nothing good lives in me’ (verse 18). In fact, God’s Holy Spirit lives in a Christian (1 Corinthians 6:19). However, many people still believe that Paul was writing here about his struggles as a Christian. Paul wondered how he could show his love for God in actions. The Christian life is not easy. There is a struggle against sin. Paul says in Philippians (3:12-14) that he is not perfect. He is like someone who is running a race. He has to try very hard to reach the goal. Paul urges Timothy to ‘fight’ for his faith. If this opinion is correct, Paul’s cry in verse 24 was not a cry of despair. His cry expresses his great desire to be free from his weak human nature. He wants to become more holy.
So perhaps Paul was writing about the time when he was a Pharisee. (The Pharisees were a group of Jews who tried to obey all of God’s laws. Paul belonged to this group before he became a Christian.) Or perhaps he was writing as a Christian who was struggling to live a holy life. But he shows clearly that human knowledge is not enough. We can know what is wrong. We may decide to do what is right. But our power to carry out our decision is weak. Peter said that he would never deny Christ. But he failed soon afterwards.
We cannot live in a manner that pleases God by our own efforts. Paul emphasized this in Galatians 3:3. We can only become Christians by the power of God’s Holy Spirit. And after we have become Christians, we can only please God by the power of his Holy Spirit.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission - © 2007, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info.

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Go-and-teach-all-nations - Romans 7:7-13

2008-12-10T08:41:00.000-09:00

Go-and-teach-all-nations

Freedom from Law

Romans 7:7-13

The law is good; it shows what sin is
v7 We certainly cannot say that the law is sin. But I would not have known about sin unless the law had told me. For example, without the law I would not know that it is wrong to desire someone else’s possessions. But the law said, ‘You must not want other people’s possessions.’
v8 Because of this commandment, sin caused all kinds of wrong desires in me. Nobody can fail to obey a law that does not exist.
v9 At that time, I was living without knowledge of the law. But then I discovered about the law. And sin began to control my life. And then my own life ended.
v10 The commandment ought to bring life. Instead, I discovered that it brought death.
v11 When sin had an opportunity by the commandment, sin cheated me. The result was death.
v12 So the law is holy. The commandment is holy, righteous and good.
v13 This certainly does not mean that something good caused death. But people have to recognise what sin really is. Sin produced death in me because of the law, which is good. So by the commandment, the very wicked nature of sin became clear.
Comment:
Verses 7-8 and Verses 1-6 do not mean that the law is sinful. Paul says that such an idea is certainly not correct. The law showed us what sin is. Paul chose the last of the 10 commandments as an example. It is easy to think that an action may be wrong. It is more difficult to realize that our thoughts can be sinful. To want other people’s possessions is a sin. Paul would not know this until the law told him (Exodus 20:17). So the law is good. It shows what sin is. But our human nature seems to want things just because God forbids them. St. Augustine said that he and some of his friends stole some fruit. He did not even want to eat them. He knew that it was wrong. And that was the only reason why he stole them.
Verses 9-11 - Paul discovered that sin cheats us. This is what we think: ‘I shall be happy when I have more things. I want things that I cannot have.’ But these things cannot satisfy us. We think that we can avoid the punishment for our sin. But such things do not make our lives better. Instead, they bring death. Paul uses a military description. The word for ‘opportunity’ also means the place where soldiers begin an attack. Sin used the commandment as a place from which to attack people.
Verses 12-13 - The law is holy because God gave it. And God is holy and perfect. So the law is righteous. God intended the law to help people. Paul says that the law is good. It is not responsible for death. It is sin that causes death. The law was good for people. But sin used it to cause death. That is what sin does. It turns something good into something wicked. For example, it can turn love into a wrong sex desire. Sin uses the law wrongly. This shows how terrible sin is.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission - © 2007, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info.

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Go-and-teach-all-nations - Romans 7:1-6

2008-12-09T07:51:00.000-09:00

Go-and-teach-all-nations

Freedom from Law

Romans 7:1-6

An example from marriage; we can serve God in the new way of the Holy Spirit; we do not serve in the old way of the written law now
v1 Christian brothers and sisters, I am speaking to people who know the law. You should know that the law has authority over a person. But it has authority over that person only while he lives.
v2 For example, a married woman belongs to her husband all the time that he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free from the law of marriage.
v3 So, while her husband lives, she must not marry another man. If she does, she is guilty of adultery. But if her husband dies, she is free from the marriage law. Afterwards, if she marries another man, she is not guilty of adultery.
v4 My brothers and sisters, when Christ died, you also died in relation to the law. This happened so that you may belong to Christ instead. God raised him from death. Now our lives can be useful to God.
v5 Our human nature used to control us. The law brought to our thoughts sinful desires that we carried out in our bodies. The result of our actions was death.
v6 The law used to control us. But now we are free. It is as if we died in relation to the law. So we can serve God in the new way of the Holy Spirit. We do not serve in the old way of the written law now.
Comment:
Verses 1-3 - Paul wanted to emphasize a Christian’s freedom from law. So he used an example from a law that the Christians in Rome knew well. A woman belongs to her husband while he is alive. If she marries another man during her husband’s life, she is guilty of the crime called adultery. But after her husband dies, she can marry another husband. The first husband’s death ends the control that the law had over that woman.
Verse 4 - Before we became real Christians, sin controlled our lives completely. A cruel husband acts as if his wife is a mere slave. And sin had a similar effect on us. We wanted the law to free us from sin. But the law was unable to achieve this. In other words, our best efforts to obey the law could not free us from sin. Instead, the law declared that we were guilty. And it declared that the punishment for our sin was death.But, because of God’s grace, Christ died for us. By baptism we take part in the death of Christ. So, like a woman whose husband has died, we are free from the law. Sin used to control us like a cruel husband. But death has ended that situation. And we have chosen to love Christ. Our relationship with him is also like marriage. But it is a good relationship. We want to belong to him. We want to serve him. And we shall live with him always.
Verses 5-6 - Because of our human nature, our desires were sinful. We wanted to do what the law forbids. So we did not obey the law. The result of this is death. But because we are now free from the law, we can serve God in a new way. The law told us that we must be loyal to God. So we obeyed the law because we were afraid of punishment. But now we belong to Christ. So we obey him because we want to. We obey Christ because we love him.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission - © 2007, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info

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Go-and-teach-all-nations - Romans 6:20-23

2008-12-08T03:08:00.000-09:00

Go-and-teach-all-nations

Freedom from sin

Romans 6:20-23

Two kinds of slave – Second kind; God’s slaves; AND THE RESULTS IS ETERNAL LIFE
v20 You used to be slaves to sin. At that time, righteousness did not matter to you.
v21 You did things then that now cause you to be ashamed. You did not receive any benefit from them. The result of these things is death.
v22 But now that Christ has freed you from sin, God has made you his slaves. The benefit that you receive causes you to live a holy life. And the result is eternal life.
v23 When you sin, the only result of your efforts is death. But eternal life is a free gift from God. And we receive it because of what Christ Jesus our Lord has done.
Comment:
Verses 20-22 - Sin does not really benefit anyone. It controls people. It ruins people’s lives. And it causes death. ‘Death’ is what Revelation (20:14; 21:8) calls the ‘second death’. This is the terrible punishment that is the result of sin. And it is permanent. But people do not have to suffer that punishment. Christ died so that we can be free from the power of sin. And we are free as soon as we invite him into our lives. Then, because Christ has freed us from sin, we can be God’s slaves. We can live a holy life on earth. And afterwards, we will live with God in heaven.
Verse 23 - A soldier received his pay because he had earned it. His wages were what he deserved. A slave also had to work hard. But he did not receive any wages. He worked because his master forced him to work. So a slave’s efforts achieved nothing good for the slave
Paul has explained that Christians used to be slaves to sin. In other words, sin was like a master. Sin controlled their lives. But they received no wages and no benefits for their efforts. Death was the only result of their efforts.
God’s grace is wonderful. He gives a free gift that nobody deserves. People receive this gift of eternal life by faith in what Jesus did. People receive this free gift when they invite Jesus into their lives. Nobody could earn their own salvation. Only Jesus could pay the price to free people from sin. And he did that when he died on the cross.
And so Christians are glad that Jesus is their Lord (in other words, their master).
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission - © 2007, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info

