2019 New Testament Reading Plan continues w/ the Book of Romans
On March 11th, we will continue reading through the New Testament – slowly – reading short sections each day for the entire year.
Our purpose is to allow time for us to “ponder” (Luke 2:19) what we are reading, and to consider what God may be saying to each one of us personally.
Definition of ponder
transitive verb
1 : to weigh in the mind : appraise pondered their chances of success
2 : to think about : reflect on pondered the events of the day
intransitive verb
: to think or consider especially quietly, soberly, and deeply
Our reading will continue with the Book of Romans. Not to worry – we will read every book in the New Testament, although not necessarily in the order they appear in the Bible. Hopefully our reading order will help us better understand how God’s plan of salvation through Jesus Christ all fits together and applies to us today.
As you read along with us, may this prayer hold true –
Philippians 1:9-11 New Living Translation (NLT)
I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return. May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation—the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ—for this will bring much glory and praise to God.
+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Opening sentence
Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ, King of endless glory. You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.
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Romans 16:25-27 NLT
Now all glory to God, who is able to make you strong, just as my Good News says. This message about Jesus Christ has revealed his plan for you Gentiles, a plan kept secret from the beginning of time. But now as the prophets foretold and as the eternal God has commanded, this message is made known to all Gentiles everywhere, so that they too might believe and obey him. All glory to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, forever. Amen.
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Conclusion: The providence of God in the ministry of Paul (Romans 15:14–16:27)
Paul takes the Roman church into his confidence about the salient characteristics of his ministry… giving us insight into the outworking of God’s providence in his life and work.
Paul’s doxology (25-27)
Paul’s doxology is an eloquent and appropriate conclusion to his letter, for he takes up its four central themes, summarizes them and relates them to one another.
First, Paul writes of the power of God.
Romans begins and ends with a reference to the power of God through the gospel. If the gospel is God’s power to save, it is also God’s power to establish… i.e. to nurture new converts and strengthen young churches…. The vision conjured up by the doxology’s opening words is of God’s ability to establish the multi-ethnic church in Rome, of which Paul has been dreaming, and to strengthen its members in truth, holiness and unity.
Second, Paul writes of the gospel of Christ.
God’s secret, hitherto concealed but now revealed, is essentially Jesus Christ himself in his fullness, and in particular Christ for and in the Gentiles, so that Gentiles now have an equal share with Israel in God’s promise…. The mystery also includes good news for Jews as well as Gentiles, namely that one day ‘all Israel will be saved’. And it looks forward to the future glory, when God will bring all things together under one head, Christ. Thus the mystery begins, continues and ends with Christ.
Christ Anglican Church Carefree, AZ
Third, Paul writes of the evangelization of the nations.
It is important to grasp that Paul is stating three truths about the mystery, which are summed up by the verbs hidden, revealed and made known. It is not just that the mystery was long concealed, but has now been revealed, namely through the life, death, resurrection and exaltation of Jesus. The third fact is that this good news must be, and is already being, made known throughout the world: made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God, so that all nations might believe and obey him.
This scheme of the making known of the gospel through Scripture, by God’s command, unto obedience of faith, for all the nations, exactly corresponds to the letter’s opening, which refers to the gospel as being, among other things, according to the Scriptures, through the grace and apostleship given to Paul and others, unto obedience of faith, and for all the nations.
Fourth, Paul concludes in praise of God’s wisdom: to the only wise God be glory for ever through Jesus Christ! Amen.
God’s wisdom is seen in Christ himself… above all in his cross which, though foolish to human beings, is the wisdom of God, in God’s decision to save the world not through its own wisdom but through the folly of the gospel, in the extraordinary phenomenon of the emerging multiracial, multicultural church; and in his purpose ultimately to unite everything under Christ.
God’s redeemed people will spend eternity ascribing to him ‘praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength’… i.e. they will worship him for his power and wisdom displayed in salvation.
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“Unto the Lamb” – Diana with Atlanta Chamber Choir
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Canticle
Christ, as a light illumine and guide me. Christ, as a shield overshadow me. Christ under me; Christ over me; Christ beside me on my left and my right. This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful. Be in the heart of each to whom I speak; in the mouth of each who speaks unto me. This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful. Christ as a light; Christ as a shield; Christ beside me on my left and my right.
Blessing
May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever He may send you. May He guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm. May He bring you home rejoicing at the wonders He has shown you. May He bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.
+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Opening sentence
Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ, King of endless glory. You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.
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Romans 16:21-24 NLT
“Erastus, Olympus, Rhodion, Sosipater, Quartus and Tertius (Menologion of Basil II)” by Anonymous
Timothy, my fellow worker, sends you his greetings, as do Lucius, Jason, and Sosipater, my fellow Jews.
I, Tertius, the one writing this letter for Paul, send my greetings, too, as one of the Lord’s followers.
Gaius says hello to you. He is my host and also serves as host to the whole church. Erastus, the city treasurer, sends you his greetings, and so does our brother Quartus.
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Conclusion: The providence of God in the ministry of Paul (Romans 15:14–16:27)
Paul takes the Roman church into his confidence about the salient characteristics of his ministry… giving us insight into the outworking of God’s providence in his life and work.
Paul’s messages (21-24)
Paul now passes on messages from eight named people, who are with him in Corinth. He begins with one extremely well-known name, followed by three apparently unknown ones.
