Learnings from Romans Class
One of the interesting things that I learned from the Romans class is
the understanding of the meaning of a word that Paul used in this letter, peace
(v6). Conventionally, the peace that Christians talked about regarding the peace
mentioned in the Bible, refers to the state of tranquility and serenity,
without tension, stress, and a sense of harmony within one’s mind or heart.
This understanding has much to do with our interpretation of what Paul meant
when he wish the audience of his letter in Romans chapter 1. Traditionally, it
was understood that Paul meant the peace that refers to the Greco-Roman idea of
peace, which is the absence of war or ‘a state of national tranquility’.[1] The concept of peace by
the people at that time has much to do with the Roman Empire being constantly
at war, trying to conquer more land. However, Paul being a Jew, could have
meant it as the Jewish understanding of the concept of peace, which is Salom [שָׁל] ‘the wholeness of body; right relationship or harmony
between two parties or people…; prosperity, success, or fulfillment…’.[2] This was pointed out and
explained by Brother Casey during the class and it has changed quite a bit of
my understanding of the word ‘peace’. The expansion of the meaning gives it
much more richness to the word. The next time when I greet people or write
cards for others, the peace that I wish them would have meant deeper than the
typical understanding of the word ‘peace’. That would also be my prayer for
them as well.
The other thing that I was reminded of when doing the group work
on the passage of Rom 12:9-13 is that genuine love also means hating evil and
holding to what is good. The co-relation of love and hating evil seems
contrasting in the beginning. However, hating evil, which is defined by things
not in the will of God, can be neglected when our understanding of love is only
association to feeling good. This reminded me about God’s love for me, though
sacrificial and so filled with grace, does not mean that He allows me to have
my ways and gives me all that I want, without considering what is the best and
right for me. Love
is not genuine if it leads someone to escape from doing good or to commit evil.
Human nature has a tendency to sin and
human motives are questionable (Jer 17:9). This is a challenge for me to apply
in my life when it comes to discipleship. There are times when we need to
exercise discipline and correction so that the message of disapproval for
certain unbiblical, actions/behaviours/attitudes which have been willfully
repeated by the disciple, can be communicated with urgency or importance. This
could cause tensions in the relationship or may have been misunderstood by
others or the disciple. However, there is a need to hold to what is right and
make a stand against what is not right as we learn to love one another
genuinely. James
R. Edwards states that Agape love is one that, irrespective of cost to self,
compels itself to the good of the other.[3]
Something I learned from the readings on Romans, especially from
Douglas Moo’s book, The Epistles to the
Romans, New International Commentary on the New Testament, on chapter 8 is
the prominence of the work of the Holy Spirit.[4] Out of the 21 occurrences
of the word pneuma in Rom 8, all
except only two (vv15a and 16b) refers to the Holy Spirit. Here the focus is on
what the Spirit does, His ministry on behalf of Christians. Moo states that Paul’s
mention of the struggle of the spirit and flesh is not between man’s flesh and
man’s spirit but between the human flesh with God’s Spirit and Paul elaborates
this in areas of the mind, behavior, etc. Paul is saying that the Spirit now governs
our life in our thinking right on to the point of our behavior, being the
dominating power in the life of the believer. In what the law could not do, to
conquer the flesh, our weakness, our sinful inclination, God’s Spirit does do.
This concept brought to remind myself of the essential need to walk in step
with the Spirit, to cooperate with, respond to, and yield to the Spirit daily
in my life. This requires us to learn to remain in God’s love through dying to ourselves,
daily in our lives. The necessity of devotional time and the practice of the
presence of God, the consciousness of God, would enhance and help us to listen
to the Spirit more readily, and respond more promptly. This has been the
challenge for myself that I pray I would grow in my journey with Jesus.
The fellowship experienced in the midst of lessons, assignments
and group work is also a refreshing incentive in attending this module. Through
the interaction with my group mates in the Romans class, I’ve experienced a
team that is readily and actively adding to one another. This is something that
I pray for in the team I served with in church as I reflect on this. I have
been blessed by them as each has different strengths that took initiative to cover
one another. Really thank God for them as the course started during the week
where much time was required to be committed to my work and I was experiencing
an increase in need for proper, adequate sleep. I was also glad to see many
‘former’ classmates and although the time to catch up was pretty tight, a few
who were open to share took the initiatives to update share their experiences.
I’ve been blessed much even though I was not able to provide much ‘advice’ to
their sharing and we had to end a few conversations a little abruptly as we
needed to start the class. The prayer time at the beginning of the class to
keep one another covered in prayers also encourages me. The practice reminded
me to keep praying for the people around me and just pray in faith and trust in
the God’s love to work all things according to His purposes (Rom 8:28).
[1]http://www.biblestudytools.com/lexicons/greek/nas/eirene.html.
[2]http://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionaries/bakers-evangelical-dictionary/peace.html; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shalom.
[3]James R. Edwards, Romans: New International Biblical Commentary, (Peabody, Mass.:
Hendrickson, 1992), 292.
[4]Douglas J. Moo, The Epistle to the Romans,
New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, Michigan:
William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1996), 467-547.
