Rom 3:21-26 Don't say "justification by faith"

This passage contrasts the past/present with the New (Messianic) Age that has been inaugurated by the Resurrection of Jesus the Messiah, "But now..."
In this New Age, the Righteousness of God - his saving justice, his covental faithfulness - is demonstrated not by our faith but by the faithfulness of the Messiah who was "obedient unto death on a cross" (Phil 2) thus providing a sacrifice of atonement.
This is why speaking of justification by faith, while true, can be misleading. We are justified by the grace of God and by the faithfulness of the Messiah. We receive this gift by faith. The sign that we have received this justification is faith it is not the cause of the justification.
So it is better to say, justified by grace through faith, or justified witnessed to by faith.
This avoids the unnecessary debate over whether "faith" is a meritorius work. Of course it is not; it is nothing more, nothing less, than a response to God's gracious gift.

Rom 2:1-16 Is an impartial God a good idea?

This passage is an exegete's nightmare. So many significant commentators seem to disagree about what Pual is trying to say. This, of course, is not surprising since he says that we are "justified by doing the law" (v.13) which, as any child of the Reformation will tell you, just can't be right. [Of course, N T Wright has a theory that Paul means what he says but we'll leave that for the moment.]

For me the key is found in Paul's axiom: There is no partiality with God (v.11; also, v.2 judgment based upon truth; v.6 each person according to their deeds; vv.9,10 to the Jew first then also for the Gentile; + 3:29 He is God of the Gentiles too).

So I ask myself, Who needs to hear that axiom articulated? And I answer myself, Those who think God is partial. And, given the tone (the "you" addressed thinks they will escape God's judgment), it seems that these people believe that God is partial towards them. They mistake his kindness and patience as a lack of judgment when, instead, it is meant to lead to repentance (v.4).

And I ask myself, "am I he?" Am I one who believes that because I am a Christian that God is partial towards me and that he will not judge in truth? Am I one who believes that hearing is enough and that doing is optional (v.13)? Or, am I one who because the Spirit lives within me actually lives as a slave to God (leading to righteousness + holiness) (6:19-23, 8:1-17).

Don't be deceived Paul says (Gal 6:7-10), God will not be mocked. We will be judged and we will be judged in truth for there is no partiality with God.

Rom 16:16 Holy Kissing

Paul instructs the Christians of Rome (and Corinth and Thessalonica) to "greet one another with a holy kiss."

It was family members, and those being treated as members of the family, who would greet one another with a kiss in Rome. For this reason kissing cannot be equated with shaking hands (contra J B Phillips) – a greeting we use with strangers and acquaintances, almost never with family members. Therefore, "holy" cannot mean chaste. Rather it reflects the identification of Christians as "the saint" (= "the holy ones," see 1:7). A "holy kiss" is the kiss of the saints, the family of God. Family is a key first-century value. It is your family that is your closest and strongest alliances in life and in business – the only ones you can truly trust.

Therefore, Paul's command is better translated as "greet one another as your closest companions." A command targeted against the divisions among the Christians of Rome (e.g., week/strong, Jew/Gentile, honoured/marginal).

Many of our churches today are too large for us to know one another. [Recently, one friendly parishioner asked if I was new to the church. "No," I replied. "I've been coming here since 1997."] This has led us to treat the sanctuary as "public space" which strangers inhabit according to the rules of politeness – don't sit too close if you don't have to – rather than as "private space" (e.g., homes) where everyone crowds in together. Next time you're in church, get there early and watch the sanctuary fill up; I think you will see lots of distance between people that is only filled in gradually – strangers sharing the same space rather than family gathering together.

We need to hear and obey Paul's instruction: greet one another with a holy kiss.

Romans 12:1-2 Spiritual Worship

Worship is the appropriate response to God (see 1:18-32).

This worship is not just the privilege of the Jews (see 9:4) but is appropriate from each of the one people of the one God (i.e., "brothers and sisters," 12:1). This is a "reasonable" (NRSV: spiritual) act – the act of a person made in the image of God. This worship is "pleasing" (NRSV: acceptable) to God and is done in the midst of this "age" (NRSV: world), that is, bodily.

Our worship is a response to God's mercies ("by," 12:1).

The transforming of the mind is to bring the self in step with the Spirit (ch 8) rather than this "present evil age" (Gal 1:4, see Rom 7). This allows us to know the mind of God without the instruction of the Torah (cf. 2:18; see Jer 31:33) – a sign of the new age of the Spirit.

Romans 1:18-32 Sin is a Religious Act

Our personal sins are not the cause of God's judgment - they are the result of his present ("is," v.18) judgment!

This seems counter-intuitive because we have a tendency to view God as a cosmic judge whose role it is to punish sin. And, we believe, that left to ourselves we are basically decent people.

Observation: repetition of "Therfore, God gave them up...", vv. 24, 26, 28

Because they did not honor God or give him thanks... [this is the essential SIN]

God gave them up to... [the judment of SIN]

• impurity, dishonouring of their bodies [sins]
• dishonourable passions [sins]
• a base mind and improper conduct [sins]

Sin is a religious issue not a moral or ethical issue.

THEREFORE, the solution to sin must be "religious" - a relationship with the living God. This relationship is not "theological" (a statement of belief about God) but religious (a way of life with God, i.e., honour + thanksgiving).