This epistle, or letter, was written by Paul to the Romans. It begins a series of letters written by Paul to various peoples during his travels doing spiritual work. Paul was devoted to spreading his spiritual knowledge, the philosophy of God, and he ensured that he reached all people: whether by foot or by letter. The Epistle to the Romans is followed by Corinthians, II Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, I Thessalonians, II Thessalonians, I Timothy, II Timothy, Titus, and Hebrews and are each considered to be of Pauline authorship.
1:1 Paul's greeting is a faithful proclamation of his humble service to God. It is salient to examine that word used: bond-servant. We know that Paul humbly serves God because he does so without wages, without material profit. And yet, God's fellow-workers receive so much from Him: purpose, compassion, guidance, perseverance and wisdom. The preceding are the truth wealth, the divine wealth.
It is both unfortunately and commonly taught that a person can have faith without works. This is 1) wrong, refer to: James 2:17, and 2) contradictory to everything God tells us. It isn't that we must work to earn God's love, true enough He loves His children. However, a person cannot have faith and simultaneously not work. True faith is our admission, agreement and absorption of understanding that our God is purposeful in compassion and that we must be also. For example: you cannot believe in compassion and simultaneously not be compassionate. It simply does not compute. Therefore, true faith must be corroborated with effort. After all, it is through our faith that God can enter our lives. If our faith is untrue, meager or weak, we do not give Him enough space to enter.
Remember that our "works" are our thoughts, behavior, reactions, temperament, words and actions throughout our lives. We are "working" when we are being purposeful in compassion: when we are contributing to justice, truth, the well-being of others, friendship and love. In this way, Paul certainly was a grateful, blessed, and most importantly: productive, bond-servant of God.
1:2-3 An identification of Jesus, foretold of in the Old Testament through various of God's prophets.
1:4 Jesus' identification as the "Son of God" is a proclamation of Himself as a manifestation of the purity and qualities of our creator. We are all children of God, made of His spiritual DNA, and yet Jesus came to earth without flaw or temptation, with devout focus and selfless compassion as an illustration of the spiritual purity of Where and Who we came from. His illustration allowed us to accurately perceive ourselves as integral and intimately loved vessels through which goodness could come into the earth.
1:5 Through Him, the apostles (and all people) are able to receive grace and spiritual purpose. Meaning that, through the philosophy of God Jesus taught, we are able to receive grace and spiritual purpose. Any person who lives according to the philosophy of God, whether they realize or label their lives lived as such or not, is a recipient of grace and purpose. A person need not be a Christian to be good, kind, truthful and compassionate. Through having those qualities we receive grace and purpose. Jesus is a vessel through which a person can learn the philosophy of God, but there are other avenues. Some people find their spirituality through art, or nature, or another ideology. There are many ways to arrive at the same place (spiritually), but compassion must be the mode of transportation to get there.
Be careful to identify your mode of transportation, there is much deception and hypocrisy in the world.* Be careful also not to denounce people who seem to believe differently than you do; they are on their own journey; God's respects them and so should you.
*Read and discover for yourself. The ability to do so is a gift! Never let anyone tell you what to believe or what to feel. You are equip with perception and private, individual thought: utilize it!
1:6-7 Paul formally greets the recipients of this letter, welcomes them as children proffered the love and philosophy of God, and wishes them grace and peace. Paul's greeting is heartfelt, thoughtful and faithful: a further exemplification of how to have grace and peace without our own lives.
It is both unfortunately and commonly taught that a person can have faith without works. This is 1) wrong, refer to: James 2:17, and 2) contradictory to everything God tells us. It isn't that we must work to earn God's love, true enough He loves His children. However, a person cannot have faith and simultaneously not work. True faith is our admission, agreement and absorption of understanding that our God is purposeful in compassion and that we must be also. For example: you cannot believe in compassion and simultaneously not be compassionate. It simply does not compute. Therefore, true faith must be corroborated with effort. After all, it is through our faith that God can enter our lives. If our faith is untrue, meager or weak, we do not give Him enough space to enter.
Remember that our "works" are our thoughts, behavior, reactions, temperament, words and actions throughout our lives. We are "working" when we are being purposeful in compassion: when we are contributing to justice, truth, the well-being of others, friendship and love. In this way, Paul certainly was a grateful, blessed, and most importantly: productive, bond-servant of God.
1:2-3 An identification of Jesus, foretold of in the Old Testament through various of God's prophets.
