The Romans 7 debate finished!

     What a chapter of controversy! It seems every church has a different opinion. What can a normal Christian think with all this?
     First, remember when reading the Bible, keep everything in context, verse by verse.  Even though we tell people this over and over, it seems even scholars and theologians forget.
     And there is another translation problem with this chapter, and indeed all of Romans. This is it: the word "saved" in the book of Romans usually means "saved" from wrong living, sin. Wrongly, however, it is often associated with "saved" from the punishment of sin, the lake of fire, or hell. Many times in the Bible saved is used that way, but not hardly at all in Romans.
     Why? The reason is simple. The book of Romans is a book about why the Mosaic law will not "save you from wrong living". The Jews delighted in the Mosaic Law, and the Jews therefore taught that "salvation from wrong living" could be found in the Law. (Romans 2:17-18:  "Now you, if you call yourself a Jew; if you rely on the law and boast in God;  if you know his will and approve of what is superior because you are instructed by the law).  Paul, on the other hand, taught the Gospel of Jesus as salvation from wrong living. (Romans 8:3&4:  "For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did do, by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh(live in sin) but according to the Spirit). 
   When these two problems in translation are met head on, and a version with a commentary included to carry over the subject, the context throughout, and the meaning of the word "saved" properly applied, what happens is Romans 7 becomes easy to understand, even hard to get wrong!
     Romans chapters 5, 6, and 8 are added because they cause the flow of the subject, the context, to be easy to follow.
     If you are beset by repeat sins, and strong wrong desires, this is the book for you.  If you are not experiencing victory over sin, let this book challenge you to get closer to your God, through His Son, Jesus, to get all you can get, and to find the "abundanat life" Jesus talked about. John 10:10b "I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance."  Remember the challenging words of Jesus: John 8: 34 & 36 "Jesus responded, "I assure you: Everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin. Therefore, if the Son sets you free, you really will be free!"
     In Romans 8:13 Paul wrote: "For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live." In the New Testament, in the book of Acts, several times Christians asked God for all of the Holy Spirit they could get. It is "by the Spirit" the wrong actions of the flesh are controlled. So ask God for all the Holy Spirit you can get, and see what a diference it makes!
     

Galatians is important?

      Some straight talk is needed about Galatians.  The Apostle Paul said in Galatians that "a little leaven leavens the whole lump."  What does that mean in our language?  It means just a little bit of whatever one is talking about will make a big difference. Putting that in the Bible should raise all kinds of warning flags.  Satan can push hard here, because only a little success can go a long way.  That is the message of that verse.  Only one other time is it used in the Bible, in 1st Corinthians when talking about excusing sin. We all sin after being saved, but the Apostle Paul makes a big deal about making sure no one gets away with excusing sin. 
      Here in Galatians, once again, Paul is hammering home that one needs to follow the  leading of the Holy Spirit for the guide of their life, not a rule book made for backsliders.  Just a "little bit of this" will affect the entire Christian life.  Ask God for all of the Holy Spirit you can get, and see that He can abundently lead your life!
     
      And don't forget 1st Thessalonians.  If you have found that some "hard times" are surely much worse than others, this book is for you.  Paul mentiones "crushing difficulites and severe distress" in this book.  Know someone who needs to know what the Bible says about these things?  I hope to have it on sale maybe next month.

GALATIANS FINALLY!!

We have finially finished with the book of Galatians.  Already we have had feedback, some saying it is not to the point enough, others saying it is to much to the point!  As always, everyone is somewhat different, but the Word of God stays the same.  On Sept. 22 it will be free all day for the promotion.  Tell all your friends and download from the link on this page for Galatians.  Enjoy, and as always, your feedback is important!

Are the 'Storms of Life raging'?

The old spiritual song "When the storms of life are raging, stand by me" comes to mind as I review this blog of mine.  My concern when I wrote this commentary was that, in this world of  easy living christianity, that what had been lost was the concept of 'whatever was worth having was worth fighting for'.  Even though this concept in the Bible is constant, it seems that in our world today, this concept is almost non-existant.  Will God, and His Son Jesus, stand by you when the storms of life are raging?  Or is God supposed to take you out of the 'storms of life'?  As I thought on this, the Holy Spirit led me to First Thessolonians and I felt to write.  So you have it here.  The Storms of Life truely "raged" for these people, but through God these people were "more than conquerers".  Why do I need to be, as the Bible says, more than a conquerer, if there are no storms, no battles, no real hard times, to endure?  And how did God take them through these hard times, even with joy?  First Thessolonians, as well as many other places in the Bible, tells us it is by His Holy Spirit.  Have you asked God for more of His Holy Spirit?  Did you know you can have more of His Holy Spirit?  Jesus Said:  "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asks receives; and he that seeks finds; and to him that knocks it shall be opened." Mat 7:7,8. 

First Thessalonians is  the first volume in this series studied and written upon.  It is short and to the point, with commentary references at the end.  This is a true adventure story, complete with high paced excitement.  Below is an excert from the preface in this series

Preface to the Book of First Thessalonians

In my research of many different commentaries and versions of the Bible, I have found within the study of this book a good specific understanding of what God Himself was presenting to us by including this work in the Bible. 

 

A 'MODEL', AN 'EXAMPLE', A 'PATTERN' TO FOLLOW 

 

The book of First Thessalonians tells you why it is put into the Bible. In Chapter one, verse seven, we find how the church had become a 'model' (NIV), an 'example' (NASB, NKJV), a 'pattern' (AMP), of handling persecution, affliction, and tribulation. Most commentaries explain that this is a personal letter about the hard times they had went through together, and that Paul had heartily commended them for being such a great 'example' for the other churches to follow. As surly as approaching Revelation by understanding it is mostly about the future, approaching this book from the perspective of a 'model' of enduring affliction, and what must be learned from this, will greatly enhance ones understanding of what is being taught. The doctrine studied here should be the study of persecution and affliction, with Holy Spirit joy, taught to us by the example of what these people went through.

At this point in time, the only place that you can find this version of the Bible, and the first volume published, is on amazon, kindle edition.  Look for Focus Commentary, and it should come up immediately.

This type of version of the Bible could become extremely wordy if it was not focused on just the overall topic at hand, or the immediate sub-topic being expressed. Therefore, many chances to expound on subjects of some importance will just not be taken advantage of. In First Thessalonians, the first volume of this series, you will notice that the sub-topics are expressed closely related to the main topic if there is any relation.  On this blog site, you may express your interest of subjects included and also subjects not included.  Research into Christian information is what this version and subsequent versions will be all about.  Consideration into which book of the Bible to write upon next and what information should be included and not included will always be a topic  on this web site.