The Wonder of Romans

It would be very difficult to choose my favorite book of the Bible. There is the poetic description of creation in Genesis, the miracles in Exodus, the rise and fall of rulers in the book of Judges, the prophecy of Isaiah, the lyrical prose of Psalms and we haven't even got to the four gospels or Revelation. But if I had to pick one book as my favorite, it would have to be Romans. Paul, the author of this book, in my opinion offers the best balance between explaining the theology of the gospel of Jesus Christ and then showing us how to live out this gospel in real life applications.

Since I'm more of a bottom-line kind of person I used to skim over the first part of the book of Romans to get to the what I thought was the meat of the book, the "How To" portion. I have come to realize that without a knowledge of true theology, it is impossible to understand the task at hand. Yet since I am most familiar with the second half of Romans that's what we are going to take a quick look at today.

God Has Made A Way

One of the many things I love about God is His attention to detail. No element is too small to play a part in His ultimate plan for our lives and His Kingdom. This is repeated in the Old Testament view of how we approached God in worship and the New Testament ordinance established with the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross.

Looking at the establishment of the Tabernacle we see a clear flow of worship that man must complete before approaching a Holy God. We see this from the very beginning of Creation when God first killed an animal so that Adam and Eve could have clothing. In this very first act of sacrifice, God demonstrated His willingness to insert Himself into our world, to meet our needs, and to offer a pathway for restoration to Himself.

God And The Plans Of Men

I just finished reading an riveting biography of President Richard Nixon by John A. Farrell. I found it to be refreshingly fair and objective, especially when dealing with such a historically polarizing figure. One of the many things that I learned was the role Nixon played in positioning the United States to help rescue Israel during the Yom Kippur War.

The back story is, like most events involving Nixon, complicated. President Nixon was up-to-his-neck with the Watergate crisis (of his own making) as well as having to deal with the surprise resignation of his Vice-President. He was also, by his own account, drinking heavily to combat the stress. The Soviet Union, sensing blood in the water, picked this moment in history to galvanize nine Arab states, including Egypt and Syria, and instructed them to invade Israel, who would most likely stand alone in the defense of their country. The Soviets were attempting to exert their influence throughout the Middle East and was the chief supplier of munitions to all the major players in that area, except for the nation of Israel. The goal of the Soviet Union was the spread of Communism throughout the world and only one thing stood in their way in the Middle East, Israel.

Three Dog Night Sings "Out In The Country" (1970)