1:4 Jesus' identification as the "Son of God" is a proclamation of Himself as a manifestation of the purity and qualities of our creator. We are all children of God, made of His spiritual DNA, and yet Jesus came to earth without flaw or temptation, with devout focus and selfless compassion as an illustration of the spiritual purity of Where and Who we came from. His illustration allowed us to accurately perceive ourselves as integral and intimately loved vessels through which goodness could come into the earth.
1:5 Through Him, the apostles (and all people) are able to receive grace and spiritual purpose. Meaning that, through the philosophy of God Jesus taught, we are able to receive grace and spiritual purpose. Any person who lives according to the philosophy of God, whether they realize or label their lives lived as such or not, is a recipient of grace and purpose. A person need not be a Christian to be good, kind, truthful and compassionate. Through having those qualities we receive grace and purpose. Jesus is a vessel through which a person can learn the philosophy of God, but there are other avenues. Some people find their spirituality through art, or nature, or another ideology. There are many ways to arrive at the same place (spiritually), but compassion must be the mode of transportation to get there.
Be careful to identify your mode of transportation, there is much deception and hypocrisy in the world.* Be careful also not to denounce people who seem to believe differently than you do; they are on their own journey; God's respects them and so should you.
*Read and discover for yourself. The ability to do so is a gift! Never let anyone tell you what to believe or what to feel. You are equip with perception and private, individual thought: utilize it!
1:6-7 Paul formally greets the recipients of this letter, welcomes them as children proffered the love and philosophy of God, and wishes them grace and peace. Paul's greeting is heartfelt, thoughtful and faithful: a further exemplification of how to have grace and peace without our own lives.
1:8 This truly is a family. We are thankful for each other's laughter and kindness; the components of our world which make it a joyful place to be. Goodness is inspiring; it is the light of the world and the more it is spread, the better cared for we all are.
1:9 Paul is so eloquently articulate in expressing himself; we are able to clearly feel and understand the depth and purity of his compassion. There is so much in this verse that is instructive to us! Let it be that the following are true: that we,
Our trust and faith in prayer is our connection with our creator. It is the tunnel through which He is able to reach us. The more trust, the more faith we have the more we are able to receive. When we are asking for others, they receive, and we receive as well. Our humility and empathy earn us so many blessings.
1:9 Paul is so eloquently articulate in expressing himself; we are able to clearly feel and understand the depth and purity of his compassion. There is so much in this verse that is instructive to us! Let it be that the following are true: that we,
- ...allow God as the witness of our lives.
- ...serve with our spirit the gospel generously and perfectly exemplified by Jesus.
- ...without ceasing pray, always, for one another.
Our trust and faith in prayer is our connection with our creator. It is the tunnel through which He is able to reach us. The more trust, the more faith we have the more we are able to receive. When we are asking for others, they receive, and we receive as well. Our humility and empathy earn us so many blessings.
1:10 "A way in the will of God..." It is beneficial to us to always ask that God's Will supersede our own. God's Will is omniscient, nimbly responsive to the conditions, experiences, turbulence and joys of our lives. It cannot be hindered, halted or stumped. His will is wise and divinely arranges our greatest strength, wisdom and happiness.
Paul expresses that if it be God's will, he might someday visit with the Romans, the recipients of this letter. The reason Paul requires God's will in order to visit is because Paul trusts and understands that God will ensure that he, always, is guided and placed where he can do and receive the most good. It might have been good for Paul to be in Rome, but it might have been better for him to be else-place. Similarly, we are unable properly, fully orchestrate our greatest happiness, our greatest productivity because we are short-sighted. There are so many factors we cannot anticipate, therefore we are quite blessed to trust God to do that work on our behalf. He will wait for our permission to do so.
1:11-12 When we are encouraged together by faith, our ability and influence in the world becomes doubly effective, multifaceted and capable. Paul expresses a hope to someday work together, being encouraged by mutual faith, many spirits joined in effort toward the same message.
1:13 Paul had been busy preaching to the gentiles, (simply a name for people of the regions and nations he had been travelling through). Also, as we remember, he spent a lot of time in captivity. Even imprisoned, God had an itinerary for Paul to accomplish so much.
1:14 Without partiality or calculation, without discrimination, Paul feels inclined to and responsible for sharing the spiritual philosophy that has been given to him. He feels it is his duty, his life's work to offer to fill others with the wisdom he has been given.
