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Common pitfalls in using the scientific method The scientific method is indeed a powerful tool. Like any tool, however, if it is misused it can cause more harm than good. The scientific method can only be used for testable phenomenon. This is known as falsifiability [1]. While many things in nature can be evaluated and measured, some areas of human experience are beyond objective observation e.g. the meaning of life. An everyday example of something not falsifiable is the statement ‘cake is always better than biscuit’ this is because it is very subjective. Both proving and disproving the hypothesis are equally valid outcomes of testing. It is possible to ignore the outcome or inject bias to skew the results of a test in a way that will fit the hypothesis. Data in opposition to the hypothesis should never be discounted. What type of questions does the scientific method best address? It is widely accepted that the scientific method is particularly good at answering the ‘how’ questions in science e.g. how do antibiotics such as penicillin kill bacteria [2]. However when it comes to answering the ‘why’ questions as to the meaning and purpose of certain things including your life itself, the scientific method has less to contribute. This can be best understood by posing the ‘why’ questions to your own life. Amongst these big questions we might ask ourselves we might include the following. 1. Who am I? 2. What Is My Life Purpose? 3. What is My Life Plan? The go-to place for life’s big ‘Why’ questions is the bible. A good starting point with our ‘why’ questions can be found In just one bible verse: John 3:16 KJV: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. The answers we can deduce from this verse include the following: 1.       There is a loving Creator God who adores his created human beings including you. 2.       The Creator God loved humankind including you enough to sacrifice the life of his Son. 3.        The Creator’s plan for us (including you) is that we believe in the Gospel of his Son Jesus Christ so that we can enter eternal life with him. Amen [1] Falsifiability is the capacity for a proposition, statement, theory, or hypothesis to be proven wrong. The concept of falsifiability was introduced in 1935 by Austrian philosopher and scientist Karl Popper (1902-1994). [2] The antibiotic properties of the mould Penecillium genus were identified and described in 1929 by Alexander Fleming in London. He named the active agent as penicillin.

What is the scientific method? Can science explain everything these days? Is there a need for a supernatural hypothesis to make sense of life? Why should we believe in an invisible God? Modern science and its multiple successes has since the 17th century has been based on a procedure called the scientific method. The scientific method consists of a methodical approach that involves the systematic observation, measurement, and experiment, and the formulation, testing, and the modification of hypothesis for the study [1]. We should also note that a critical approach to each stage forms the backbone of the scientific method and that the process must be based on currently validated scientific methods. Here is an example: The scientific method and the development of the smallpox vaccine [2] Edward Jenner (1749 – 1823) was a medical doctor and scientist who lived in England [3]. At that time smallpox was a dangerous disease for humans, with a mortality rate of around 30% of those infected and also leaving survivors badly scarred or even blind. However, Jenner knew that smallpox in cattle was comparatively mild and could be spread from cow to human through sores located around the cow’s udders. Jenner discovered that cattle workers thought that if they had already contracted cattle pox (which was cured quickly) then they would not get human smallpox. Observation: The starting point of Jenner’s work was that the belief that immunity from smallpox might be obtained from the subject having had the lesser infection of cattle pox. From this observation Jenner went on to the next step of the scientific method, starting with the hypothesis that this belief was true and developing the necessary experiments to prove or refute it. Hypothesis: Infection with cattle pox gives immunity to human smallpox. Experiment: The experiments that Jenner performed would be considered highly unethical today, since they were performed on humans. Although at that time there was no other way to evaluate the hypothesis, experimenting on a child today would be completely unthinkable. Jenner took cowpox sore contents from the hand of an infected milkmaid and applied it to the arm of a boy. The boy was ill for several days but then fully recovered. Jenner later took material from a smallpox sore and applied it to the same boy’s arm. However, the child did not contract the disease for a second time. After this first test, Jenner repeated the experiment with other people and later published his findings. Conclusions: the scientific method confirmed the hypothesis. Therefore infecting a person with cowpox protects against a smallpox infection. Subsequently, the scientific community was able to repeat Jenner’s experiments and obtained the same results. This is how the first “vaccines” were invented: applying a weaker strain of a virus to immunize the person against the stronger and more harmful virus. [1] For a useful overview of the scientific method see https://www.britannica.com/science/scientific-method [2] The smallpox example was adapted from Examples of Scientific Method - Examples Lab [3] Jenner’s life story see https://www.jenner.ac.uk/about/edward-jenner In Part 2 we investigate what questions can be answered by the scientific method and also the type of question it cannot answer.