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Go-and-teach-all-nations - Romans 6:15-19

2008-12-07T04:00:00.000-09:00

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Freedom from sin

Romans 6:15-19

Two kinds of slave – First kind; slave to sin
v15 We certainly shall not sin just because the law no longer rules us. We certainly shall not sin because of God’s grace.
v16 You know this fact. When you give yourselves to obey someone, you become that person’s slaves. If sin controls your life, you will die. But if you obey God, you will become righteous.
v17 Thanks be to God! You used to be slaves to sin. But now you gladly obey what we taught you.
v18 God has freed you from sin. Now righteousness controls you.
v19 Because of your human weakness, I have written this in a way that you can understand. You used to offer parts of your body as slaves to a sinful life. You were becoming more and more wicked. But now give your bodies as slaves to a righteous life. Then you will become holy.
Comment:
Verse 15 - Paul repeats his thoughts from verse 1. Law no longer rules them. But to continue in sin is a terrible and stupid idea. If they have accepted God’s grace, they will try to obey him.
Verse 16 - People who choose to obey someone become that person’s slave. A slave must do everything that his master orders. A person who sins becomes sin’s slave (John 8:34). The result of sin will be spiritual death. Those who obey God will live in the right way. God has forgiven them. He has considered them to be righteous. Nobody can serve sin and serve God at the same time. ‘Nobody can serve two masters’ (Matthew 6:24).
Verse 17 - Paul praises God because of the Christians in Rome. They have accepted God’s promises and they have obeyed him. And, like other new Christians, they learnt how to please God. Since the beginning of the first church, the apostles taught that (Acts 2:42). And Paul too could write to the Christians in Thessalonica, ‘We taught you how to live in order to please God’ (1 Thessalonians 4:1). So Christians knew that they should not sin.
Verses 18-19 - God has freed them from sin. So they can become as slaves to a right manner of life. Paul is sorry to compare the life of a Christian to that of a slave. But he uses this language to help them. They are slow to understand. They need someone to remind them about the results of sin. It is like the effect when someone becomes a slave. That person has to learn how to obey his master. In the end, the master controls the slave completely. And if Christians begin to sin, they will soon become more and more wicked. It is easy to sin at first in small ways. But one sin follows another sin. And worse sins follow. However, if Christians obey God they will begin to live a holy life. And their lives will please God.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission - © 2007, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info.

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Go-and-teach-all-nations - Romans 6:8-14

2008-12-04T05:16:00.000-09:00

Go-and-teach-all-nations

Freedom from sin

Romans 6:8-14

Dead to sin, alive in Christ
v8 It was as if we died with Christ. So we believe also that we shall take part in his new life.
v9 We know this fact. Because Christ rose from death, he cannot die again. Death does not continue to have power over him.
v10 Because he died, sin has no power over him. Now that he lives, he lives to give honor to God.
v11 In the same way, consider that your old sinful nature is dead. Instead, live for God by faith in Christ Jesus.
v12 Therefore do not allow sin to control your behavior. Do not obey the wrong desires of your body, which will die.
v13 Do not use the parts of your body as tools to do evil deeds. Instead, give yourselves to God. You are people whom God has brought from death to life. Offer the parts of your body to him. He will use them as tools to do what is right.
v14 Sin shall not be your master. The law does not rule you now. God’s grace has made you free.
Comment:
Verses 8-10 - We believe that we shall have a part in Christ’s new life. We have a new kind of life in the present. We also have a part in his resurrection.
Christ was not like Lazarus, whom Christ brought back to life (John 11:1-44). Lazarus would die again in the end. Christ’s new life was a completely new kind of life. He died once only. He would never die again. He lives always in order to praise God the Father. Our resurrection will be like Christ’s resurrection. We too shall not die again. We shall live with Christ always in order to give honor to God.
Verse 11 - So a Christian should remember the meaning of his baptism. He died with Christ and rose again with Christ. So that Christian will have a new attitude to the way that he lives. ‘If anyone is in Christ, he is a completely new person’ (2 Corinthians 5:17).
Verses 12-14 - These verses show how Christians must behave in their new resurrection life. Their whole attitude to sin must change. Every part of the body can sin. With our eyes, we can look at wrong things. With our ears, we can listen to bad talk. Our mouth can say things that can hurt other people’s minds. Our hands can work in bad ways. Our feet can take us to places that we should avoid. We should not use our bodies as tools to serve sin. Instead, Christians should use their bodies to serve God. They should do what God wants. They should go where God wants them to go. Therefore sin should not be a Christian’s master. The law orders us to obey God. But God’s grace gives us the desire and power to obey him.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission - © 2007, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info

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Go-and-teach-all-nations - Romans 6:1-7

2008-12-03T02:51:00.000-09:00

Go-and-teach-all-nations

Freedom from sin’s power

Romans 6:1-7

God rescued us from the power of sin
v1 God’s grace increased because sin increased. But that is not a good excuse for anyone to continue to sin.
v2 Certainly not! Our lives changed completely when we became Christians. It was as if our relationship with sin died. So we must not now live as sinners.
v3 Remember what happened at your baptism. Our baptism united us with Christ Jesus. We were like him at his death.
v4 At baptism, our bodies became like his body while it was still in the grave. Then the Father’s glorious power raised Christ from death. And so now, we also have a new life.
v5 By means of our baptism we have been united with Christ in his death. So we shall certainly be united with him in his resurrection.
v6 People hammered nails into Jesus when they killed him on the cross. And we know that our former lives ended with him there. It was as if we died with him. This happened so that our sinful bodies would lose all their power. Therefore sin does not still control us.
v7 This is because a dead person is free from sin.
Comment:
Verses 1-2 - Paul has emphasized God’s grace. So some people were suggesting that they were giving God honor by continuous sin. They were providing God with the opportunity to show more of his grace. Paul opposed this idea very strongly. It was a terrible idea. It was a strange way to think.
We know that sin used to control our lives. But our sinful lives ended when we became Christians. God rescued us from the power of sin. Of course, Christians still do wrong things. But they should certainly not allow sin to control their lives again.
Verses 3-5 - Paul reminded them about the meaning of their baptism. People decided to turn away from their sins. Baptism followed (Acts 2:38). So by faith they began a new relationship with Christ. Because of this experience, we take part in his death and resurrection. Our old, sinful lives have ended. And we rise again to a new life where we live in order to serve Christ.
Verses 6-7 - Our ‘sinful bodies’ does not mean that the physical body itself is wicked. People called Gnostics thought this. But it is not true. ‘Sinful bodies’ means that sin controls our natural desires. Then our natural desires become sin. For example, it is natural for the body to need food. Sin can change our desire for food. We can want more food than we need. Perhaps we steal because we are greedy. And then other people suffer because we have taken their food away.
But now we are united to Christ by faith. So our old nature has ended. It is as if our old nature died on the cross with Christ (Galatians 2:20). Therefore sin has no power over us. Sin was like a master and we were his slaves. Christ has freed us to obey him.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission - © 2007, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info

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Go-and-teach-all-nations - Romans 5:20-21