1:15 "As much as is in me, I am ready to preach." This is a beautiful verse. When our spiritual faith becomes all-consuming, illuminating our lives from the inside of our souls and outward into our entire world, we crave expression. We desire to share and spread and sing of all that God's love and wisdom has done for us. We could burst, an explosion of light, from all of the strength, courage, perception, understand and love that has established and renewed our spirits. We wish to give everything we have received.
1:16-17 Paul is proud to speak and give his testimony of the truth of God's philosophy. He is confident in it, awed by it. The power of God is the fuel with which our spirits operate, expand, accomplish, create, inspire, breathe. It is our salvation from chaos, injustice, death and untruth. The people of Judea were the first to receive it but it was proffered to the rest of the nations of the world equally in their individual time. Similarly, we are each on our own individual journeys and the time in which we receive what is and has always been offered is unique to ourselves.
Your faith is wiser than you are without it, more resilient, better prepared, more agile, completely fair. Paul is proud and joyful to speak and stand for this philosophy, this trust in God.
Your faith is wiser than you are without it, more resilient, better prepared, more agile, completely fair. Paul is proud and joyful to speak and stand for this philosophy, this trust in God.
1:18 We can take massive comfort in this verse that God is disgusted in unrighteousness. Meaning that He finds violence, hatred, injustice, evil and greed to be abhorrent and subsequently, He does not tolerate it.
1:19 God is equally horrified by people who manipulate others away from their best interests. Hypocrisy and deception are tools often used by the evil. Those who know better and yet still harm others are doubly guilty. Remember that our God is a loving God and so it is unsurprising that He becomes furious when someone or some ideology threatens our saftey and happiness. He's invested in our lives, He feels our pain as if it were His own.
1:20 The natural earth and universe around us are guides, examples of the manner in which God has created and expected life to thrive. Selflessly, resiliently, symbiotically. Even without the physical, tangible, readable copy of scripture to read for instruction, our surroundings teach us the same lessons of compassion. The earth naturally, selflessly supports our health and our life. It has been tailored to our specific needs despite that we have not paid it to. It does not deceive us; its patterns and conditions are scientifically accurate and constant. There is no deception, no unpredictability.
In many ways, God has shown Himself. The problem is, some people are not looking, not perceiving the wisdom and spirit around them, sustaining their lives (and disbelieving, contradicting hearts).
God has no secrets; nothing is kept from us by Him. Our very existence speaks of Him. He is present in our lives, He has given us life. We breathe the breath given by Him, our hearts beat according to the rhythm He enabled for us.
1:21 "Futile in their hearts... foolish hearts were darkened." Meaning that when we become selfish, we become unproductive, we shade and then smother the light we are capable of lighting the earth and humanity with. Selfishness, greed and violence are futile. There are no measurable gains. It is a foolish heart which darkens itself with futility because it is foolish to reject wisdom and light of living compassionately, humbly.
1:22 Arrogance is the bold confirmation of a person's foolishness. A wise person understands and is made humble by the realization that they are always a student, always dependent on receiving life from a creator. Our lives exist on the whim of an external being, we have no control until we acknowledge God as our life, as the true wisdom and intelligence.
1:23 It is disheartened to God that many of His children have drifted away and then forgotten Him. Instead giving glory and reverence to inanimate objects, material possessions and other meager things, ideologies and people which could never even exist without Him. It's important to Him that you recognize and acknowledge Him not because He's prideful but because only He has your best interest at heart. No other thing or person can care for you life He can; no other thing or person can give or sustain your life, which He so values. He wishes to never see any of us diminished or destroyed, corrupted or led astray by manipulative impostors.
1:24 It is reiterated throughout the bible that we are given complete freedom. God allows us to walk away from Him because He respects our freedom of choice. Uncleanness, lust, and dishonor are frequently chosen: lies are unclean, greed for money and things and people is lustful, and we dishonor ourselves when we devote ourselves to such things. There is no spiritual gain, no health, no promotion of life, no productivity, no compassion in the quest these things.
When God establishes us in His love, He ensures that we know how to take care of ourselves, internally and externally. Our minds become be focused and optimistic, our bodies strong and healthily fed and cared for, our homes and hearts clear from toxins, literally and metaphorically.
1:25-26 God allows us to make our own decisions, to utilize our freedom and He allows for the repercussions of our own decisions. He does not punish us; He is kind and loving. He allows that we choose to punish ourselves.
1:27-31 In so many ways, humans disrespect themselves and others. Of that fact, we are all aware. Ignorance, greediness, hatred, violence, injustice, deceitfulness, these are the components of death. We cannot exist spirituality made of these qualities, and even here on earth, they deplete our spirits, bodies.
