Welcome to BibleBum where we are exploring the entire Bible in one year to better learn how to follow God’s instructions and discover the purpose for our lives.  The BibleBum blog uses The One Year Chronological Bible, the New Living Translation version.  At the end of each day’s reading, Rob, a cultural history aficionado and seminary graduate, answers questions from Leigh An, the blogger host, about the daily scripture.  To start from the beginning, click on “Index” and select Day 1.

Romans 5-8:17

Questions & Observations

O. (Romans 5:1-11): Paul is an awesome writer!  And, if I said that to him, he would give the glory to God because God has given him the words to speak and the talent to deliver the words eloquently.  I often think of giving and receiving compliments.  I feel weird getting them, because I did what I did because of who I am and the talents I have.  I should say something about that it’s just how God made me.  Then, giving them sometimes feels awkward too, maybe because of the same thing.  It shouldn’t be the people I’m praising, but God for giving them the talents or means that would elicit that compliment.

Q. (Romans 5:17): I just wondered if that’s how Satan became ruler of the earth: because he was triumphant in getting Adam and Eve to sin that he won a little battle over earth. I’m not saying that Satan is more powerful than God, just that this was the beginning of a battle of the two for the rights of the human race and eternity.  Yes, I’m just reaching for all of this.  I’m not saying it’s true.  I think it’s OK for our minds to wonder as long as we don’t pass it on as truth?  The important point being made here is that Adam may have ushered in sin, but the more important point is that Jesus triumphed over sin by making it null and void, as long as we believe in Him and live our lives accordingly.

A. I think that the creation of man and woman was merely a new front in a struggle that has taken place outside of time, so to think of it as having a “beginning” is a little bit tricky.  I believe that the struggle between God and Satan has been going on since before time began (which is not the same as saying they have battled for eternity — only God is eternal, Satan is created).  Satan’s attacks on mankind, from the Garden on down, can be thought of in the same way that a bully by definition attacks people smaller than himself or herself.  Satan can’t attack God directly, but he can harm those who are most dear to God, His children — us, and perhaps even separate some of these vulnerable children from their Father for all eternity.  Pretty brutal tactics if you ask me.

Q. (Romans 6:1-14): I’ve said before that I was baptized in the Fourth Grade and I don’t remember a lot about it except that where it was and about how old I was.  I remember that our church always sang the hymnal versions of Power in the Blood (listen to this blue-grassy version at http://cardiphonia.bandcamp.com/track/power-in-the-blood-nothing-but-the-blood-of-jesus).  I intended to go to the baptism classes with my oldest daughter, who is 8, last time our church offered them.  I missed it.  It wasn’t on my radar loud enough.  She didn’t really say one way or the other if she wanted to do it.  However, one of their friends, who I think is 7, was baptized.  Now, my little one, 5, asked to be baptized.  I certainly didn’t tell her she couldn’t.  She said she wanted to because she loved Jesus.  I thought that was a pretty good reason.  But, I was always taught — by the church, I don’t know what the Bible says about it — that you have to be mature enough to understand the deep meaning of baptism.  Does the Bible address the timing of it?  Our church baptizes babies, right?  Or, is it a dedication or blessing?  They are sprinkled with water.  That’s another thing, I was always taught that true baptism required submersion.

A. Ah, we’re back to the baker’s dozen questions in a question.  Ok, let’s see: the Bible says nothing about the age of knowing, but there’s a good reason for that — the only accounts of baptisms are with adults (though some families are included).  So the only form of baptism presented in the Bible at all (whether by John the Baptist or by Jesus’ followers in Acts) is immersion.  This is where the tradition of immersion comes from to this day, and is the most common type of Baptism.  It’s worth pointing out, however, that really only the Baptist church (named that for a reason) says that the ONLY acceptable baptism is immersion.  Other churches have done just fine with pouring or sprinkling water onto the head of a candidate (I was baptized by sprinkling when I was 12).  Baptists are rather picky about this because of their denominational history, which is too lengthy to go into here.  Summit as a church will baptize (by sprinkling) or dedicate an infant, but they only OFFER (publicly anyway) immersion for adults, at our bi-annual beach ceremonies.  The ministers at Summit would not tell someone that their baptism “didn’t count” because they weren’t immersed, they respect all forms of baptism.