2008-12-02T07:29:00.000-09:00

Go-and-teach-all-nations

Romans 5:20-21

God’s grace brings eternal life because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done
v20 The effect of the law was that sin increased. But where sin increased, God’s grace increased even more.
v21 Sin had authority, and the result was death. But now grace has authority. The grace of God makes people righteous. And the grace of God brings eternal life because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done.
Comment:
Verse 20 - When the people received God’s law, they knew about God’s standards. But few people even tried to live their lives by God’s standards. People knew what God wanted them to do. But most people preferred to continue their sinful lives.
So people’s sin increased. But God’s grace is greater than people’s sin. God had a wonderful plan to rescue people from the power of sin.
Verse 21 - God sent Jesus to die on the cross (John 3:16). God did this because of his great grace, in other words, his kindness. And that act was sufficient to make people righteous. It was more than enough to bring salvation to everyone who trusts him.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission - © 2007, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info

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Go-and-teach-all-nations - Romans 5:15-19

2008-12-01T04:09:00.000-09:00

Go-and-teach-all-nations

Romans 5:15-19

The difference between Adam and Christ; Many people became sinners because one man did not obey God. So, many will become righteous by the one man who obeyed God
v15 God’s gift is different from Adam’s sin. Many people died because of the sin of that one man. But God’s free gift is very different. He gave it by the grace of another man. That man is Jesus Christ. His grace will be more than sufficient for many people.
v16 The result of God’s gift is different from the result of Adam’s sin. Judgment followed that first sin. And the result was punishment. But God’s gift came after many sins and he made people righteous.
v17 One man sinned, and death had authority because of that sin. But God has provided a huge amount of grace. Those people who have accepted God’s gift have become righteous. By means of the one man, Jesus Christ, these people will rule in his kingdom.
v18 The result of one man’s sin was that everyone became guilty. So the result of one righteous act is that everyone can become righteous. And everyone can receive eternal life.
v19 Many people became sinners because one man did not obey God. So, many will become righteous by the one man who obeyed God.
Comment:
Verse 15 - Adam chose to do what he wanted to do. Christ’s gift came because he loves us. He did what God wanted. Many people died because of Adam’s sin. Many people received the gift of life because of Jesus.
Verse 16 - Adam’s one sin brought God’s judgment. Adam was guilty. Afterwards, people sinned very many times. But the death of Jesus was sufficient to make people righteous. He did not need to die many times (Hebrews 9:28). His death was the perfect sacrifice for sin.
Verse 17 - People suffer death because of the sin of one man, Adam. God’s huge supply of grace and his gift of righteousness come by means of one man, Jesus Christ. Those who accept God’s gift will rule with Jesus in his kingdom. In the end, God will defeat death (1 Corinthians 15:54-57).
Verse 18 - The result of Adam’s sin makes everyone guilty. The result of Christ’s righteous act is that everyone can become righteous. God offers righteousness to everyone who will invite him into their lives.
Verse 19 - Many people became sinners because Adam did not obey God. Many people became friends with God because Christ obeyed him.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission - © 2007, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info

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Go-and-teach-all-nations - Romans 5:12-14

2008-11-30T07:21:00.000-09:00

Go-and-teach-all-nations

Adam and Christ

Romans 5:12-14

Adam’s sin; the first of many sins
v12 Sin entered the world because one man sinned. And death came because of sin. Everyone sinned, so death came to all people.
v13 Before God gave the law, sin was in the world. But the record of sin depends on law.
v14 Death had authority from the time of Adam until the time of Moses. Death ruled even over people who did not sin in the same way as Adam. I shall now compare Adam with the Christ.
Comment:
Verses 12-14 - Adam sinned because he did not obey God’s command. There was one special tree in the garden. God told Adam that he must not eat from that one. If he did not obey this command, he would die (Genesis 2:17). So death was the result of his sin (Genesis 3:19).
All people sin. So death, both physical and spiritual, came to everyone. There are different ideas on how this happened:
1. Everyone sins because they behave like Adam. And he did not obey God.
2. Everyone has the same nature as Adam. So everyone has a tendency to sin.
3. The Hebrew name ‘Adam’ means ‘man’. Adam is more than just a person from the past. All people belong together. So everyone sins in Adam’s sin.
In chapter 3:9-23, Paul emphasized that everyone has sinned. So the result of Adam’s sin is that everyone is guilty.
In 5:17, Paul explains that Adam was just one man. And in 5:16, Paul showed that Adam’s sin was the first of many sins. Adam sinned the first time, and since then, everyone has continued to sin. So everyone is guilty.
There was sin in the world even before God gave the law to Moses. The law made people recognizes the nature of sin more clearly.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission - © 2007, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info

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Go-and-teach-all-nations - Romans 5:6-11

2008-11-27T06:54:00.000-09:00

Go-and-teach-all-nations

Romans 5:6-11

Christ in our place…while we were still sinners
v6 At the right time, Christ died on behalf of bad people. He died for us when we had no power of our own.
v7 It is very unusual for someone to die on behalf of a good person. Perhaps someone might even be willing to die on behalf of a good person.
v8 But this is how God has shown his love for us. Christ died for us while we were still sinners.
v9 The blood (death) of Jesus has made us righteous. So we are even more sure that Jesus will save us from God’s wrath.
v10 We used to be God’s enemies. But the death of his son has brought us back to God. So we can be much more sure that his resurrection life will save us.
v11 That is not all. We are joyful in God because of our Lord Jesus Christ. God has brought us back to himself by means of Jesus.
Comment:
Verses 6-8 - We know that God will never disappoint us. One writer says that God’s love is ‘like rain that pours onto dry ground’. We know God’s love in two ways:
b) God has proved his love by Christ’s death on the cross. When God gave his son, God was giving himself. He was giving his love to those who do not deserve it. ‘We had no power of our own.’ So we cannot rescue ourselves from sin. But God chose the right time to rescue us. God is very different from men. On a rare occasion, a person might be willing to die on behalf of a good person. But Christ died for bad people. We were sinners who could not earn our own salvation. So our salvation was entirely the result of God’s love.
Verses 9-10 - God considers us righteous because of Jesus’ death. So God has forgiven our sin. This means that we will not suffer punishment from God for our sin. Our salvation is complete. We have become God’s friends, although we used to be his enemies. This happened because of Jesus’ death. But God raised Jesus to live. And the result is that we too have a new life (Romans 6:4).
Verse 11 - In chapter 2:17, Paul spoke about some Jews who were boasting about their relationship to God. They were wrong to think only about themselves. Paul uses the same phrase here when he writes about our relationship with God. But here, he means that we can be joyful. Our joy is because of everything that God has done for us. He has made us his friends.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission - © 2007, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info

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Go-and-teach-all-nations - Romans 5:1-5

2008-11-26T04:35:00.000-09:00

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The blessings that we receive because of God’s grace

