Romans

Destructive criticism is obviously evil: it ruins relationships and reputations.  But it is just as wicked to encourage or pressurise people to act against their conscience.  They may be well intentioned but undiscerning of both God’s will for that person and their conscience.  Some believers wrongly assume that what they do, and the way they do it, must be God’s will for every Christian.  While Biblical doctrine is clear and must not be compromised, the exact way in which it is expressed may vary according to circumstances (2 Kings 5:18-19).

All religions, including secularism and humanism, have one thing in common - rules!  Religion implicitly says, 'obey the rules, or at least try hard, and you will be acceptable' (Colossians 2:20-23).  Yet, as human beings, we are incapable of following all the rules all the time ...

God is working in all of His children.  But we all start from a different place to each other - our religious background, ethnic culture, social habits, cultural preferences and many more elements of our past life including the ways in which we have sinned and rebelled against God’s authority.  So, we ought to realise that He is doing different things in each of us, enabling us to conform our hearts and actions to His will (Philippians 2:13).  

God is working on all of us; and in each of us in a different way - taking us from where we were to where He wants us.  On the way, He wants us to think through all the issues He presents to us, so that we can fully agree with Him that we are doing what is right and pleasing to Him.  He does not want us to do things just because other people think it is right, but because our conscience conforms to His Word and is at peace and eager to do His will.

Our human nature delights to use our own strength for our own purposes (Luke 12:16-21).  This includes our abilities, possessions, relationships and even the spiritual understanding we treasure.  However, Paul taught the church in Rome that strength is best expressed in service of people who are weak, as Jesus did (Matthew 20:25-28).

In the Bible, 'hope' is a special word which means 'the confident expectation that God will do what He has promised’.  This is especially true about the certain coming again of Jesus (Titus 2:13), and our confidence that we will be acceptable to God through Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:6).  Without this hope as an anchor for our souls (Hebrews 6:19), we would be pulled off track by life's many uncertainties and tests.  The Lord has promised to lead us in safety, even though the devil will tempt us and we sometimes fail Him: but the outcome of the believer's relationship with God

Endurance is the internal ability to keep going despite hardship, suffering and opposition.  It is a quality that does not boast, because endurance is busy facing down the pain and continuing to do what is right.

It must have been difficult for the believers in Rome who had a Jewish background.  They had grown up believing that only the children of Israel (Jacob’s new name) and their descendants could be included in God’s family.  Then as they heard the gospel and trusted in Jesus, they found that non-Jews (Gentiles) were also discovering Jesus.  So those who worshipped Jesus came from such different backgrounds … how would they relate together?