What is the cost of caring? Jesus tells the Parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbour?” 30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he travelled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’ 36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbour to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” 37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him , “Go and do likewise.” What is the Cost of Caring? It may cost you time, or effort, or money plus commitment, inconvenience, and you might get covered in blood etc! Jesus was willing to pay the price for caring for you and me! Hebrews 12:2 And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. So who is your neighbour at work, at home and in other areas of life? We might not meet someone who is physically beaten, but what about in other ways? How can you show a duty of care to your family, church family, work colleagues, strangers etc? What is the cost of not caring? Dare to care! Jesus says to you and me today “Go and do likewise.” Prayer; Lord give us hearts that are willing to care and to share like you and make us willing to go the extra mile to show your care to those in need who become our neighbours. Amen.

The imprecatory Psalms The integrity of God’s character is a better explanation of our apparent conundrum of how the God of the Old Testament approves or even commands the things found in the imprecatory Psalms. God has always possessed integrity as part of His eternal, infinite, unchanging and perfect being. The integrity of God is composed of two divine attributes working in tandem which are perfect righteousness and absolute justice. Divine integrity cooperates with the divine love; together forming one perfect, integrated system through which God deals gracefully with humanity. Grace is the expression of God’s love, and integrity is the uncompromising method of His justice. [1] Divine integrity ensures that the God of love and grace is neither inappropriately emotional, nor does He play favourites [2], nor does He fail to be decisive in any human situations. We should note that God’s attribute of absolute justice demands punishment not only upon sin but also of the sinner. If it is right for God to destroy evil including evil persons and even to go as far as commanding his servants to perform the destruction of evil and evil persons, then it can be argued that it was right in God’s eyes for the Psalmists to pray for the destruction of the wicked. If indeed, the imprecatory psalms were inspired by the Holy Spirit and therefore, they must have reflected God’s will. The late Bible teacher Roger Price (Chichester) on a radio programme was asked in the dying seconds of his interview whether his God was the same God who was capable of terrible acts against humans as in the imprecatory psalms. Roger’s reply was clear ; ‘Yes, the God of the Old and New Testaments is a God of love and mercy, but He is also a God of absolute justice and decrees punishment for the unrepentant.’ This is the reason that Christians must urgently share the Gospel of Jesus Christ before it is too late for sinful men and women to come to repentance. The best explanation as to why the imprecatory psalms (and other terrible scriptures) seem to be so different from the God of the New Testament, and is found in the consideration of God’s integrity as mandated between His two divine attributes of His righteousness and His absolute justice. God employs both attributes as required in his dealing with humankind. This seems to me to be closer to explaining why the imprecatory psalms were written but also bids us remember God’s lovingkindness and mercy. What do you think? Footnotes [1] God the Father showed his integrity by not sparing Jesus from the cross. In Psalm 22 we find the Messiah crying out ‘My God my God why hast thou forsaken me’? The Father and the Holy Spirit turned their back on Jesus as he became sin on the cross. [2] For example in Matthew 26:39 And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.

