Bible Study on Romans Session 16

Saint Paul’s Letter to the Romans;

A Bible Study Based upon the Homilies of St John Chrysostom (SJC)

Study Guide – March 5, 2019 – Romans 8.28-39 – Homily 15

Prayer before reading of the Holy Scriptures: Shine within our hearts, loving Master, the pure light of Your divine knowledge, and open the eyes of our minds that we may comprehend the message of Your Gospel. Instill in us also reverence for Your blessed commandments so that, having conquered sinful desires, we may pursue a spiritual life, thinking and doing all those things which are pleasing to You. For You, Christ our God, are the light of our souls and bodies, and to You we give glory, together with Your Father who is without beginning and Your all holy, good and life giving Spirit, always now and forever and to the ages of ages.

Chapter 8, Verses 28-30

  • Paul urges us to choose the things the Holy Spirit wants for us. SJC “For Paul is instructing them to not choose just those things that they themselves would consider to be beneficial, but the things that the Spirit might suggest.” (Pg 319 #2)
  • Allow the Holy Spirit some room in our life because He loves us so much. SJC “For the Holy Spirit has great concern for us, and this is pleasing to God.” (Pg 320 #3)
  • God makes even the worst events a blessing to us, by changing the outcome rather than the action. SJC “For this is a mark of His ineffable power, namely, to make the things that seem to cause distress to be light and no burden for us, and to turn them into what is helpful for us.” (Pg 320 #4)
  • We just need to love God with genuine love. SJC “Just as what seemed to be harmful to Paul’s audience really helped them, so too the helpful things do harm to those who do not love God. Even the display of miracles by Christ and the correctness of His doctrines harmed the Jews, as did the wisdom of His teaching. Because of His miracles and doctrines, they called Him possessed of the devil; because of His wisdom, they said he made himself equal to God; because of His miracles, they tried to kill Him.” (Pg 321 #7)
  • DOGMA: The purpose of our calling is salvation! SJC “The purpose of those who are called, is what produced salvation. For the call carried neither necessity nor force. Surely all were called, but all did not listen or obey…For what the Only Begotten was by nature, this they too became by grace.” (Pg 321 #10)

Chapter 8, Verses 31-39

  • At least we should believe the blessings that have already come. SJC “For if some there are who do not believe in the blessings to come, still they could say nothing against the blessings that have already come, I mean such blessings as God’s friendship toward you from the beginning, your justification, and your glory.” (Pg 322 #12)
  • The world IS against us! SJC “Surely the world is against us, both rulers and people, both kinsmen and citizens. Still, those who are against us are so far from acting maliciously against us that they become the causes for us to win crowns of victory, even if they have no intention to do so.” (Pg 322-323 #14)
  • Our light will shine even brighter because the devil himself is orchestrating the war against us like he did against Job and the Apostles. SJC “Surely the devil stirred up his friends against him; moved his wife against hij; made his sores, his servants, and countless other tricks and devices do him harm. Still nothing was against him. Yet this was nothing great for Job, even though it was very great. But what was far greater was the fact that everything turned out to be for his benefit. Because God was for him, the things that seemed to be against him all turned out to be for him.” (Pg 323 #15)
  • Nothing can defeat a man of faith. SJC “But against the man of faith who truly pays heed to the laws of God, neither man nor demon nor anything else will be able to make a stand. For if you take away his money, you have supplied him with recompense. If you curse him, because of your curse you have made him glorious in the sight of God. If you bring him to starvation, his glory and reward will be greater. If you hand him over to be slain – which seems to be the harshest of all punishments – you are weaving a crown of martyrdom for him. What then could be equal to this way of life, when nothing can be against it?” (Pg 323 #17-18)
  • The greatest sign of God’s love is the Passion of Christ. SJC “How then will God forsake us on whose behalf He has not spared His own Son, but has delivered Him up for us all? Ponder on how great a goodness it takes not to spare His own Son, but to deliver Him up on behalf of all, including the worthless, the arrogant, and those who blasphemed Him.” (Pg 324 #20)
  • When God is the judge, nobody can really argue with His decision.
  • God’s love is never ending. SJC “Christ was not satisfied with dying only. He not only did the things that were His to do; He also called on Another [the Father] to help him. And this especially is a sign of the greatest love.” (Pg 325 #25)
  • DOGMA: The Son possess all the same power of the Father to raise the dead. His intercessions to the Father do not negate his authority, but reveal His love. SJC “Because the Son is the life and source of all blessings, because He possesses the same power as the Father both to raise up the dead and bring them back to life and to do all other things, how would He have need to intercede with the Father to help us?” (Pg 325-326 #27)
  • Based on everything we “now know” how could be possibly be afraid? SJC “If the Spirit pleads with unutterable groanings, if Christ died and intercedes for us, and the Father has not spared His own Son for you, if God has chosen you and justified you, why then are you afraid?” (Pg 326 #29)
  • Paul uses examples of extreme suffering rather than daily temptation to explain God’s protection and love. SJC “For when Paul speaks of tribulation, he includes imprisonment and bonds, calumnies and banishments, and all other hardships. He is enumerating a vast sea of dangers in a single word. Hs is simply revealing to us by one term the dread things that occur among men.” (Pg 327 #32)
  • We suffer for God, not for men. SJC “It is not for men, nor for any other living creature, that we suffer these things, but for the King of all things. Christ adorns them not only with this crown, but He has encircled their heads with another crown, one that is varied and diverse.” (Pg 327 #34)
  • Our daily offering (sacrifice) to God is our daily choice to choose Him. SJC “For on a single day it is possible to die once, or twice, or many times. And he who has prepared himself for this always receives his complete reward….And he shows that their bodies became their sacrifice, and that there is no need to be upset and troubled, because it was God who managed things in this way. And he encourages them in other ways as well.” (Pg 327-328 #35-37)
  • God is doing the battle for us. SJC “If we were beaten back, we would overcome those who were beating us. If we were being put to flight, we would conquer those who were pursuing us. If we were dying, we would put to flight our living foes. Flor when you add God’s power and love, there is nothing that will stop these wondrous and unexpected things from happening.” (Pg 328-329 #40)
  • We use our enemies’ weapons against them. SJC “This is a new way to win a victory, namely, to win by the things devise against them and never to be overcome, but to go into those battles as if they were masters of how the conflict would end.” (Pg 329 #42)
  • We should fear nothing but losing our love for God. SJC “Paul did not say this because angels or the other powers would try to do this – heaven forbid! – but because he wished in the strongest possible way to show the love he had for Christ…He only feared one thing, namely, that he might fall from that love he had for Christ. For this loss of love is more terrifying than Gehenna itself.” (Pg 330 #46)

