God’s Peace

Posted on by korgrocker

“And now may God, who gives us his peace, be with you all. Amen.”
Romans 15:33 NLT

This verse, the last in Romans 15, is almost as though it’s Paul signing off from his long letter. He’s said all he wants to say and this is his “Yours sincerely” moment, or something similar but less formal. It’s the sort of statement that would be made by a minister at the end of a church meeting, before walking to the exit door to say his goodbyes. And it’s not unusual for Christians to say to someone on the way out of our home, “May God be with you”. On my business card I have included the verses from Numbers 6:24-26, “May the Lord bless you and protect you. May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord show you his favour and give you his peace.”

But two things emerge from this verse, Romans 15:33. Paul asked that God was with all his readers. Why would he say that because God is with all His followers. It is in fact a form of greeting with which he encourages the Roman believers. In those days of severe persecution, knowing that God was with them would have brought a smile to their faces. It would have reassured them that their trials were all worth going through because God was alive and well. Isaiah 41:13 was a verse with which the Jewish exiles were similarly encouraged. They too were going through a difficult time in a land where they didn’t want to be. We read, “For I hold you by your right hand— I, the Lord your God. And I say to you, ‘Don’t be afraid. I am here to help you”. Whatever situation we pilgrims are in just now, we too can be encouraged by the reminder that God is with us.

The second piece of encouragement from Paul was the reminder that God is the Source of our peace.  In John 14:27 we read Jesus’ words about peace. He said, “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid”. A Christian isn’t so much concerned about peace in its worldly sense. We might of course pray for peace, and particularly about the war in Ukraine. But the peace Jesus was referring to was something far more important and beneficial. It describes the peace we have with God because we are in a right relationship with Him. As our bodies, souls and spirits line up with God and His ways, we find that we are experiencing a precious gift from God. Jesus taught about it. Paul reminded the Roman believers about it, and we experience it too. In Philippians 4:6-7 Paul wrote about some practical help to those who are anxious and worried. He wrote, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus”. The remedy for the sickness of worry is firstly prayer, and then thankfulness, leading to “peace of mind and heart”. 

Just a few words at the end of Romans 15 would have had a profound impact on the readers of Paul’s long letter of teaching and encouragement. We too can read these words, perhaps at the end of a day, as we head into a night of restful slumber, secure in God’s peace.

Dear Father God. We thank You for Your real and precious presence with us. We praise and worship You today. Amen.

The Jewish Advantage

Posted on by korgrocker

“Then what’s the advantage of being a Jew? Is there any value in the ceremony of circumcision? Yes, there are great benefits! First of all, the Jews were entrusted with the whole revelation of God.”
Romans 3:1-2 NLT

Chapter Three of Romans starts with the question, “what’s the advantage of being a Jew? By now, the Jewish Christians must have been feeling totally demoralised, having had their religious rug pulled out from under their feet. They were bruised and battered, trying to develop a new paradigm for their faith, and perhaps feeling that nothing made sense any more. Having decided that they might just as well have never bothered to be circumcised (not that they would remember anything about it because it always happened by the time they were eight days old, and then only to the male child), Paul then told them that there were great benefits. I can hear them thinking that it’s about time he made his mind up. But what are the benefits of circumcision?

God made it clear in the Old Testament that there were two forms of circumcision. We know about the outward form, but, more importantly, there is an internal circumcision. We read in Deuteronomy 30:6, “The Lord your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live”. The New Living Translation replaces “circumcise your hearts” with “change your hearts”, perhaps making the meaning more understandable. Through the “ceremony of circumcision”the Jews were entrusted with something precious, the knowledge about God and what He required of human beings. Deuteronomy 30 sets out the positives of knowing God and following Him in obedience, and the negative result in not doing so. The “Jews were entrusted with the whole revelation of God” and they knew very clearly what that meant. Great benefits of course. But great responsibilities as well.

That’s the problem with knowledge – it comes with a responsibility. As an example, the discovery of penicillin would have been no good at all on its own. But the inventor shared his research with others and as a consequence, the way bacterial diseases were treated was transformed. God revealed Himself to His chosen people the Jews. Initially, that knowledge was to be applied to them as a nation, and the Old Testament is full of stories of the struggle they had in trying to adhere to what God required. That struggle would still be going on except for one fact – Jesus. God in His mercy sent His Son to establish a new Covenant between God and man. We pilgrims are very aware of that – I’m writing this on Christmas Eve and in my spirit I can feel a sense of excitement building up. Tomorrow we remember that day long ago when Jesus was born. Emmanuel, God with us. 

Just as the Jews “were entrusted with the whole revelation of God”, so too are we New Covenant pilgrims entrusted with the revelation of Jesus. With that knowledge comes the responsibility of sharing it with those around us. And the time could not be more appropriate. The Western society around us has lost its way spiritually. A quote from a newspaper this morning about the increasingly “woke” nature of our society. “In cultures which reject or forget metaphysical belief systems, the desire for belief does not disappear, but becomes ungrounded. You have beliefs, but you no longer know their shape and foundations“. We pilgrims have an opportunity and an obligation to put society’s feet back on the ground, the true “ground” of a belief in the one true God who has all the answers to man’s confusion. We have a mission to reconnect people who have lost their way with our wonderful Heavenly Father. And there is no better way than to introduce them to Jesus.

Dear Lord. Thank You for Your grace and mercy, for the love that has cut across all the world’s sin and wickedness with an offer too good to be true. But true it is. We pray for the opportunities to connect those in our families and communities with the one true God. In Jesus’ name. Amen.