The imprecatory Psalms How can we match up these curses from the imprecatory Psalms with the God of Love described in the New Testament? Here are some examples of approaches where apologists have tried to reconcile these two quite different pictures of God’s character. The imprecatory psalms cannot be attributed to a single psalmist but rather the list of such including David, Asaph, and other unidentified authors. A solution to our conundrum in explaining these difficult psalms is the assertion that they are not invoking a desire for the doom of the wicked but rather are predicting such. However this is not supported by such psalms that are really prayers such as in Psalm 55:9 Destroy O Lord and divide their tongues. There is a good case that the psalmists were actually praying in the texts of the imprecatory psalms. So it seems likely that the imprecatory psalms had some measure of the doom of the wicked in view and therefore were not merely predictive of their future doom. Christian dispensationalists who split history into seven distinct periods want to put the Psalms into the dispensation of the law not to the later dispensation of grace. This allows the Old Testament believers to call down divine judgement on their enemies as in the imprecatory psalms. However this would be unacceptable behaviour by New Testament believers living in the dispensation of grace. The main problem with this point of view is that seems to give scripture contradicting scripture. It is also of note that a number of the imprecatory psalms are referred to in the New Testament (e.g. in Acts 1:20 reference is made to Psalm 69:26 in reference to Judas Iscariot). C. S. Lewis rightly asserted: ‘The ferocious parts of the Psalms serve as a reminder that there is in the world such a thing as wickedness and that . . . is hateful to God [1]. However the suggestion by Lewis that the imprecatory psalms are due to ‘human qualities’ because scripture merely carries the Word of God [2] appears to contradict the New Testament teaching on the doctrine of inspiration [3] and thus cannot give a full explanation of the imprecations. It should also be noted that the psalmist King David is portrayed as a significantly merciful man who prayed for his enemies and spared Saul’s life when it was in his power to harm him. So it seems likely that David’s imprecatory psalms did not come from a vengeful and violent man. Frederika Pronk [4] has proposed that most people make two basic wrong assumptions when trying to reconcile the imprecatory psalms with the God of the New Testament. The first assumption is that ‘the welfare of man is the chief end of man’ and the second assumption is that ‘God is only merciful and not also righteous and just to punish the guilty.’ The first assumption is a humanistic view and contrary to the sovereignty of God. As the Shorter Westminster catechism taught…’The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.’ The second assumption fails to consider the integrity of God’s character. Footnotes [1] Reflections on the Psalms (1958) p. 33 by C S Lewis. [2] Reflections on the Psalms (1958) pp.87 and 112 by C S Lewis. [3] See 2 Timothy 3:16. [4} The Outlook (1981) The imprecatory Psalms: Christian Library by Frederika Pronk. In Part 3 we find a better answer to our conundrum in considering the character of God.

The imprecatory Psalms The Old Testament describes awful events that God does not just allow but commands. How can God be described as loving when we read such stories? Our approach to exploring this topic is to consider the imprecatory psalms of the Hebrew scriptures in which the psalmists want something bad to happen to someone else. Definition of Imprecatory: Imprecatory Psalms, contained within the Book of Psalms of the Hebrew Bible (Hebrew: תנ"ך), are those that imprecate – invoke judgment, calamity, or curses upon one's enemies or those perceived as the enemies of God [1]. Imprecations in the Psalms Of the one hundred and fifty Psalms, six are com­monly classified as "imprecatory" Psalms. These are Psalms 55, 59, 69, 79, 109 and 137. Besides these main six imprecatory Psalms, there are portions of other Psalms which include statements, calling for God's wrath and punishment to be executed upon the wicked. Some examples are Psalms 17:13-14, 35:4-6, 24-26, 58:6-11, 68:1, 71:13, 83:13-17, 94:1-7, 129:5-8, 140:9-11, 143:12, etc. How can we account for the petitions raised to God to bring curses upon the wicked? For example  ‘’Let death seize upon them, and let them go down quick into hell’’ (Psalm 55:15), or "Break their teeth, O God, in their mouth" (Psalm 58:6), "Let them be blotted out of the book of the living?" (Psalms 69:28), "Pour out thy wrath upon the heathen" (Psalm 79:6), are some of the fearsome curses the Psalmists wish upon their enemies. There are curses for God's wrath to even come upon widows and children: "Let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow" (Psalm 109:9f), and speaking about the Babylonians, the Psalmist says: "Happy shall he be, that taketh and dasheth thy lit­tle ones against the stones" (Psalm 137:9). How can we match up these curses from the Psalms with the God of Love described in the New Testament? [1] Wikipedia definition. In Part 2 We we will consider if there can be any justification for these imprecatory psalms.