Life Application – God doesn’t ask for much

  • Our love for God is nothing compared with that of Saint Paul“Can we be worthy at all, when Paul feels no amazement even for the blessings of heaven when compared to his love for Christ, while we hold things of mire and clay in greater honor than the honor in which we hold Christ. And while Paul is willing to fall into Gehenna and to be banished from the kingdom for his love for Christ, if the choice were put before him [rather than to be separated from that love], we do not even hold the present life in scorn. Do we then deserve even to touch Paul’s sandals, since we have fallen so short of his nobility of mind and soul?” (Pg 330 #47)
  • We do not allow Christ to draw us away from worldly things “Let us shudder – those of us who do not hold possessions in scorn for the sake of God. Rather, I should say those of us who do not hold possessions in scorn for our own sakes. For it was Paul alone who suffered all things for the sake of Christ, not for the sake of the kingdom or for his own honor, but because of his love and goodwill toward Christ. But neither Christ nor the things of Christ draw us away from the things of this world. Like serpents or vipers or pigs, or even all these together, we drag ourselves about in the slime.” (Pg 331 #50)
  • It is for our sake that Christ identifies Himself with the poor “It is for your sake that He goes about hungry; it is from what is His that you should give, so that you yourself may reap the benefit. Yet, even so, you refuse to give. Could stones be any more senseless? Even though so many things are urging you to act, you persist in this state of savagery. And this is the work of the devil….If these things do not make you feel love for you fellow man, show your willingness to comply with My request because what I ask is easy for you to do.” (Pg 332 #52-53)
  • God doesn’t expect us to change reality; only to comfort others “I am offering you a crown for showing favor to Me. I am giving you the kingdom as a gift in return for these small favors. I am not saying ‘Free me from poverty,’ nor ‘give Me your wealth,’ even though I became poor for your sake. But still I am asking for a piece of bread, and a garment, and a small comfort for My hunger.” (Pg 333 #56)

Send-Off – Your deeds and acts will be profit enough!

I seek one thing only from you: proof in deeds, obedience in acts. That is applause enough for me. This is what brings profit to you. And that is brighter and more shining than a crown for me. After you have left the Church, prepare this crown for yourselves and for me through the hands of the poor, so that we may live together in good hope during the present life and, as we depart to the life to come, we may find countless blessings. (Pg 334 #60)