Romans 5:1-5

Peace and Joy by means of the Holy Spirit
v1 We are righteous because of our faith. So we are friends with God because of our Lord Jesus Christ.
v2 By Jesus, we receive God’s grace. And we remain in this grace. We are joyful, because we will have a part in God’s glory.
v3 And that is not all. We are joyful when we suffer. We know that our pain produces courage.
v4 Our courage to continue produces character. Character produces hope.
v5 And hope will never disappoint us. God has filled our hearts with his love. He did it by means of the Holy Spirit whom he has given to us.
Comment:
Paul shows the blessings that come to people. These blessings come to people after they have invited God into their lives. So they have trusted God. And God has made them righteous because of their faith. Paul says ‘we’. So he includes in these blessings himself and everyone who has faith.
Verse 1
1. Friendship with God. We used to be God’s enemies (James 4:4). But he has made us into his friends (Ephesians 2:13-19).
Verse 2
2. We receive God’s grace. For the word ‘receive’, Paul uses the word ‘prosagoge’, which means ‘introduction’. People use this word to introduce someone to a king. Jesus prepares the way for us to approach God the King. Then we can receive God’s grace. Paul uses the same idea in his letter to the Ephesians (2:18; 3:20).
‘We remain in this grace.’ This means that nothing can separate us from God’s love. (See Romans 8:38-39.) Human kings may sometimes be kind. But then they may stop their kindness to anyone who no longer pleases them. God’s love never changes.
3. A part in God’s glory. This promise gives great hope to Christians. People usually use the word ‘hope’ when they merely want something to happen. For example, people say, ‘I hope that it will rain.’ They want it to rain. But they are not sure that it will rain. Christian hope is different. God will do everything that he has promised to do. We can be sure about this. God created people to have a part in his glory (Isaiah 43:7). Sin has spoiled our glory. But we are sure that one day we shall see God in all his glory. Then God will change us, so that we can have a part in his glory (1 John 3:2).
Verses 3-4 -
4. Joy when we suffer. Paul does not mean the ordinary pains and troubles in life. He means when people suffer as Christians. This happens because other people oppose their faith. People may insult Christians and attack them. But we should be joyful even when we suffer. Of course, this does not mean that we want to suffer. But we are joyful for a different reason. This is the reason. We are sharing what Christ suffered. When we suffer it will help to prove our sincere faith. When Christ suffered, the result was glory. And when we suffer, the result will be glory too (Romans 8:17).
When a person suffers it can produce good qualities in his character. We know this from human experience. A person who is suffering may learn courage to continue his life as a Christian. The Greek word for ‘character’ (dokime) means that his troubles are like fire. Fire removes anything dirty from metal. Troubles test a person. It makes him a stronger and better Christian. Then his hope for the future will be stronger too.
Verses 5-8 - We know that God will never disappoint us. One writer says that God’s love is ‘like rain that pours onto dry ground’. We know God’s love; He has given us the Holy Spirit. The Spirit helps us to know that God loves us. His love will never give us up. It is like Paul’s words, ‘The Spirit joins with our spirit to declare that we are God’s children’ (Romans 8:16).
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission - © 2007, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info

Go-and-teach-all-nations

Go-and-teach-all-nations - Romans 4:17-25

2008-11-25T06:01:00.000-09:00

Go-and-teach-all-nations

Romans 4:17-25

The faith of Abraham - he trusted God’s promise…he was sure that God would carry it out
v17 As the scripture says, ‘I HAVE MADE YOU A FATHER OF MANY NATIONS.’ God considers Abraham to be our father. And Abraham believed God. Abraham’s God gives life to people who are dead. He also brings into life things that do not exist.
v18 There was no reason for hope. But Abraham had hope because he believed God. So he became the father of many nations, as God had promised. God had said, ‘YOUR CHILDREN WILL BE AS MANY AS THIS.’
v19 Abraham’s faith did not become weaker. He was much too old to have children. He was about 100 years old. His wife Sarah was also too old to have children.
v20 But he always believed in God’s promise. His faith became stronger. He gave honor to God.
v21 He was sure about God’s power. He believed God’s promise. And Abraham was confident that God was able to do these things.
v22 So GOD CONSIDERED ABRAHAM TO BE RIGHTEOUS.
v23 The words ‘considered to be righteous’ are not only for Abraham’s benefit.
v24 They are also for us. We believe in the God who raised Jesus our Lord from death. So God will consider us righteous too.
v25 He handed over Jesus to die because of our sins. God raised Jesus to life in order to make us righteous.
Comment:
Verse 17 - The change of Abram’s name was a sign that God had made a covenant with him. ‘Abraham’ means ‘father of many nations’ (Genesis 17:5). Abraham’s God can bring life to dead people. Here Paul is thinking especially about the promise of a son to Abraham. Abraham was so old that his body seemed ‘almost dead’ (Romans 4:19; Hebrews 11:11-12). But God is the powerful God who created the world from nothing. So it would be no problem for God to create many descendants for Abraham.
Verses 18-21 - From a human point of view, it was impossible for Abraham to have children. Both he and his wife Sarah were much too old. But Abraham believed in God’s power. He did not lose hope that God would carry out his promise. Instead, Abraham’s faith increased. He trusted God’s promise. He was sure that God would carry it out.
Verses 22-24 - It was not only Abraham whom God would consider righteous. We believe that God raised Jesus from death. So God considers us righteous too. Jesus becomes our Lord.
Verse 25 - The priests and Judas handed over Jesus to Pilate. The Romans then killed Jesus on a cross. These men thought that they had control over these events. But in fact, these events were part of God’s plan to ‘hand over’ Jesus. God ‘did not keep back (rescue) his own son, but he gave him up for us all’ (Romans 8:32). Jesus’ death was a sacrifice to cancel the effect of human sin. God accepted his sacrifice and raised him from death. So if we believe in the death and resurrection of Jesus, God considers us at peace with himself. He considers us as righteous.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission - © 2007, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info

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Go-and-teach-all-nations - Romans 4:13-16

2008-11-24T04:29:00.000-09:00

Go-and-teach-all-nations

Romans 4:13-16

God’s grace; the promise granted through faith
v13 God promised to Abraham and his descendants that they would receive the world as their possession. Abraham did not receive the promise because he obeyed the law. Instead, he received it because he was righteous. And he became righteous because of his faith in God.
v14 If God’s promise depended on the law, faith would have no value. And God’s promise would have no value.
v15 The law can only bring wrath. If there were no law, there could be no sin against the law.
v16 Therefore the promise comes from God’s grace. And people receive it by faith. So the descendants of Abraham will be certain to receive the things that God promised. The promise is not only to those people who have the law. It is also to all those people who have the same faith as Abraham. Abraham is the father of us all.
Comment:
Verse 13 - The Greek word for ‘promise’ means a promise that someone makes because of love. So there must be no demand to give a promise back. God promised to Abraham that by him (Abraham) all the people on earth would receive blessing (Genesis 12:3). God also promised that Abraham would have more descendants than stars in the sky. But God’s promises did not depend on law. God did not give the law until 430 years later (Galatians 3:17). Abraham accepted God’s promises by faith. That is, Abraham trusted God (Hebrews 11:8-12).
Verse 14 - One must not add to God’s promise what the law orders. This would cancel the promise. Nobody can obey the law perfectly. So if the promise depended on the law, God could not carry out his promises. Faith would no longer have any value.
Verse 15 - The result of law is punishment, because people do not obey the law. So people could not receive the benefit of God’s promise by means of the law. People must receive this benefit by faith. And they can only receive it because of God’s kindness (his grace).
Verse 16 - The promise comes from God’s grace. Abraham and his descendants can be sure about God’s gift. This is because they can accept it by faith. The promise is for anyone who has the same faith as Abraham. It is for Jews and for those who never had the law. So Abraham became the father of those with faith. Paul showed that the promise came true by means of Jesus Christ. By faith, people all over the world receive God’s love. He cares about them. The law would say that they are guilty. But people can become righteous by faith in God. God forgives them because of his great love.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission - © 2007, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info

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Go-and-teach-all-nations - Romans 4:9-12

