Paul’s Epistle to the Romans
May 30, 2021
Opening Prayer
Psalm 119
129 Your testimonies are wonderful;
therefore my soul keeps them.
130 The unfolding of your words gives light;
it imparts understanding to the simple.
131 I open my mouth and pant,
because I long for your commandments.
132 Turn to me and be gracious to me,
as is your way with those who love your name.
133 Keep steady my steps according to your promise,
and let no iniquity get dominion over me.
134 Redeem me from man's oppression,
that I may keep your precepts.
135 Make your face shine upon your servant,
and teach me your statutes.
136 My eyes shed streams of tears,
because people do not keep your law.
Prolegomena
June 6, 13, 20 – Pr. Dave Zachrich will teach on the Psalm
of the day.
These will be Psalm 130, Psalm 1, and Psalm 124.
I’m excited about this because, before I knew my vacation
dates, I had planned on preaching on the Psalms across June. This will be even
better!
Sermons across the summer:
June 27 on Psalm 30
July 4 on Psalm 123
July 11-August 29 we will focus on Paul’s Letter to the
Ephesians.
Romans 5:1-5
Therefore, since we have been justified by
faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through
him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in
which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of
God. 3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our
sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and
endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope
does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our
hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
Verse 5
Hope does not put us to shame.
-
Hope and faith might be hard to tell apart!
-
Hope is an attitude of one who has faith.
The love of God has been poured out – an action of the past
that continues to impact us in the present.
In our hearts – our inner selves, often corresponding to our
emotions.
-
Hearts, guts, and heads in the ancient world.
Through the Holy Spirit, the one having been given to us.
(Passive)
-
First of five references in Romans (5:5, 9:1,
14:17, 15:13 and 15:16). This is only matched by Hebrews.
-
Compare to Acts which references the Holy Spirit
40 times!
-
Who is the Holy Spirit?
-
Two Words: ruach (Hebrew) and pneuma
(Greek) – both mean breath, wind, spirit, and have a sense of air in motion.
(Like John 3:8, which uses the word pneuma.)
-
He is not merely a New Testament figure.
o
Genesis 1:2 – The earth was without form and
void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was
hovering over the face of the waters.
§
Spirit or Spirit of God 14x
o
Psalm 51:11 - Cast me not away from your
presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
o
Isaiah 63:10-11 - But they rebelled and grieved
his Holy Spirit; therefore he turned to be their enemy, and himself fought
against them. 11 Then he remembered the days of old, of Moses and
his people. Where is he who brought them up out of the sea with the shepherds
of his flock? Where is he who put in the midst of them his Holy Spirit, 12
who caused his glorious arm to go at the right hand of Moses, who divided the
waters before them to make for himself an everlasting name, 13 who
led them through the depths? Like a horse in the desert, they did not stumble.
-
The Gospels speak of the Holy Spirit
o
At Jesus’ Birth – Matthew 1:18-20, Luke 1:35
o
At Jesus’ Baptism – Matthew 3:13-17, Mark 3:9-11,
Luke 3:21-22
o
As the one who calls to faith – Matthew 12:32, Mark
3:29 (The Unforgivable Sin)
o
One who comforts, advocates, helps (the
Paraclete) and teaches – John 14:26
o
One who empowers the church to forgive sins –
John 20:22
-
The Spirit is rather foreign and strange.
o
There is very little focus on the Holy Spirit.
o
Look at the verbs:
§
hovers (Gen 1)
§
fills (multiple)
§
came upon (Num 24:2 - Balaam)
§
rushed (1 Sam 11 – Saul)
§
clothed (2 Chron 24 – Zechariah)
§
made (Job 33)
§
lifted and brought Ezekiel in a vision (Eze 11)
§
is poured out (Eze 39:29, Acts 2:33)
-
We confess in the Apostles’ Creed and in the Small
Catechism:
I believe in the Holy
Spirit, the holy Christian church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of
sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
What does this mean? I believe that I cannot by my own
reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but the
Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts,
sanctified and kept me in the true faith. In the same way He calls, gathers, enlightens,
and sanctifies the whole Christian church on earth, and keeps it with Jesus
Christ in the one true faith. In this Christian church He daily and richly
forgives all my sins and the sins of all believers. On the Last Day He will
raise me and all the dead, and give eternal life to me and all believers in
Christ. This is most certainly true.
-
The Key word we think of with the Holy Spirit is
Sanctification.
o Broad
Sense of Sanctification: He delivers Jesus’ holiness to us which we receive by
faith.
o Narrow
Sense of Sanctification: He helps us live godly lives here in time.
-
The Holy Spirit works in and through us as
individuals.
-
The Holy Spirit works in and through the Church.
o He
connects us to the Church, that is, the Body of Christ.
-
He delivers forgiveness.
o Word
o Absolution
o Sacraments
-
Raises the dead.
o This
is not a metaphor.
o Churches
with cemeteries … or columbaria!
-
Two Models of the Trinity
The Traditional Model
An Economic Model
Images of pouring and the giving of the Holy Spirit is
baptismal language.
-
Baptism is part of who we are Christians.
-
Matthew 28:19-20
-
Acts 10:48
-
This will be delved into more deeply in Chapter
6.
Suggested Further Reading
-
Luther’s Small Catechism – Read through the
Explanation of the Small Catechism on the Third Article of the Apostles’ Creed.
-
Luther’s Large Catechism on the Third Article of
the Apostles’ Creed – which, interestingly is twice as long as the Second
Article which speaks of Jesus.
-
The Acts of the Apostles – He is woven
throughout the book. Look for the Holy Spirit connected to prayer, witnessing,
miracles, persecution, and growth of the Church.
Comments