Romans–Passionate Christian Theology
“I will never be a big girl”, said a little toddler, disgusted at herself for not getting your cute pink overalls down in time to use the restroom without a mess. I helped her through her dilema, wiped her tears, helped her clean up and told her she will get better at this skill. She was trying to do it all by herself, being the little independent person that she was, but had to have help and a rescue.
God is our rescue, our help and the only One who can clean our messes and send us on our way to get better at living the life He intends for all of us. God is like that. God is good. God is merciful, loving, kind and full of grace. He sent His Son to save us. He sent His Holy Spirit to help us. There is no one like our God.
Romans 10, The Message
The CORE of our preaching
1-3 Believe me, friends, all I want for Israel is what’s best for Israel: salvation, nothing less. I want it with all my heart and pray to God for it all the time. I readily admit that the Jews are impressively energetic regarding God—but they are doing everything exactly backward. They don’t seem to realize that this comprehensive setting-things-right that is salvation is God’s business, and a most flourishing business it is. Right across the street they set up their own salvation shops and noisily hawk their wares. After all these years of refusing to really deal with God on his terms, insisting instead on making their own deals, they have nothing to show for it.
4-10 The earlier revelation was intended simply to get us ready for the Messiah, who then puts everything right for those who trust him to do it. Moses wrote that anyone who insists on using the law code to live right before God soon discovers it’s not so easy—every detail of life regulated by fine print! But trusting God to shape the right living in us is a different story—no precarious climb up to heaven to recruit the Messiah, no dangerous descent into hell to rescue the Messiah. So what exactly was Moses saying?
The word that saves is right here,
as near as the tongue in your mouth,
as close as the heart in your chest.
It’s the word of faith that welcomes God to go to work and set things right for us. This is the core of our preaching. Say the welcoming word to God—“Jesus is my Master”—embracing, body and soul, God’s work of doing in us what he did in raising Jesus from the dead. That’s it. You’re not “doing” anything; you’re simply calling out to God, trusting him to do it for you. That’s salvation. With your whole being you embrace God setting things right, and then you say it, right out loud: “God has set everything right between him and me!”
11-13 Scripture reassures us, “No one who trusts God like this—heart and soul—will ever regret it.” It’s exactly the same no matter what a person’s religious background may be: the same God for all of us, acting the same incredibly generous way to everyone who calls out for help. “Everyone who calls, ‘Help, God!’ gets help.”
Dear Heavenly Father, I admit I need Your help. I cannot do anything of value without You guiding and directing each step. Thank you for being in every detail of our lives and delighting in doing just that! We must be pretty special to You. The God of all Creation listens to our cries for help! There is no one like You, dear Lord, absolutely no one. Thank you for being our present help in time of trouble. Thank you for setting things right through Jesus Christ. In Jesus Name, Amen. I believe.