2008-11-23T04:40:00.000-09:00

Go-and-teach-all-nations

Romans 4:9-12

Abraham is the father of all who have faith
v9 This happiness is not only for circumcised people. It is also for uncircumcised people. We have said that God accepted Abraham’s faith. And that is how God made Abraham righteous.
v10 God did not consider Abraham to be righteous only after Abraham was circumcised. No, God considered Abraham to be righteous even before Abraham was circumcised!
v11 Abraham received the sign of circumcision afterwards. It was the proof of the covenant that God had made with Abraham. His faith made him righteous while he was still uncircumcised. So Abraham is the spiritual father of everyone who believes God. Although they have not been circumcised, Abraham is their father. So God makes them righteous too.
Comment:
v12 He is also the spiritual father of the circumcised. But it is not enough if they are merely circumcised. They have to live by the same kind of faith that our father Abraham had. He had that faith before he was circumcised.
Verses 9-11 - Jews believed that a man needed circumcision. They did not consider anyone a real Jew without circumcision. A Gentile might believe the Jewish religion. But he could not be a proper member of the Jewish faith without circumcision. This matter caused a very serious argument in the first churches. Many Jewish Christians insisted that Gentiles had to be circumcised in order to become real Christians. Paul dealt with this problem in his letter to the Galatians. God considered Abraham righteous before he received circumcision. His genuine faith in God began 14 years before the sign of circumcision. Circumcision was the proof of the covenant that Abraham had already made with God (Genesis 15:6-21; 17:10).
Verses 11-12 - True descendants of Abraham are those who trust God in the same way as Abraham. Whether they are circumcised or not makes no difference. ‘In Christ, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision matters’ (Galatians 5:6). Abraham is the father of Gentiles who believe. He is also the father of Jews who believe. Circumcision separated Jews from other people. Faith unites Jews and Gentiles who trust in Christ.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission - © 2007, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info

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Go-and-teach-all-nations - Romans 4:4-8

2008-11-20T04:45:00.000-09:00

Go-and-teach-all-nations

Paul chose Abraham and David in order to show faith in the Old Testament

Romans 4:4-8

About David trust in God
v4 When a person works, he does not receive his pay as a gift. He receives it because he has earned it.
v5 But it is different when a person receives righteousness because of his faith. That person does not work in order to achieve that result. Instead, he simply believes God. And God makes someone who was not righteous, to be righteous.
v6 David says the same. He tells us how happy some people are. God makes these people righteous. They do not have to work to earn his righteousness. David says:
v7 ‘HAPPY ARE THOSE PEOPLE WHOSE WICKED DEEDS GOD FORGIVES.
HAPPY ARE THOSE PEOPLE WHOSE SINS GOD EXCUSES.
V8 HAPPY IS THE PERSON WHOM THE LORD NEVER ACCUSES OF SIN.’
Comment:
Verses 4-5 - A person who works receives wages. That person has earned those wages. But a person cannot earn a right relationship with God. Righteousness is a free gift from God. A person receives it because of faith. That person used to be a sinner. But, because of God’s great love, God has changed that person’s life.
Verses 6-8 - In Psalm 32, David describes the person who has real joy. This person knows that God has forgiven him. He has not obeyed God’s laws. He has failed to reach God’s standards. But then God made that person righteous.
Jesus told a story about a tax-collector (a man whose job was to collect taxes for the government) in Luke chapter 18. That tax-collector asked God for mercy (Luke 18:13-14). The tax-collector was humble and he was sincere. He put his trust in God. God does not accuse such a person because of his sins. Instead, God considers him righteous.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission - © 2007, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info

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Go-and-teach-all-nations - Romans 4:1-3

2008-11-19T03:30:00.000-09:00

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Paul chose Abraham and David in order to show faith in the Old Testament

Romans 4:1-3

God accepts Abraham’s faith
v1 We shall talk about our ancestor Abraham. He discovered how to be righteous.
v2 But he did not become righteous because of his works. If that were correct, Abraham could boast about it. But he could not boast in front of God.
v3 This is what the scriptures say: ‘ABRAHAM TRUSTED GOD. GOD ACCEPTED ABRAHAM’S FAITH. SO ABRAHAM RECEIVED RIGHTEOUSNESS BECAUSE OF HIS FAITH.’
Comment:
Verses 1-3 - Paul wanted to teach about faith. And he wanted to prove that his message about faith was not a new message. So he explained how the Old Testament taught the same message about faith.
Paul chose Abraham and David in order to show faith in the Old Testament. Abraham began the Jewish nation. David was the most famous king of the Jews. Paul wanted to show that they received righteousness because of faith, and not because of their good deeds.
Abraham was called the ‘friend of God’ (Isaiah 41:8). He was a righteous man (Isaiah 51:1-2). He might have been able to boast to other people. But he could not boast to God his Creator.
God did not accept Abraham because of his (Abraham’s) good works. God accepted Abraham because he (Abraham) believed God. In other words, Abraham had faith.
Abraham believed God’s promise that he would have a son. He would have more descendants than there are stars in the sky.
Abraham had faith that God would make this happen. He had faith although he was an old man.
His wife Sarah was old too. She was far beyond the age when women have children.
God accepted Abraham’s faith and God considered him righteous (Genesis 15:6).
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission - © 2007, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info

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Go-and-teach-all-nations - Romans 3:27-31

2008-11-18T04:35:00.000-09:00

Go-and-teach-all-nations

Romans 3:27-31

The results of God’s grace; faith makes the law stronger
v27 There is no reason for human pride. There is no reason whatever. God does not consider us righteous in order to reward our good works. No! The only thing that we need to do, is to have faith.
v28 So we say that God makes a person righteous by faith in Jesus Christ. And that person does not have to live by the law.
v29 God does not save only the Jews in this way. He is the God of the Gentiles too. Yes, he is the God of people from every nation. There is only one God.
v30 So God will establish again his friendship with both Jews and Gentiles. He will do this by the same faith.
v31 Well then, faith does not make the law of no use. Quite the opposite! Rather we make the law stronger.
Comment:
Verses 27-28 - Nobody can boast. Nobody deserves to be righteous. Nobody earns peace with God by means of that person’s own good actions. A person becomes righteous only when he accepts God’s gift by means of Jesus. Paul said that he would be proud of only one thing. Jesus had died on the cross for him (Galatians 6:14).
Verses 29-30 - Faith is the same for everyone. There is only one God. Jews said this every day in the words in Deuteronomy 6:4. ‘Listen, Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.’ Gentiles do not have a separate God. So Jews and Gentiles all have the same way of faith. ‘Without faith, it is impossible to please God’ (Hebrews 11:6).
Verse 31 - The law still has value. Paul imagines someone who would oppose him about faith. That person would say that Paul was telling people not to obey the law. But Paul was not saying that. Actually, Paul was teaching people that the law was very important. In fact, the law teaches us that we need faith. And we can only obey the law by means of faith.
‘The law’ can mean:
a) the law of Moses, which is in the first five books of the Old Testament. The purpose of the law was to show what sin is. So people will know that they need God. They must confess their sin to God, and they must trust him. Then God by means of Christ will forgive their sin. When a person knows this, he will want to obey the law. He will no longer obey because he is afraid of God’s punishment. Instead, that person will gladly obey because he loves God. So he is making the law stronger.
b) all the Old Testament. Jews sometimes meant this when they spoke about ‘the law’. It is faith that makes a person at peace with God. In chapter 4, Paul will talk about the faith of Abraham and David. So the law itself encourages faith.
But the real meaning of the law is how God wants people to live. He wants people to show love and kindness. He wants people to be fair. He wants people to have a humble attitude and to respect him. The rules in the Old Testament exist in order to teach people about this. But these rules are less important than the law itself (Micah 6:8; Psalm 51:16-17). And faith does not make the law weaker. Faith makes it possible for people to love God with their whole heart. Faith teaches people to live as God wants them to live. So faith makes the law stronger.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission - © 2007, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info

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Go-and-teach-all-nations - Romans 3:25-26

2008-11-17T02:37:00.000-09:00

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The only way to become righteous