Q. (6:12-14): I certainly get this, but I struggle with the structure of it.  I never remember feeling the gift of the Holy Spirit when I was baptized, but I always had a strong conscience, even before I was baptized.  So, can you get the gift of the Spirit without being baptized?  My girls seem to have a good sense of right and wrong, around others anyway.  The other thing is this Passage makes it sound simple, like sin is so easy to give up.  And, sometimes I don’t know if some things I do are sins or not.  I know some may roll their eyes to these, but hey, I’m married with two kids at home and not much money to sin with, so the little stuff is meaningful.  I can have a cup of coffee and know it wasn’t right for me to have.  Others can drink a whole pot of coffee and not feel bad, physically or guiltily (is that even a word, jk).  I am always monitoring my words.  Sometimes I speak out and wish I had kept my mouth shut.  But, I think many times I’m being overly worried.  But, it feels like sin because anything I say should be OK with God and whatever he allows me to say, I shouldn’t feel ashamed.  And, sometimes I am ashamed of what I say (not about God.)  Anyway, are these little white sins or am I getting caught up in areas that are not important to God?  In his eyes, a little coffee or chocolate is probably no big deal.  But … if I do eat some and feel bad, then my body is not working at full capacity which would keep me from being my best, which would make me feel as if I had sinned.

A. That was pretty hard to follow, but let’s see what we can get out of it.  The Bible tells us that those who believe in Christ receive the Holy Spirit — no Baptism required.  The two are frequently intertwined, however, because Baptism was for centuries the only place where you could profess your faith and become a Christian.  Now even before a person receives the Spirit, that person has some form of moral compass (what you describe in your daughters) that I believe comes from the mark of our Creator — it is what we would call a conscience.  We don’t lose that when the Spirit enters our lives, but I believe that if we are open to His guiding, the Spirit can supersede our moral compass and guide us in truly Godly living, but it takes years of practice.  Since you bring it up, one way we can know that the Spirit is at work is that we are CONVICTED of our little sins, and guided towards repentance.  As to whether chocolate or coffee is a sin to indulge in, well, I’ll let the Spirit guide you on that one.  J

Q. (Romans 7:15-17): This is so interesting.  I never thought of myself as two different parts.  I thought that the sinner and the person were one in the same.  But, here it is saying that a person can know and understand sin, but still do it.  So, to me, this means that the person is inherently good, it’s just the sin that is living inside them that they need to dispose of.

A. I’m going to have to disagree with your assessment — the trajectory of human kind since the fall has been down, not up; bad, not good.  There is still good in us, but it is negated and corrupted by our sins.  We are capable of great acts of kindness and mercy, but also perverse acts of brutality and cruelty, but without God’s help, our good deeds simply do not outweigh our evil ones.  That is why we need God’s help so badly, and that is why Jesus came to Earth.

Q. (7:21-25): Amen, Brother Paul.  I can’t believe that even Paul has little wars going inside of his head between choosing good in the midst of sinful temptations.  This makes me think that those folks who have an air about them that they are pompously holy are putting on a big show.  If Paul struggles with sin, so do they!  I feel like the end of the Bible is the grand finale.

A. Wait until we get to the end of 2 Corinthians, you’ll love what Paul has to say.

O. (8:1-2) Sweet relief.  Thank you for your knowledge, Paul.  These verses certainly calm some anxiety!

Q. (8:9b): To me, this statement in parentheses supports your idea, Rob, that God’s chosen ones are the ones who have the Spirit in their heart, which is something that they chose to do themselves.  It has nothing to do with God selecting certain people to go to heaven.  I always have to remember to give God a lot more credit than I do.  He’s always going to be fair.  He loves all of us, equally, if we let Him.

A. Jesus desires to draw all humankind to Himself.

Q. (8:17): I’m glad Paul remembered the suffering part.  He was making it sound all too easy.

A. Frankly, I find Paul’s ability to make it sound easy with all that he went through to be the amazing part.  He will give us a rundown of his “incidents” in Philippians I think.  But never fear, suffering was never very foreign to him — it never is to those who are closest to God.  Just don’t tell that to Joel Osteen.