Examining your own heart Hosea 12:10 Break up the fallow ground; Breaking- humble yourself before the Lord. Confess that your heart has become hard, fallow, and shallow. Acknowledge it is your own responsibility to break up the fallow ground. Ask for his help and guidance in the breaking – the Holy Spirit will assist us. Confess all known sin-all the usual suspects- found in the Ten Commandments Include unforgiveness, bitterness, grudges, and resentment- then forsake them. Examine your heart... Examine your heart for unbelief. Examine your heart for prayerlessness. A sinning man stops praying, a praying man stops sinning [1]. Examine your heart for the lost. Examine the priorities of your heart. Is your first priority in the material world? Is your first priority in human relationships? Is your first real priority to get money, power, or possessions? Is your heart, seeking first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness knowing that all these things shall be added unto you? What are you living for? Who are you living for? Next, deal also with the questionable things in your life. It might not be outright sin, but does it glorify God? Examine your friendships and associations –do they please God? Develop convictions to protect yourself from falling into sin. Convictions help integrate our hearts (inward) with our actions (outward) Job made a covenant with his eyes [2]...... For it is time to seek the Lord; Seeking – the time to seek God is now –the time to seek his face is now- the time to seek his face in faith is now- believing he wants you to find him now. It is God’s will for you to find him- when you seek him with all your heart. Til he comes and rains righteousness on you, Persisting- how long O Lord? Persist until he comes – he will certainly come if we persist. If we focus on the persisting –He will focus on his coming- Yes, the very presence of the living God will come down on you- History testifies to this in the Lewis revival. Prepare ye the way of the Lord in your own heart- remove every obstacle – and bring the presence of the living God in a new way into your heart. God wants to do a new thing in your heart today. Raining-Until the Spirit is poured on us from on high [3] And the wilderness becomes a fruitful field. And the fruitful field is counted as a forest. God wants your heart to be an orchard. God promised to pour out his Spirit on the dry and thirsty ground[4] He promised that the crocus and the rose would bloom in the desert place. Imagine fragrant flowers and sweet fruit trees in planted in the soil of your heart. God desires to breathe in your fragrance. God desires to taste the sweet fruit of your character. Jeremiah says, ‘break up your fallow ground and do not sow amongst thorns.’ Conclusion The reason we do not have revival is that we are willing to live without it. [5] The alternative to revival is progressive decline into barrenness. Sow for yourselves righteousness; Reap in mercy; Break up your fallow ground,  For it is time to seek the LORD, Till He comes and rains righteousness on you. Let us bring the plough of God’s word into the fallow grounds of our hearts today asking God to empower the plough by his Holy Spirit and that he shows us exactly what needs to be removed. Are you willing to break the fallow ground in your heart? are you willing to be made willing? God is willing and God is able to help each one of us break up our own fallow ground. Amen Prayer [1] Leonard Ravenhill [2] Job 31 1 I have made a covenant with my eyes; Why then should I look upon a young woman. [3] Isaiah 32 15 [4] Isaiah 44 3-4 [5] Leonard Ravenhill

Hosea 10:12 breaking up the fallow ground Here is God’s solution for a backslidden and lukewarm church. Sow for yourselves in righteousness –Sowing; –live right before God- Believe and practice God’s word- let it dwell in your heart richly- Ask the Holy Spirit to water the seed of the word-Pray fervently-share the gospel. Sow only good seeds Do only good deeds Reap in mercy; Reaping; when we sowed in righteousness, we reaped a harvest of the Lord’s loving-kindness (chesed) Our God is Chasidic-full of loving kindness. Our God multiplies the righteous seed we have sown way beyond the measure we sowed. Our first cycles of sowing and reaping produced a good harvest. But something crept up on us- the sin crouching at the door? Or the worries and cares of this life? The pursuit of wealth? And now whatever has happened, the soil of our hearts has become fallow ground. Examine your heart..........................take the Tozer [1] test. The fallow heart is smug and cannot be taught much. The fallow heart is self-contented. The fallow heart is protected from the shock of the plow. Some hearts have lain fallow year by year, safe and undisturbed. The fallow heart focuses on past fruit. The fallow heart has two signs on it; ‘Do not disturb’ and ‘Past-master.’ The fear of the plough means there can be no present fruit. The spirit of adventure is dead. The fallow heart is fenced in, and God is fenced out. The fallow heart smiles indulgently at fastings, revivals, self searching and the need to move on in God. The fallow soil has been hardened and can only support weeds, thorns, and thistles. The very seeds sown by the world, the flesh, and the devil. The soil of our hearts lies fallow to varying degrees-what state is your heart in tonight? Examine your own heart... and take the Plough [2] test. The ploughed heart practices confession and repentance We need to keep short accounts with God and each other. The ploughed heart has a sign ‘not safety first.’ The ploughed heart is discontent in God. The ploughed heart is yearning and full of godly sorrow. The ploughed heart is courageously obedient and ready to bear fruit. Break up the fallow ground; Breaking- humble yourself before the Lord. Confess that your heart has become hard, fallow, and shallow. Acknowledge it is your own responsibility to break up the fallow ground. Ask for his help and guidance in the breaking – the Holy Spirit will assist us. Confess all known sin-all the usual suspects- found in the Ten Commandments Include unforgiveness, bitterness, grudges, and resentment- then forsake them. Amen Prayer [1] A.W. Tozer [2] Michael Catt The power of surrender; breaking through to the ploughed life. In Part 4 we continue to examine our own hearts and deal with our lives.

