Road down Romans: A journey through Grace, Law and Faith

  When Christians Disagree Read: Romans 14 Disagreements are a natural part of life. Everyone is going to have disagreements at some point in life. Imagine you are a part of a sports team, and everyone has a different idea on how to win. Some players think it’s best to play aggressively and take big risks, while others prefer a careful, defence-focused strategy. Each approach has its strengths, but if everyone insists on their way without considering the team, it could lead to chaos on the field. In the body of Christ, we face similar challenges: differing opinions and approaches can either divide us or make us stronger, depending on how we handle them. In Romans 14, Paul addresses these differences, urging believers to prioritize unity over personal preferences. Back in Rome, the early believers were divided over issues like special diets and observance of holy days. Some thought it was sinful to eat meat, so they only ate vegetables, while others believed it was wrong not to ...

  Faithful Citizenship Read: Romans 13 Submit to Government (v1-7) If you’ve seen the news lately, you’ll know that Donald Trump’s victory in the 2024 US election has stirred strong reactions across all media. For some, it’s cause for celebration; for others, it’s a source of concern. Regardless of where we stand, Romans 13 reminds us that God is sovereign over all authorities. Verse 1 emphasizes, "The authorities that exist have been established by God." This means that, as believers, we’re called to submit to the government leaders God has placed over us, even when we don’t always agree (v2). Paul was writing to believers in the heart of the Roman Empire, a time when persecution was looming, and citizens were expected to declare, “Caesar is God.” Yet, instead of urging rebellion, Paul takes an unexpected approach: he calls them to respect the state’s laws while remaining steadfast in doing good (v3). Our submission should come from a place of conscience. If we fac...

  How to be more like Christ? Read: Romans 12 Imagine training to be an athlete. It’s not just about showing up for the game, it’s the daily discipline, practice and small choices that lead to success. To be in top form, an athlete needs to focus on the right habits and discard the ones that hold them back. In a similar way, Romans 12 serves as our training guide, helping us set aside distractions and embrace habits that reflect Christ. In a world that often values power and status, Paul’s message calls us to live differently— to love deeply and serve selflessly. But how do we put this into practice? Let’s explore 5 key principles Paul shares to help us embody Christ’s character in our everyday lives… 1.        Do Not Conform to the World (Verse 1 & 2) First of Paul tells us that our bodies are to be a “living sacrifice” Verse 1 and in verse 2 Paul focuses on our mind. This is showing that in these first two verses Paul is urging us to fo...

  Hope in God’s Plan Read: 1 Kings 19 v 9-18 (Context) Romans 11 Imagine you’re on a long road trip, but suddenly the GPS reroutes you through unfamiliar, winding backroads. It’s easy to feel lost and unsure if you’ll reach your destination. But if you trust the GPS, it’s actually leading you on a better, faster route that you just can’t see yet. Sometimes, life feels like that detour—uncertain, confusing, and discouraging. In the Bible, we see that even when things seem uncertain, God’s plan is still at work. But we’ll see this through the story of Elijah in 1 Kings 19 and how it connects to Paul’s teaching in Romans 11 about hope and God’s faithfulness. God’s Response to Elijah’s Despair (1 Kings 19:9-18) In 1 Kings 19, Israel is in turmoil, having turned away from God to worship Baal. Elijah feels alone, thinking he’s the last faithful prophet, and his hope is fading (v. 9-10). But in verses 11-12, God reveals Himself in a gentle whisper, reminding Elijah that He is ...

  The Need for the Gospel Read: Romans 10 Path to Faith Verse 1-4 Picture yourself driving on a motorway, and you're trying to reach an important destination. There’s only one open lane that is free from obstacles, and signs clearly point you toward it. But instead of following those signs, you keep trying to drive through blocked or crowded lanes, believing your route is better. In Romans 10, Paul tells us that God has provided a clear way to salvation through faith in Jesus that is seen in the gospels. But many people still try to take their own path, ignoring the clear directions. This is like the Jews at the time who reject Jesus as the Messiah, as seen in chapter 9. So, Paul is encouraging them to look at the gospels and see the evidence for themselves. Now we can all learn for Paul because we see in these first 4 verses that Paul is clearly pleading with them to be saved. Verse 1 he says, “my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel that they may be saved.” Now t...

God’s Mercy for His People Read: Romans 9 Rejecting Christ: Verse 1-5 You know what’s annoying! Seeing a celebrity or a top-level athlete have a child with all the advantages in the world, but they just waste it. One example that comes to mind for me is world champion Boxer Chris Eubank's son, Chris Eubank Jr. Now Chris Eubank Sr was a legend in British boxing, but his son never reached the level of his dad. Despite having all the best coaches, they all said he’s too lazy. They had so much potential and all the advantages but just fall flat on their face. The same can be said with of the Jews in the first 5 verses of chapter 9. We see Paul lamenting over the Israelite people. Lamenting is a biblical term that means to have a passionate grief or mourn towards God. We see in verse 4 the advantage the Israelites have which are: “Adoption”: They are the chosen people, children of God, adopted into His family, as seen in Exodus 4v22. “The glory”: This refers to the visible presence of G...

