Kingdom Keys - Romans Series

So maybe you’ve heard it said, ‘read your bible’ so you tried and failed. Our hope as leaders is that all of us will pick up God’s word and come to understand the true nature of God. After all, the bible is God’s Word curated over centuries detailing His nature, His will, the meaning of life and humanity’s historical interactions with Him. The Bible details the hidden keys to the Kingdom. Hence, the reason we are reviewing a new book each week.

This week we jump over the gospel accounts of what happened when Jesus came, died and rose to listen to the pharisee turned apostle through the correcting hand of Jesus. A lengthy theological writing, covering at greater length, and in a more serene tone, the same themes the writer had dealt with in the Letter to the Galatians. It may date from A.D. 57 or 58. The book is officially called Romans, written by Paul and it’s set up in four parts that detail the simple facts:

All Humanity needs to be rescued because of sin

We can’t rescue ourselves, even when we know the steps to being rescued

Only God through his perfection has rescued us through the acts of Jesus along with our belief in this is the key to success

Finally, God rescues us to create a diverse family of faith-based followers to be a blessing to the rest of humanity

All of which leads us to the inevitable question of how? How can we serve in loving unity and avoid the human traps associated within our nature?

The simple answer is we can’t, in and of, ourselves. However, with the power of the Holy Spirit all things are possible. Paul anticipates the issue so he offers a glimpse in chapter 16 on how to best move forward. If you have a bible, please open it to Romans chapter 16, beginning in verse 17:

17 I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. 18 For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people. 19 Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I rejoice because of you; but I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil. 20 The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.

By any definition, division and unity are the exact opposite. Unity is best defined by its inherent virtues, balance, alliance, coherence. Thus, even within a strict dictionary definition, the term “unity” connotes a superior reference of existence, while division always connotes a lower form.

To avoid the lower form of human nature, we must,

steer clear of people who create dis-unity. (v17)

We all know people are divisive.. They are the ones always looking to the negative. They are filled with pride, selfishness and self centeredness. They are the ones whose pride is evident in their speech and actions.

Be wary of those who tell you to live contrary to Jesus. (V17)

They are the people who lack knowledge but act like they don’t. They don’t read the bible, stay connected to a group or believe they know enough. They espouse culturally relevant phrases that sound good but have no scriptural basis.

Be alert to the signs. (v18)

These are the people who look to always get something out of every interaction. They are the people we all sense have an ulterior motive but their words sound so altruistic. However, they only help when they get a personal payoff. It’s always about their time, money, reputation and stuff. All their relationships are transactional and getting ahead for themselves.

To be a unifier, we Christians express unity through our unified love, purpose, and mission.

Paul’s words in verse 19 gave me pause this week. The word “everyone” reminds us of the connection we have. We are in this together and are unified by our common understanding of seven ideas:

The inspiration and authority of Scripture; We believe in the bible.

the Trinity; We believe in the mystery of God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit all existing as one essence.

the full deity and humanity of Jesus Christ; We believe Jesus was fully God and fully man.

His substitutionary death on the cross; We believe God came to earth as Jesus for us. He came to suffer, die and rise again as the cure for all our sins. It is through His action we have forgiveness and the ability to place our hope in a life eternal.

His bodily resurrection; We believe Jesus rose from the dead. It wasn’t a mirage or a spiritual presence or a ghost.