Breaking up the fallow ground Hosea 10:12 The life and times of the prophet Hosea The prophet Hosea is known as the first of the minor prophets. Minor in this context means that his prophetic book was comparitively small compared to major prophets such as Isaiah or Jeremiah. However Hosea and his fellow minor prophets brought major messages to God's covenant people. Hosea lived in the Northern Kingdom of Israel in the 8th century BC. Hosea means literally 'salvation'. The book of Hosea is found in the old testament between the books of Daniel and Joel. The book of Hosea chapters 1-3 tell Hosea’s harrowing personal story God told him to marry Gomer a promiscuous woman and raise children. Hosea had even to buy her back from her lover. Their third child a boy had a name something like ‘my daddy is not my daddy.’ Hosea keenly felt the pain and rejection of loving an unfaithful covenant breaking wife. God keenly felt the pain and rejection of loving an unfaithful covenant breaking people. Hosea identified with God’s breaking heart [1] over the sin of his people. Our sin breaks God’s heart. God’s tender love and mercy towards his people pours out of the book of Hosea. Hosea chapters 4-14 give the prophetic message of Hosea to Israel The land was filled with corruption amongst its rulers. Families were unstable and immorality was widely accepted. Society was divided and poverty was rife. Idolatry was on the rise and the religious leaders had no answers. Sound familiar? Could this be your country today? In Part 3 we will begin study the text of Hosea 10:12 to understand how to break up the fallow ground in our hearts. Footnotes [1] Clayton Dougan in the podcast The breaking heart of God, Sermon Index.com

Break up the fallow ground Hosea 10:12 Revival is when eternity invades time [1] Revival is God’s radical treatment for a sick and lukewarm church. Revival starts with me. Revival starts with you. God is calling me into personal revival. God is calling me to break up the fallow ground in my heart. God is calling you into personal revival. God is calling you to break up the fallow ground in your heart. The fallow ground is the soil of your heart that used to produce fruit. The fallow ground in our hearts is overgrown with weeds, thistles, and thorns. God is calling us into revival through Hosea 10:12 Sow for yourselves in righteousness Reap in mercy. Break up the fallow ground. For it is time to seek the Lord Til he comes and rains righteousness on you. Amen In Part 2 we consider the life and times of the minor prophet Hosea [1] Unknown author quoted by Clayton Dougan

Introduction to the letter to the Romans The epistle to the Romans can be a life changing study and has lead to many a salvation or revival over the centuries. Romans has changed the lives of a number great saints like Augustine, it took Martin Luther off his knees when climbing the stairs in penance to the Pope and the Spirit whispered to him ‘the just shall live by faith’ thus inspiring Luther to begin to launch the reformation. John Wesley was converted by reading Luther’s preface to Romans saying that his heart was ‘strangely warmed’. The epistle to the Romans is the sixth book of the New Testament and was written by the Apostle Paul about AD56. Paul most likely wrote the letter from Corinth. Paul intended to visit the church in Rome once he had delivered the money collected for the church in Jerusalem. The letter was probably delivered to Rome by the deaconess Phoebe. The congregation was a mixture of Gentiles and Jews.This letter is considered by many to be the finest exposition of Christian doctrine in the NT. Although addressed to the church in Rome the themes of Romans are general and can be applied by all the churches both then and now. Martin Luther’s summary of Romans translated from the German We find in this letter, then, the richest possible teaching about what a Christian should know: the meaning of law, Gospel, sin, punishment, grace, faith, justice, Christ, God, good works, love, hope and the cross. We learn how we are to act toward everyone, toward the virtuous and sinful, toward the strong and the weak, friend and foe, and toward ourselves. Paul bases everything firmly on Scripture and proves his points with examples from his own experience and from the Prophets, so that nothing more could be desired. Therefore it seems that St. Paul, in writing this letter, wanted to compose a summary of the whole of Christian and evangelical teaching which would also be an introduction to the whole Old Testament. Without doubt, whoever takes this letter to heart possesses the light and power of the Old Testament. Therefore each and every Christian should make this letter the habitual and constant object of his study. God grant us his grace to do so. Amen [1]. I am unable to compete with Martin Luther’s summary above but in today’s terms