Romans 3:25-26

God forgives those people who trust in Jesus; they have become righteous because of faith in Christ
v25-26 God gave Jesus as a sacrifice so that people would receive a right relationship with himself. Jesus achieved this by the gift of his life (in other words, when he died for us). And people receive a right relationship with God by faith in what Jesus did. So we see that God is righteous. He did not punish former sins because he is patient. This now proves that he is righteous. And also, that he makes righteous anyone who has faith in Jesus.
Comment:
Verses 25-26 - Paul uses three descriptions to explain what God has done by means of Jesus.
1. In a law court, a judge will free a person if he is not guilty. God is the judge of the whole world. All people are guilty in front of him. But Jesus showed how much God loves us. God forgives those people who trust in Jesus. They have become righteous because of faith in Christ. Faith is not a kind of work. It is to trust God because of what he has done by Jesus.
2. Someone could pay to free a slave. People are in the power of sin, as slaves were in the power of their masters. Jesus paid the price to set us free. He frees us from sin. So we can live as God wants. Jesus did this at the cost of his life. In other words, he died so that we can be free from sin (Mark 10:45).
3. People used to offer animals as sacrifices when they asked God to forgive their sins. The law told them to do this. But even at that time, people knew that the death of an animal was not sufficient to pay for their sin. (See Psalm 51:17; Micah 6:6-8.) So, sincere people realized that they needed to have a humble attitude. And they knew that they needed to trust God. They knew that God would provide the perfect sacrifice. And this happened when Jesus died (Hebrews 10:11-12).
God is holy but he also loves us. So he gave himself by means of Jesus to make people righteous. Our translation says, ‘the gift of his life’. In the original language, these words are: ‘the gift of his blood’. A person cannot live without blood. And one of the purposes of blood in the body is to remove anything impure (not pure).
So Jesus gave his life and he makes us free from our sins. God shows by means of Jesus that he is a perfect judge. He punishes sin. But he himself suffered that punishment. So he is a perfect Savior (Isaiah 45:21). Paul said that by means of Christ, God was ‘making the world at peace with himself’ (2 Corinthians 5:18).
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission - © 2007, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info

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Go-and-teach-all-nations - Romans 3:21-24

2008-11-16T02:52:00.000-09:00

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The only way to become righteous

Romans 3:21-24

Everyone who receives Jesus into their lives receives God’s gift of righteousness
v21 But now, God has provided a way for people to be righteous. This way does not depend on the law. But the scriptures, both the law and the prophets, show that this is true.
v22 God gives this righteousness to everyone who trusts in Jesus Christ. It is his gift to everyone who believes. There is no difference between Jews and Gentiles.
v23 Everyone has sinned. Nobody is good enough because God’s standards are perfect.
v24 But now, God makes people righteous by his free and generous gift. He frees people from sin by means of Christ Jesus.
Comment:
Verses 21-22 - ‘Now’ can mean: 1) the next part of Paul’s discussion, 2) the time at which Paul was writing, 3) the new age that had come with Jesus. The law and the prophets are the two main parts of the Jewish Old Testament. People wrote down the Old Testament centuries before Jesus was born. But they did not merely write their own ideas. The Holy Spirit guided them (1 Peter 1:10-11). The Holy Spirit showed them what Jesus would do (for example, Psalm 22 and Isaiah chapter 53). And Jesus’ death is the only way for people to become righteous. This was God’s plan. And everyone who receives Jesus into their lives receives God’s gift of righteousness.
People need God’s righteousness. And everybody needs it, because everybody has sinned. This is a more important matter than anything else in a person’s life. Jesus taught that righteousness is even more important than food and drink (Matthew 6:31-33). Moreover, it is impossible for anyone to earn righteousness. But God offers it as a free gift to everyone who trusts him.
Verses 23-24 - Sin is the greatest problem that people have. It is a problem that affects everyone, from every nation. It is a terrible problem, because sin ruins the relationship between people and God. Because of sin, people have lost their right to enter heaven. Sin is the reason why people suffer in this world. Sin controls the lives of everyone. It even controls the lives of the best people.
People have tried to free themselves from the power of sin. They have tried to do this in many different ways. But all their efforts have failed. Good works cannot free anyone from the power of sin. Moral behavior cannot free anyone from sin’s power. Even religion cannot succeed. People may be very sincere when they do such things. And it is better to be a good person than a bad person. But these methods still cannot make a person righteous. They cannot make a person perfect. And God’s standards are perfect. So even the best person’s efforts are hopeless.
But the wonderful news is that God himself is willing to free us from the power of sin. People have worked so hard to become righteous, and they have all failed. But God offers righteousness as a free gift.
Nobody deserves this righteousness. But Jesus died in order to suffer the punishment for sin. People simply need to trust him. They should confess their sins to God. And they should invite him into their lives. Then God will forgive them. In other words, he will make them righteous. Nobody could earn righteousness. But it is God’s free and generous gift. And he offers it to everyone, from every nation.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission - © 2007, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info

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Go-and-teach-all-nations - Romans 3:19-20

2008-11-13T04:51:00.000-09:00

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Everyone has sinned

Romans 3:19-20

Paul explains to the Jews and to the Gentiles that the law cannot make people righteous
v19 We know that the law has complete power. Its commands control everyone who lives by its rules. Nobody can argue against it. Everybody will suffer God’s judgment.
v20 And God will not declare anyone to be righteous because that person obeyed the law. Instead, the law proves that everyone has sinned.
Comment:
Verses 19-20 - Some Jews would think that these verses were only about wicked Gentiles. Gentiles did not have the law. But Paul explains that the law cannot make people righteous. That was not its purpose. The purpose of the law was to show the meaning of sin to people. The law proves that everyone is guilty. So the Jews could not become righteous by means of their Jewish ceremonies. And they had many such ceremonies, for example circumcision, the Sabbath, and the food laws. And nobody can become righteous by means of their own good works. Everybody has sinned. And sin controls everybody’s life.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission - © 2007, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info

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Go-and-teach-all-nations - Romans 3:10-18

2008-11-12T03:32:00.000-09:00

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Everyone has sinned

Romans 3:10-18

In these verses Paul emphasizes how wicked people can be - sin controls everybody
v10 The scripture says:
‘NOBODY IS RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE PERSON.
V11 NOBODY UNDERSTANDS. NOBODY LOOKS FOR GOD.
V12 THEY ARE LIKE TRAVELERS WHO HAVE WANDERED ONTO THE WRONG PATH.
TOGETHER, THEY HAVE BECOME EVIL.
NOBODY, NOT EVEN ONE PERSON, DOES ANYTHING GOOD.
V13 THEIR THROATS ARE LIKE OPEN GRAVES.
WITH THEIR TONGUES, THEY TELL LIES.
THE WORDS FROM THEIR LIPS ARE LIKE THE POISON FROM A SNAKE.
V14 THEY USE THEIR MOUTHS TO SPEAK ANGRY AND BAD WORDS.
V15 THEY ARE QUICK TO ATTACK AND THEY EVEN KILL OTHER PEOPLE.
V16 WHEREVER THEY GO, THEY CAUSE LOSS AND PAIN.
V17 THEY DO NOT KNOW HOW TO BE KIND.
V18 THEY DO NOT RESPECT GOD.’
Comment:
Verses 10-18 - Paul used verses from the Old Testament. These verses show how wicked people can be. He put the verses together in a way that Jewish teachers called ‘a string of precious stones’. Paul wanted to emphasize that sin controls everybody. So he repeated the word ‘all’. He also said ‘nobody’ and ‘not even one person’ more than once.
Verses 10-12 are from Ecclesiastes 7:20 and Psalm 14:1-3. These verses explain the nature of sin. Sin is the result of actions against God. Nobody tries to discover what God is like. Nobody cares about what God wants. Everyone has turned away from the right way to live. And that is why people sin.
Verses 13-14 - These verses describe the sins of speech. In other words, these verses show how people sin by their words. Such sins are the result when people use the throat, mouth, tongue and lips in the wrong way. Paul uses Psalms 5:9; 10:7 and 140:3. People tell lies. Their words are like poison that can destroy other people’s happiness and character. In his letter, James also compared the tongue with something poisonous (James 3:8).
Verses 15-17 - Evil actions are often the result of evil words (James 3:5-6). Isaiah 59:7-8 emphasizes how people are quick to attack and to hurt other people. They are even ready to kill them. They do not try to live at peace. They cause trouble and pain wherever they go. Injury may hurt one person first. But such behavior soon damages the rest of society too.
Verse 18 - Paul repeats his thought from verse 11. All sin is against God. Psalm 36:1 speaks about a man who has no fear of God. All sin comes from people’s lack of honor for God who created them.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission - © 2007, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info