  Love Inseparable Read: Romans 8 verse 31-39 This is part 3 of the blogs in Romans 8 and the last part. Previously we talked about how God’s love frees us from sin in part 1 and in part 2 how God loves us when we are suffering and gives us strength. In this 3 rd and final part of Romans 8 we will talk about how God’s love is absolutely inseparable. I remember in school there was that one kid who was just amazing at football. Everyone knew that if he was on your team, your team was going to win. He was clearly the deciding factor when it comes to winning and losing. That’s just like what it is like when we have God on our side. God helps us from temptation and any attacks Satan may throw at us. But ultimately, He has defeated sin and death, seen in Romans 6v9, that Jesus’ resurrection has defeated death, which means God gives us the victory for whoever lives their lives for Him. But how is God for us? (v31) We when we look at John 3v16 we see clearly in that well known ver...

  Love Through Suffering Read: Romans 8 verse 18-30 This is part 2 of blog 8. Last time we saw God’s love even though we sinned and let Him down. This time we see God’s love for us when we suffer and when we are weak. But with anticipation as to what is to come… Now I struggle getting through things I don’t enjoy, sometimes I lack a lot of discipline. This could be a workout, revising for an exam or doing work for university. So, sometimes I buy myself a bar chocolate or something for when I am done I have something that I can look forward to. Then to find that my brother has ate it. But it still works for me getting through hard times knowing there is a reward waiting at the end. That mindset is similar to what Paul gives us when us as believers face hard times. This is one of my favourite verses for this reason and its verse 18 where Paul says, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that will be revealed to ...

Love Freeing us From Sin Read: Romans 8 verse 1-17 This blog will be longer than usual, so long in fact I have decided to split it up into 3 parts, because there’s a lot of truth we can take from this one chapter alone. This chapter is a personal favourite chapter in the bible. It is known by many theologians like, John Piper, John Macarthur, Derek Thomas, etc. as the greatest chapter in the Bible. In this chapter Paul discusses God’s love, despite our sin or our struggles. God’s love is everlasting and inseparable. Last blog we took a self-evaluation almost at our own lives and at our sin. That we let God down like Paul has. That could leave us feeling guilt and shame, but we saved by the grace of God. Now we all love good news, like getting the results you want or getting your dream job. But what’s better than good news, is receiving good news after a bad day. Maybe it’s a bad hair day, you embarrassed yourself Infront of your peers or it was just an incredibly busy day at wo...

  Our Relationship with Sin Read: Romans 7 Our Relationship with the Law: Verse 1-12 Have you ever had something in your life that you felt slowed you down. Stopped you from reaching a healthy relationship with God. Maybe, it was a relationship with your partner or a friend. Maybe it was a repetitive sin or an idol in your life you need rid of. In these first 12 verses we can clearly see Paul discussing our relationship with God’s law. He illustrates this by comparing our relationship with the law to a marriage in verse 3 and 4. That if a woman marries a man but the man dies, she won’t commit adultery because she is no long bound to that man. But like the woman was bound to the man we are bound to the law. However, through Christ’s death and resurrection we are no longer bound to the law but alive in Christ. This doesn’t mean that the law is bad, but it is powerless to save us, it is through Christ alone that saves us. That’s what a lot of Jews back then were getting wron...

  Dead to Sin, Alive in Christ Read:     Romans 6 Imagine a man who has been in prison for many years. One day he wakes up to find that his cell is wide open. He’s completely free to leave, but instead of walking out, he chooses to stay inside. Why? He’s become so used to life in prison he doesn’t know what freedom looks like anymore. Why do think he stayed? What would you do in that situation? You are probably thinking you would walk out and enjoy freedom. But this mirrors the message Paul gives us in Romans 6 as we are prisoners or slaves to our sin. However, we can be free from our sin when we put our trust in Jesus. Paul starts by asking the question in verse 1 “Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not!” Some people may say they are a Christian, but they don’t live like one. Maybe that’s you, maybe there’s a sin that you want to hold onto. You may lack the spiritual discipline to get rid of it. Jesus says in Matthew 6v24 “No one can s...

The Hope in our Faith Read: Romans 5 In the last blog we saw Paul talking about Abraham about how God turned his life around with one promise. Sometimes life can be turned around for the better, other times life can be turned on its head for the worse. When I reached high school I had a hard time, didn’t have any Christian friends in my year (that I knew of at the time) so I tried my best to fit in. In doing so, I lost touch with my relationship with God. The boys I then became friends with weren’t good and I found myself getting bullied worse and worse. From what just started off as just normal banter grew to a really hard point in my life to the point, I realised I needed help. My mental health was at an all-time low to the point I didn’t think anyone around me cared about me. My self-esteem was low, I was anxious, over thinking what people thought of me. But I decided to seek help, and a verse kept appearing and that Psalm 56v3&4 and it says “When I am afraid, I will trust...