His fellow worker, Timothy: if anybody deserved to be called Paul’s ‘fellow-worker’, that person was Timothy. For the last eight years Timothy had been Paul’s constant traveling companion and had undertaken several special missions at Paul’s request. The apostle evidently had a warm affection for his young assistant. Having led him to Christ, he regarded him as his son in the faith. He was now in Corinth, about to set sail for Jerusalem with the offering from the Greek churches.
His fellow countrymen: we cannot for certain identify any of them….
His scribe: to whom Paul has been dictating this letter, writes his own greeting….
The name Erastus in the inscription near the Corinth theater. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.
His host in Corinth, Gaius: it would be natural to identify him with the Corinthian whom Paul had baptized. Some scholars have further suggested that his full Roman name was Gaius Titius Justus, in which case he had a large house next to the synagogue, into which he had welcomed Paul after the Jews had rejected his gospel. It is then understandable that Paul would again be his house guest, and that the church would also meet in his home.
Two further people: Erastus, who is the city’s director of public works… and our brother Quartus (nothing is known of him). Erastus, on the other hand, seems to have been a responsible local government official. Perhaps he was the aedile, the magistrate in charge of public works, whose name is still clearly legible in a first-century Latin inscription on a marble pavement close to the ruins of old Corinth.
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“We Are Called”
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Canticle
Christ, as a light illumine and guide me. Christ, as a shield overshadow me. Christ under me; Christ over me; Christ beside me on my left and my right. This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful. Be in the heart of each to whom I speak; in the mouth of each who speaks unto me. This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful. Christ as a light; Christ as a shield; Christ beside me on my left and my right.
Blessing
May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever He may send you. May He guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm. May He bring you home rejoicing at the wonders He has shown you. May He bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.
+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Opening sentence
Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ, King of endless glory. You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.
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A reading from Romans: Romans 16:3-16 (NLT)
Priscilla and Aquila
Give my greetings to Priscilla and Aquila, my co-workers in the ministry of Christ Jesus. In fact, they once risked their lives for me. I am thankful to them, and so are all the Gentile churches. Also give my greetings to the church that meets in their home.
Greet my dear friend Epenetus. He was the first person from the province of Asia to become a follower of Christ. Give my greetings to Mary, who has worked so hard for your benefit. Greet Andronicus and Junia, my fellow Jews, who were in prison with me. They are highly respected among the apostles and became followers of Christ before I did. Greet Ampliatus, my dear friend in the Lord. Greet Urbanus, our co-worker in Christ, and my dear friend Stachys.
Greet Apelles, a good man whom Christ approves. And give my greetings to the believers from the household of Aristobulus. Greet Herodion, my fellow Jew. Greet the Lord’s people from the household of Narcissus. Give my greetings to Tryphena and Tryphosa, the Lord’s workers, and to dear Persis, who has worked so hard for the Lord. Greet Rufus, whom the Lord picked out to be his very own; and also his dear mother, who has been a mother to me.
Give my greetings to Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers and sisters who meet with them. Give my greetings to Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and to Olympas and all the believers who meet with them. Greet each other with a sacred kiss. All the churches of Christ send you their greetings.
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Conclusion: The providence of God in the ministry of Paul (Romans 15:14–16:27)
Paul takes the Roman church into his confidence about the salient characteristics of his ministry… giving us insight into the outworking of God’s providence in his life and work.
His commendation and greetings (Romans 16:1–16)
‘I think’, wrote Chrysostom, ‘that many even of those who have the appearance of being extremely good men, hasten over this part of the epistle as superfluous …Yet’, he went on, ‘the gold founders’ people are careful even about the little fragments …it is possible even from bare names to find a great treasure.’
2. Many greetings (3-16)
Paul sends greetings to twenty -six individuals, twenty-four of whom he names, adding in most cases an appreciative personal reference…. Reflecting on the names and circumstances of the people Paul greets, one is particularly impressed by the unity and diversity of the church to which they belonged.
a. The diversity of the church
The most interesting and instructive aspect of church diversity in Rome is that of gender. Nine out of the twenty-six persons greeted are women…. Paul evidently thinks highly of them all.
The prominent place occupied by women in Paul’s entourage shows that he was not at all the male chauvinist of popular fantasy.
b. The unity of the church
Alongside the Roman church’s diversity in race, rank and sex, it experienced a profound unity which transcended its differences.
The toleration of ethnic division in the Roman house churches would be entirely incompatible with Paul’s sustained argument in chapters 14 –15, and with its climax…. Such an arrangement would contradict the church’s unity in diversity.
Heterogeneity is of the essence of the church, since it is the one and only community in the world in which Christ has broken down all dividing walls.
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Paul concludes his list of individual greetings with two universals.
The first is that, although only a few of them have been greeted by name, they must all greet one another with a holy kiss… a visible and tangible gesture, although what form the ‘kiss’ should take will vary according to culture…. Paul’s second universal follows: all the churches of Christ send greetings… writing representitavely.
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“One Bread, One Body”
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Canticle
Christ, as a light illumine and guide me. Christ, as a shield overshadow me. Christ under me; Christ over me; Christ beside me on my left and my right. This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful. Be in the heart of each to whom I speak; in the mouth of each who speaks unto me. This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful. Christ as a light; Christ as a shield; Christ beside me on my left and my right.
Blessing
May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever He may send you. May He guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm. May He bring you home rejoicing at the wonders He has shown you. May He bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.
+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
The Peanut Gallery 