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Go-and-teach-all-nations - Romans 3:9

2008-11-11T05:02:00.000-09:00

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Everyone has sinned

Romans 3:9

Everybody, both Jews and Gentiles - has sinned
v9 We certainly cannot argue that Jews are any better. We have already said that everybody, both Jews and Gentiles, is under the power of sin.
Comment:
Verse 9 - Paul said in verse 1 that Jews had advantages. Now he said that they were not better than Gentiles. They were better if they thought about their honor and responsibility. But they had no real advantage. They did not realize that God’s judgment was on them too. God would not show his kindness to one group of people more than to another. ‘Under the power of sin’ means this. Sin was like a master who had complete control over his slave. Everybody – both Jews and Gentiles – is like a slave because of the power of sin.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission - © 2007, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info

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Go-and-teach-all-nations - Romans 3:1-8

2008-11-10T08:35:00.000-09:00

Go-and-teach-all-nations

Romans 3:1-8

Some Jewish protests against Paul’s thoughts
v1 Someone might ask whether the Jews received any real advantage. Or, someone might ask whether circumcision provides any real benefit.
v2 But these are good things, for every reason. First, God has given his own message to the Jews.
v3 But some Jews did not believe. Their lack of faith will certainly not change God’s faithfulness.
v4 That could never happen. God is true, even if every man tells lies. The scripture said,
‘YOU ARE RIGHT WHEN YOU SPEAK.
YOU OVERCOME WHEN MEN ACCUSE YOU.’
v5 So our wicked deeds prove more clearly that God is good. But God is not unfair when he is angry with us. (I am using just human ways to speak.)
v6 We certainly cannot argue with that! If he were not fair, he could not judge the world.
v7 Someone might argue like this, ‘God is truthful. This becomes clearer when I tell a lie. So his glory actually increases. Therefore, it is unfair that he will judge me for my sin.
v8 We should do evil things, so that good things will happen.’ In fact, some people pretend that we are saying such things. But this is a lie. Such people will receive the punishment that they deserve.
Comment:
Verse 1 - Paul imagines that a Jew is protesting about Paul’s thoughts. If Paul’s thoughts were correct, then circumcision seemed unnecessary.
Verse 2 - Paul was proud that he was a Jew. So he answered that there were many advantages. He spoke first about the honor that God had given to the Jews. He had trusted the Jews with all his messages (Deuteronomy 4:8). God wanted to use the Jews in order to benefit the whole world (Genesis 12:2-3). God wanted the Jews to show the rest of the world what God is like. Paul mentioned some other advantages later in his letter (Romans 9:4-5).
Verse 3 - Some Jews did not obey the covenant. They did not remain loyal to God. But God always does everything that he promises to do.
Verse 4 - Paul emphasized that God’s promises are certain. God’s words are always true, even if every person tells lies. Paul refers to two passages from the Book of Psalms in this verse. Psalm 116:11 says, ‘All men tell lies.’ And in Psalm 51:4, David became aware of his sin. So he prayed to God, ‘You are right when you speak. You are right when you judge.’
Verses 5-6 - If people did not sin, they might not appreciate God’s goodness. So people might argue that even their evil deeds give honor to God. And they might argue that God is not fair to punish people for such deeds. This idea may seem clever, but it is wrong. People who say such things are foolish. They are speaking as if God is a mere man. But God is perfect. He is never unfair. Paul was sorry even to mention such an idea. If God is true to his nature, he must judge human sin. ‘The judge of the entire world shall do what is right’ (Genesis 18:25).
Verses 7-8 - Someone might argue like this. God ought to be grateful when people tell lies. Such lies show how truthful God is. The result is that his glory becomes even greater. So it would not be fair for God to describe these people as guilty. In fact, Paul’s enemies pretended that Paul taught such ideas. So Paul explained to the Christians in Rome that this report was untrue. Paul had many such enemies. But Paul did not need to prove what he was teaching. God knew the truth about Paul’s work. And that fact was enough to satisfy Paul. (2 Corinthians 11:30-31).
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission - © 2007, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info

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Go-and-teach-all-nations - Romans 2:25-29

2008-11-09T04:08:00.000-09:00

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The real Jew

Romans 2:25-29

The circumcision and the obedience to God’s Law
v25 Circumcision is a good thing if you obey the law. But if you do not obey the law, circumcision does not benefit you. In fact, you have become like an uncircumcised person.
v26 But suppose that uncircumcised people obey the law. God will accept them as if they were circumcised.
v27 Such people will accuse you. They are uncircumcised, but they obey the law. God has given you the written law and circumcision. But you still do not obey God’s law.
v28 A person is not a real Jew if he is only a Jew on the outside. Real circumcision is not just an outer physical act.
v29 A person is a real Jew if he is a Jew on the inside. Real circumcision is circumcision of the heart. It is by the Holy Spirit. It is not by the written law. A person who lives as a real Jew may not receive honor from other people. But God will praise that person.
Comment:
Verse 25 - Circumcision was the sign that God gave to Abraham. It showed the covenant between God and his nation (Genesis 17:9-10). Because of the covenant relationship, the Jews needed to obey God’s law. Paul reminded the church in Galatia about this. ‘Everyone who receives circumcision must obey the whole law’ (Galatians 5:3).
The Jewish teachers said that Gentile Christians needed to receive circumcision. The teachers said that this was God’s law. But really, they were not sincere. Their real aim was to control people by means of the laws and traditions of religion (Galatians 4:17; Galatians 5:1-2). But this is the opposite of the real Christian message. The Bible says that we must trust Christ alone. Our own efforts cannot save us from the punishment for our sins.
Verses 26-27 - Nobody ever had a good relationship with God because of circumcision. The act of circumcision does not free a person from sin. People who are not circumcised can serve God loyally. And many people who are circumcised refuse to obey God. The important question is whether a person obeys God.
Verses 28-29 - The prophets taught that real circumcision was not something physical. It meant a pure (sincere) heart. Moses told the Israelites to ‘circumcise their hearts’ (Deuteronomy 10:16). Jeremiah used the same words (Jeremiah 4:4). The Holy Spirit changes people’s lives. He gives them power to live in the right manner. The law cannot do this.
A ‘real Jew’ is anyone who obeys God. That person does not need to belong to the natural families of the Jewish people. And that person’s body does not need to be circumcised. But that person’s heart must be circumcised (see above). And so that person receives the benefit of the promises that God gave to Abraham. (Galatians 3:29).
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission - © 2007, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info

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Go-and-teach-all-nations - Romans 2:17-24

