The temperate person's pleasures are durable because they are regular; and all their life is calm and serene, because it is innocent.Author Unknown
Romans 16:19-20
The report of your obedience has reached everyone. Therefore I rejoice over you. But I want you to be wise about what is good, yet innocent about what is evil. The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you. (HCSB)
Here at the end of Paul’s letter to the Roman church, we find the same rejoicing that Paul spoke of at the beginning. Paul began this letter in much the same way. In Romans 1:8 Paul says, “First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you because the news of your faith is being reported in all the world.” Paul rejoiced whenever Christ was manifested in the lives of people.
So here is a question for all of us this morning. Are there people around you that are saying the same thing about the way we live? This means that you are taking the second part of this verse very seriously also. It means you are growing wise in the ways of God and innocent in the ways of evil. Paul also mentions this in 1 Cor 14:20, “Brothers, don’t be childish in your thinking, but be infants in evil and adult in your thinking.”
Paul here speaks of evil as people in the state of infancy that will not grow up to be adults in spiritual things. This means that they are not spreading the news of Christ’s power and grace in their lives, but they are controlled by the evil one in this world and bring shame to the Cross of Christ. They are not known in the world for expressing faith, but for a lack of faith having the reputation of a foolish child...God’s Blessings.
Pastor William
No comments:
Post a Comment