I think that the most useful modern summaries of Romans include the idea that the epistle to the Romans is a systematic explanation of how the Gospel works! May our hearts be ‘strangely warmed ‘as the Holy Spirit teaches us through this letter! The translation I have chosen for this study is the Today’s New International Version (TNIV). [1] Preface to the Letter of St. Paul to the Romans by Martin Luther, 1483-1546 Translated by Bro. Andrew Thornton, OSB For a print out and much more please click on the link below https://www.psalmonesermons.com/post/romans-a-short-commentary All chapters can be accessed via the above link Added Hebraic notes These were mainly sourced from the Torah Class- Lessons-Romans by Tom Bradford. Theologians such as James D G Dunn and E P Saunders have championed a New Perspective of the book of Romans which is moving into mainstream Christianity. The New Perspective asserts that Paul was fully fledged Jew before and after he turned to Christ. This is a new concept for mainline churches and poses a number of challenges to our previously accepted dogma. It seems that how we view Paul greatly affects our interpretation of the Book of Romans. A good interpretation of Paul's writing of Romans will uphold Christ's words and the words of the Old Testament prophets as being divinely inspired. Paul did not quit his Hebrew faith (as a Pharisee who trained under Gamaliel) to start a new Gentile religion. Tom Bradford asserts that Paul's writings ought to be viewed through the lens of a first century Rabbi. Almost all bible scholars agree that the Book of Romans was written by Paul around 57-58 AD, and probably was written in Corinth. Theologian Douglas J Moo has challenged the accepted Christian dogma that the book of Romans was a new Christian systematic Theology but sees the book as a letter dealing with various issues arising from the merging of the Gentile and Jewish believers. Paul was not the founder of the Christian church in Rome but was called by God to provide an apostolic authority to the church in Rome. This was quite a challenge as the Christians in Rome would probably identify more with the Apostle Peter in Jerusalem rather than Paul. However, Paul was uniquely qualified to be God's Apostle to the Gentiles.

A short commentary on Chapter 1:1-17 Paul as a called apostle brings God’s message to the called people in Rome. A message which still applies to you and I today as we are part of God’s called people here in Edinburgh (or wherever you are). 1:1 Paul, a servant [1] of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle [2] and set apart for the gospel of God— 2 the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures (links to the OT)3regarding his Son, who as to his earthly life [a] was a descendant of David, 4 and who through (or by virtue of) the Spirit of holiness (Holy Spirit) was appointed (or decreed, determined or even declared) the Son of God (invested) in power [3] [b] by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord. 5 Through him we received grace and apostleship to call all the Gentiles to faith and obedience for his name’s sake. 6 And you also are among those Gentiles who are called to belong (they have already been set apart) to (our Lord)Jesus Christ. 7 To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be his holy (consecrated) people: Grace (unmerited favour) and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul uses the Greek words charis for grace and eirene for peace. Paul’s Longing to Visit Rome 8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world (famous faith in the Capital city , could it be in Edinburgh too?). 9 God, whom I serve in my spirit (with sincere devotion of the heart-Calvin) in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness how constantly (without ceasing) I remember you 10 in my prayers at all times; and I pray that now at last by God’s will the way may be opened for me to come to you. Paul loves these Roman Christians tenderly and just as much as though he had founded the church in Rome which he had not. 11 I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift (as far as we know none of the apostles had visited Rome so Paul longed to lay hands on them and release the gifts of the Holy Spirit[4] in their ministries) to make you strong— 12that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith (works both ways). 13 I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that I planned many times to come to you (but have been prevented from doing so until now) in order that I might have a harvest (fruit probably including new converts and building up the body of Christ in character (Fruit of the Spirit), gifting and maturity) among you, just as I have had among the other Gentiles.(Paul modestly understates his huge success in ministering to the Gentiles). 