2008-11-06T05:23:00.000-09:00

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The real Jew

Romans 2:17-24

The Jews and the Law
v17 Suppose that you call yourself a Jew. You trust in the law. You boast about your relationship with God.
v18 You know what God wants. You approve of right behavior because the law teaches you.
v19 You are sure that you can guide people. Some people cannot see the right way to act. So you have decided to act as a light for people in darkness.
v20 You can teach those people who have no spiritual wisdom. You can teach those who are like mere babies in the Christian life. In the law, you have found the origin of true knowledge.
v21 You teach other people. But you ought to be teaching yourself. You preach that it is wrong to steal. But you steal.
v22 You say that husbands and wives must perform their marriage promises. But you are guilty of adultery. You say that you hate idols. But you rob temples.
v23 You boast about the law. But you do not obey it. When you behave in this evil way, you do not respect God.
v24 The scripture says, ‘The Gentiles say wicked things about the name of God because of you.’
Comment:
Verses 17-20 - When Gentiles became Christians, often they hardly knew anything about God. So they wanted people to teach them about the Bible. And there were many Jewish Christians who were pleased to teach them. Because these teachers were Jewish, they knew much about God’s law. For centuries, their families had followed the law. So these teachers felt well able to teach the Gentile Christians.
Verses 21-23 - However, there was a problem with many of these Jewish teachers in the churches. Paul often had to warn the churches about teachers who were not sincere (1 Timothy 1:3-7; 2 Corinthians 11:13-15; Acts 20:29-31). Some people were only teaching because they wanted to earn money. They seemed to have great knowledge of the Bible. But they themselves did not know God properly. They thought that they could teach the Gentile Christians about God. But in fact, the Gentile Christians already knew God better than these teachers did!
Perhaps these teachers were not actually guilty of the wrong deeds that Paul mentions. Paul is emphasizing their wrong attitudes, not their outer physical acts (verse 28). For example, they were teaching that it is wrong to steal. But they themselves only cared about money. And they did not even care whether they obtained that money in an honest way (Titus 1:11).
Paul writes here about people who ‘rob temples’. People used to give expensive gifts to the temples of false gods. And these gifts included images of the temple’s own god. Sometimes a person might steal an image for himself or herself. They wanted to keep that image, so they could worship that god at home. This was a well-known crime (Genesis 31:19; Acts 19:37). These Jewish teachers said that they hated idols. But they had the same attitudes as people who robbed temples. In public, these teachers were telling people how to serve God. But in private, these same teachers did not even care about God. See Titus 1:16.
Verse 24 - In Isaiah (52:5) and Ezekiel (36:22), God says that the nations insulted him. Enemies had defeated the Jews. So the nations wondered whether God had any power to protect his people. But these terrible things had happened because God’s people were not obeying God. Paul could see that the same things were happening again in the churches. Christians were appointing leaders and teachers who were not sincere. The results would be terrible. And people everywhere would insult God when they saw the behavior of those Christians.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission - © 2007, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info

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Go-and-teach-all-nations - Romans 2:12-16

2008-11-05T03:09:00.000-09:00

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Paul’s answers to those who judge other people

Romans 2:12-16

God will judge everyone, both Jews and Gentiles
v12 Some people who have sinned do not know the law. But their eternal punishment does not depend on law. Other people know the law but they still sin. God will judge them by the law.
v13 God does not consider as righteous people who merely listen to the law. He will only consider as righteous the people who obey the law.
v14 Gentiles do not have the law. Sometimes they do naturally what the law orders. So they have a law in themselves, although they do not have the law.
v15 Their hearts know what the law orders. Their consciences tell them what is right. Sometimes their thoughts blame them. At other times, their thoughts excuse their actions.
v16 And so, on the day of judgment, God will judge everyone’s secret life. God’s judgment will happen by Jesus. This is what my good news makes plain.
Comment:
Verses 12-13 - The Jews had the written law. So they knew about God’s standards. The Jews had the opportunity to listen to the law every Sabbath in the synagogue. But to hear the law was not enough. They must obey the law. ‘Obey my orders and laws. The man who obeys them will live by them’ (Leviticus 18:5). The Gentiles did not have the written law. But God is still their judge. Nobody can avoid God’s judgment.
Verses 14-15 - Verse 16 follows verse 13 naturally. But Paul interrupts the thoughts. He explains more about the knowledge that Gentiles do have. He says twice that the Gentiles do not have the law. But, they do know something about God’s standards. They have a conscience. This conscience is not as good as the written law. Sometimes the conscience shows a person about that person’s sin. But sometimes the conscience does not accuse that person, and the person does not feel guilty. However, the simple fact that the conscience exists shows the truth of God’s law. Because of conscience, people are aware that there is a difference between right and wrong behavior.
Verse 16 - God’s judgment will be fair because he knows every secret in a person’s life. He has a true knowledge about the facts. He also knows the reasons for an action. The writer of Psalm 139 wrote, ‘Lord, you have searched me and you know me. You see my thoughts . . . you are familiar with all my ways’ (Psalm 139:1-3).
God will judge by Jesus. Jesus himself said that the Father had given him authority to judge (John 5:27). In the story about the sheep and the goats, Jesus is the judge (Matthew 25:31-33). In Athens, Paul said that the resurrection proved this. Jesus is the judge whom God has appointed (Acts 17:30-31).
It is good news that Jesus is the judge. He knows what it is like to be a man. He will not punish those people who trust him. He has rescued them from sin by means of his death on the cross.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission - © 2007, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info

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Go-and-teach-all-nations - Romans 2:5-11

2008-11-04T04:35:00.000-09:00

Go-and-teach-all-nations

Paul’s answers to those who judge other people

Romans 2:5-11

God’s judgment is fair
v5 But you refuse to change. You are not sorry for your sins. So, you are storing up the experience of God’s wrath against yourself. The day of God’s wrath is coming. Then people will see that God’s judgment is fair.
v6 God will give to everyone what their actions deserve.
v7 Some people patiently continue to do what is right. They desire glory, honor, and life that never ends. And God will give them eternal life.
v8 But some people are selfish. They do not obey the truth. They follow evil ways. Such people will suffer God’s anger and wrath.
v9 There will be trouble and pain for everyone who does evil things. That will be first for the Jews, and then for the Gentiles.
v10 But there will be glory, honor and peace for everyone who does the right things. That will be first for the Jews, and then for the Gentiles.
v11 God does not prefer one person or nation to another. He judges everyone in the same way.
Comment:
Verse 5 - The Greek word for ‘store up’ usually means to store something precious. But those who will not change their ways are storing up something terrible. They will suffer because of God’s great anger. They will discover that God’s judgment is fair.
Verse 6 - Both parts of the Bible record the fact that God judges human actions. For example, in the Old Testament, see Psalm 62:12 and Jeremiah 17:10. In the New Testament there are examples in Matthew 16:27 and Revelation 20:12.
Paul is not saying that a person can earn eternal life by his good deeds. Only faith in Jesus will save that person. But after a person has trusted Jesus, that person will want to please him. So that person will do the right things, because of the faith that God has given to him. See James 2:17.
Verses 7-11 - Paul speaks about people who continue to practice their faith. He contrasts them with selfish people. Selfish people care only about themselves. He also contrasts what will happen to them. The good people will enjoy eternal life. They will have close relations with Jesus and the Father (John 17:3). People who continue to do wicked things will suffer God’s judgment. Jesus told a story about this. First, he spoke about a wise person. Such a person practices what Jesus taught. That person is like a man who built his house upon a rock. Even a terrible storm could not damage that house. But a foolish person does not practice what Jesus taught. That person is like a man who built on sand. And the storm destroyed that house (Matthew 7:24-27). A building without a proper base is weak. And a person’s life is weak, if that person does not trust Jesus. That person cannot avoid God’s judgment.
‘First for the Jews and then for the Gentiles’ shows that God makes no difference between them. Both Jews and Gentiles can know God’s salvation or God’s judgment. Peter’s vision and his visit to Cornelius taught Peter this truth. God accepts anyone ‘who respects him’. God accepts anyone ‘who does the right things’ (Acts 10:34-35).
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission - © 2007, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info

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