1:32 Death is not a sentence God imposes on a person. Death is a sentence a person imposes on themselves when they divest themselves of the qualities which create light. Only kindness can exist in the spiritual life which follows this one. For example: a fish cannot swim on land without water. It is physically, scientifically, wholly impossible. A bird cannot flutter through the sea without air. Evil cannot exist in our spiritual life, the elements it is made of cannot sustain it.
This life is our chance to grow the necessary parts and components we will need to survive the elements of the life beyond this one. Darkness is extinguished by the brilliant light, poof! Gone are the unkindness which attempt to enter. What is darkness in the Light?
1:19 God is equally horrified by people who manipulate others away from their best interests. Hypocrisy and deception are tools often used by the evil. Those who know better and yet still harm others are doubly guilty. Remember that our God is a loving God and so it is unsurprising that He becomes furious when someone or some ideology threatens our saftey and happiness. He's invested in our lives, He feels our pain as if it were His own.
1:20 The natural earth and universe around us are guides, examples of the manner in which God has created and expected life to thrive. Selflessly, resiliently, symbiotically. Even without the physical, tangible, readable copy of scripture to read for instruction, our surroundings teach us the same lessons of compassion. The earth naturally, selflessly supports our health and our life. It has been tailored to our specific needs despite that we have not paid it to. It does not deceive us; its patterns and conditions are scientifically accurate and constant. There is no deception, no unpredictability.
In many ways, God has shown Himself. The problem is, some people are not looking, not perceiving the wisdom and spirit around them, sustaining their lives (and disbelieving, contradicting hearts).
God has no secrets; nothing is kept from us by Him. Our very existence speaks of Him. He is present in our lives, He has given us life. We breathe the breath given by Him, our hearts beat according to the rhythm He enabled for us.
1:21 "Futile in their hearts... foolish hearts were darkened." Meaning that when we become selfish, we become unproductive, we shade and then smother the light we are capable of lighting the earth and humanity with. Selfishness, greed and violence are futile. There are no measurable gains. It is a foolish heart which darkens itself with futility because it is foolish to reject wisdom and light of living compassionately, humbly.
1:22 Arrogance is the bold confirmation of a person's foolishness. A wise person understands and is made humble by the realization that they are always a student, always dependent on receiving life from a creator. Our lives exist on the whim of an external being, we have no control until we acknowledge God as our life, as the true wisdom and intelligence.
1:23 It is disheartened to God that many of His children have drifted away and then forgotten Him. Instead giving glory and reverence to inanimate objects, material possessions and other meager things, ideologies and people which could never even exist without Him. It's important to Him that you recognize and acknowledge Him not because He's prideful but because only He has your best interest at heart. No other thing or person can care for you life He can; no other thing or person can give or sustain your life, which He so values. He wishes to never see any of us diminished or destroyed, corrupted or led astray by manipulative impostors.
1:24 It is reiterated throughout the bible that we are given complete freedom. God allows us to walk away from Him because He respects our freedom of choice. Uncleanness, lust, and dishonor are frequently chosen: lies are unclean, greed for money and things and people is lustful, and we dishonor ourselves when we devote ourselves to such things. There is no spiritual gain, no health, no promotion of life, no productivity, no compassion in the quest these things.
When God establishes us in His love, He ensures that we know how to take care of ourselves, internally and externally. Our minds become be focused and optimistic, our bodies strong and healthily fed and cared for, our homes and hearts clear from toxins, literally and metaphorically.
1:25-26 God allows us to make our own decisions, to utilize our freedom and He allows for the repercussions of our own decisions. He does not punish us; He is kind and loving. He allows that we choose to punish ourselves.
1:27-31 In so many ways, humans disrespect themselves and others. Of that fact, we are all aware. Ignorance, greediness, hatred, violence, injustice, deceitfulness, these are the components of death. We cannot exist spirituality made of these qualities, and even here on earth, they deplete our spirits, bodies.
1:32 Death is not a sentence God imposes on a person. Death is a sentence a person imposes on themselves when they divest themselves of the qualities which create light. Only kindness can exist in the spiritual life which follows this one. For example: a fish cannot swim on land without water. It is physically, scientifically, wholly impossible. A bird cannot flutter through the sea without air. Evil cannot exist in our spiritual life, the elements it is made of cannot sustain it.
This life is our chance to grow the necessary parts and components we will need to survive the elements of the life beyond this one. Darkness is extinguished by the brilliant light, poof! Gone are the unkindness which attempt to enter. What is darkness in the Light?