14 I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish. 15 That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are in Rome.(Paul was called to preach the Gospel both to the learned and the unlearned, he was obligated to them because of the call on his life and also perhaps in view of how he once persecuted the church of Jesus Christ even to death). 16 I am not ashamed of the gospel,(Paul was proud of the Gospel message even when he came up against the learned philosophers or anyone because in it he saw the power to change a human life) because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.(usual order) 17 For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last,[c] just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith [5]” [d] Paul is quoting the prophet Habakkuk here who also had to learn to trust God by exercising trust and faith in His person, His character and His actions. The righteousness of (more accurately from) God means the absolute moral purity of God. What must I do to be accepted by God? The Jews had the law and could not keep it and the Catholic church did not know the way of salvation. So how could the reformers like Luther and Calvin become acceptable to God? They had the revelation which launched the reformation that the way to become righteous before God requires that those in relationship with Him are ‘righteous’ that is that they have an ‘imputed’ righteousness which ‘avails’ them before God. This means that we are put in right standing with God or perhaps we can stand in His presence without being consumed. There is nothing we can do to earn this either by our actions such as keeping the law, doing good deeds or obtain in other way other than simply believing the Gospel message. The righteousness that is imputed to us is actually the righteousness of Jesus Christ and we receive this by faith by simply believing the Gospel truth about Jesus Christ. The new birth begins by faith, develops by faith, receives all the blessings of Christ by faith and is sustained on a life-long basis by faith. The just or righteous person truly will live from beginning to end by faith. There is simply no other way to live before God. This is the only answer to the question, what must I do be acceptable to God. [a} Romans 1:3 Or who according to the flesh {b} Romans 1:4 Or was declared with power to be the Son of God {c} Romans 1:17 Or is from faith to faith [d] Romans 1:17 Hab. 2:4 but the righteous will live by their faithfulness (or faith) [1] Gr. Doulos ; A bond servant or slave. A paid and usually highly skilled employee but with no right to resign. [2] Gr. Apostolos; A sent one or messenger. [3] Gr. Dunamis; English derivatives, dynamic and dynamite. [4] 1 Cor 12:8-10 [5] God spoke to Martin Luther through this verse when he was seeking an indulgence from the Pope ascending the stairs on his knees. Added Hebraic Notes A classic example of the culture clash between the Jewish and Gentile mindsets is found in Romans 1:1 where Paul describes himself as a slave (doulos) of Jesus Christ. In the Gentile Roman world to be a slave was a shameful thing. However in the Hebrew mindset a 'slave of God' (eved as were Moses, Elijah, David) was an honourable and special status. So Paul here is not humbling himself but was rather claiming a position of high authority, as he was hoping to establish himself as an apostle to the Romans. The Greek word for apostle carries the implication of the 'sending out' in a military sense including ships. The nearest Hebrew equivalent to this is the word Shaliach which has the connotation of an agent who carries his master's power and authority. So if Paul considered himself as a Shaliach then this implies that Paul was not merely a messenger but a highly empowered agent of Yeshua. v.11 Paul's desire to impart a 'spiritual gift' to the Roman Christians had in mind that these gifts would help establish the Roman church. The concept of 'spiritual gits' would have been know to Paul and Jesus from the Essenes (Dead Sea Scrolls - DSS 1QS) but would probably have been new to the Gentile churches. v.12 Paul redefines the 'spiritual gifts' as the more meaningful 'mutual encouragement' since the spiritual gifts may have had no clear meaning to the church. v14 Barbarians simply means 'non-Greek speakers' with the implication of being less civilized. v.16-17 give the main thrust of the letter i.e. the power of the Gospel, which is able to save souls because it reveals God's righteousness. The best explanation of righteousness is alluded to in Exodus 21 (in Hebrew Tzedek, in Greek Dikaioo) which we know from the Septuagint (Greek translation of the Old Testament c.250 BC). The Septuagint can be viewed as a 'Rosetta stone' allowing the best translations between the Greek and Hebrew words. See the next part of the Letter to the Romans https://www.psalmonesermons.com/post/romans-1-18-32