Romans 13

Read Romans Chapter 13

“But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no (provision) for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭13:14‬ ‭

The word provision also means to supply, or you could say give it opportunity.  Folks, when a person gets born again or saved, your spirit is saved.  You become a new person on the inside, but we still have the same body and mind. We have the promise of a new body someday, but until then we have to keep our minds renewed to the word of God. We still have to deal with what the Bible calls the old man or the flesh.  There is a battle that takes place in our minds. 

Romans 12

Read Romans Chapter 12

“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭12:2

I have referenced this verse many times. Let’s take a closer look at it.  Notice it says “conformed to this world“.  Conform means to fashion after.  Yes, we live here, but Jesus does not want us to think and talk or live our lives after the fashion or customs of this world!

He wants us to be transformed. Transformed means to be changed. Folks, if a person truly gets saved, there is going to be change! 

Now look at 2 Corinthians 5;17  “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” You see with salvation comes change. But notice again in Romans 12:2 it says “renewing".  Renewing is an action verb. So renewing or changing into the image of Christ is an ongoing process!

And finally, there is a promise at the end of the verse. It says that by renewing our minds that we will be able to prove or know the good, acceptable and perfect will of God!  Let’s stay at it!  Let’s keep renewing and filling our minds with the word of God! 

Romans 11

Read Romans Chapter 11

“I ask, then, has God rejected his own people, the nation of Israel? Of course not! I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham and a member of the tribe of Benjamin. No, God has not rejected his own people, whom he chose from the very beginning. 

‭‭Romans‬ ‭11:1-2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Chapter 11 discusses Israel and the Gentiles. 

So here is a little history. God established a covenant with a man named Abraham. God told him that his offspring would be great and innumerable and that the whole world would be blessed through his seed.

Abraham had a son named Isaac, and Isaac had a son named Jacob.  God changed Jacob's name to Israel. Jacob, now named Israel, had 12 sons. Israel would become a nation of 12 tribes. Paul identifies himself with the tribe of Benjamin. So why are they called “chosen“?  Because God chose to bring the savior of the world through the nation of Israel, and specifically through the tribe of Judah. Jesus was a Jew.  The word “Jew” originated with the ancient Israelite kingdom of Judah.

Now the word “Gentile” means “non-Jewish” or the nations at large. So most of us are by definition Gentiles, but the covenant that God made with Abraham included a promise that the whole world would be blessed!  Jesus Christ was the promised Messiah, not only for the Jews but for the whole world!  

Jesus was rejected as being the Messiah by the nation of Israel when he came, however many individual Jews did receive Him and still do.  God is not through with Israel. There are still promises pertaining to their nation and someday they will come to recognize Jesus as their Messiah.

Chapter 11, Paul who primarily preached to the Gentiles tells us that we were grafted in.  Romans 8:15 says “So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.”  So folks, at the end of the day it won’t matter if you are Jew or Gentile.  What will matter is if you are a child of God, and that only happens when you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ as your savior!