Outreach – Page 2 – Just Keith Harris

Romans 13 on 1/1 | NT260 — Reading & Growing in Christ

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Paul continues the “gospel-shaped life” he began in Romans 12 by turning to how Christians relate to civil government. Because God is ultimately sovereign, there is no governing authority that exists apart from His permission and providence (v. 1; cf. Dan. 2:21). So believers are called to live as good citizens—submitting to lawful authority, not as people who worship the state, but as people who worship God and recognize His ordering of society (vv. 1–2). Government is meant to restrain evil and promote good, and when it functions as it should, it serves as God’s instrument to uphold justice in a fallen world (vv. 3–4). That’s why Christians should obey not only to avoid consequences, but “for the sake of conscience” (v. 5), paying what is owed and showing respect and honor where it’s due (vv. 6–7; cf. Matt. 22:21).

But Paul also makes clear that our submission has a boundary: God is the highest authority. Scripture shows moments when God’s people must refuse commands that would require disobedience to Him (Acts 5:29). Still, the ordinary posture of the Christian is humble, respectful obedience—paired with a clear conscience before the Lord (vv. 1, 5).

Then Paul returns to the heartbeat of Christian ethics: love. “Owe no one anything, except to love each other” (v. 8). Love is the debt we never finish paying, because love fulfills the law’s commands toward our neighbor—keeping us from harm, dishonor, and selfishness (vv. 9–10; cf. Lev. 19:18). And Paul ends with urgency: we live in a decisive moment of history. The “night” is fading, the “day” is approaching, and Christ’s return draws nearer—so Christians must wake up, throw off the works of darkness, and put on the Lord Jesus Christ (vv. 11–14). Holiness isn’t vague: it means refusing patterns of sin, walking in the light, and refusing to “make provision for the flesh” (vv. 13–14).

🌀 Reflection:
Where are you quietly “making provision” for sin—leaving the door cracked, keeping the option open, nursing the appetite? Romans 13 reminds us that grace doesn’t make us sleepy; it wakes us up. Since the day is near, we don’t just avoid darkness—we actively put on Jesus and learn to live like people of the coming kingdom (vv. 11–14).

🎆 New Year Reflection:
A new year begins with a call to wake up. Romans 13 reminds us that time matters, eternity is near, and Christ is coming. As you step into this year, don’t drift or delay—put on the Lord Jesus Christ daily. Let this be a year marked not by spiritual complacency, but by watchful hope, obedient love, and lives shaped by the light of the coming King (vv. 11–14).

💬 Mission Challenge:
Pray for a governing leader (local, state, or national) by name today, asking God to give wisdom and justice—and then practice honor in one concrete way (vv. 1, 7; cf. 1 Tim. 2:1–2). Let your respect be real, and look for a chance to show that your ultimate hope is not in rulers, but in Christ the King.

Romans 12 on 12/31 | NT260 — Reading & Growing in Christ

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After eleven chapters of gospel mercy, Paul turns to gospel living: “present your bodies as a living sacrifice” (v. 1). Because God has saved us by sheer mercy (11:30–32), the fitting response is not a one-time offering but an all-of-life worship—our whole selves, in the real world, for God’s glory (v. 1; cf. 6:13). That means resisting the pressure of “this age” and being transformed from the inside out as God renews our minds—so we can actually discern and practice what pleases Him (v. 2; cf. Eph. 4:23). Paul’s point is not “look for special signs,” but let Scripture-shaped thinking produce Scripture-shaped living (v. 2).

That renewed mind shows up immediately in humility and service. Paul tells believers not to inflate themselves, but to think with sober judgment—recognizing that every Christian is gifted by grace, and no one is the whole body (vv. 3–5; cf. 1 Cor. 12:12–27). The church is “one body in Christ,” made up of different members with different functions, which means we belong to one another and need one another (vv. 4–5). So Paul calls us to actually use our gifts—whether serving, teaching, exhorting, giving, leading, or showing mercy—and to do it in a way that fits the grace God has given (vv. 6–8).

Then Paul paints what genuine love looks like when it’s Spirit-made and gospel-rooted. Love hates evil and clings to good (v. 9), honors others rather than competing for attention (v. 10), and serves the Lord with sincere zeal (v. 11). Love rejoices in hope, stays patient in suffering, and keeps praying (v. 12). It opens hands and homes to the saints (v. 13), blesses persecutors instead of cursing them (v. 14; cf. Matt. 5:44), and enters other people’s joys and sorrows (v. 15). It refuses pride, seeks peace when possible, and won’t repay evil for evil (vv. 16–18). Instead of taking revenge, it leaves justice with God (v. 19; cf. Deut. 32:35) and does active good even to enemies—because the gospel teaches us to overcome evil with good (vv. 20–21; cf. Prov. 25:21–22).

🌀 Reflection:
Where do you feel the strongest pull to “fit the pattern” of this age—your thinking, your speech, your habits, your reactions? Romans 12 reminds us that real change starts when God reshapes the mind through His Word, and it shows up in humble service and sincere love—even toward people who don’t deserve it (vv. 2, 9–10, 17–21).

🎆 New Year Reflection:
As this year closes, Romans 12 reminds us that the Christian life isn’t restarted with resolutions but renewed through mercy. God doesn’t ask for a perfect plan for the year ahead—He calls for a surrendered life today. As you step into a new year, offer yourself again to the Lord, trusting Him to do the transforming work as you live, love, and serve in response to His grace (vv. 1–2).

💬 Mission Challenge:
Bless one person this week in a concrete way—especially someone hard to love: pray for them, speak honor over them, serve them, or meet a need. Do it intentionally as an act of worship, asking God to use your kindness to display Jesus (vv. 1, 14, 20–21).

Romans 11 on 12/30 | NT260 — Reading & Growing in Christ

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Paul asks the question many would be afraid to ask: Has God rejected his people Israel? His answer is immediate and emphatic—“By no means!” (v. 1). Paul points to himself as living proof that God is still saving Jews (v. 1), and he reaches back to Elijah’s day, when it seemed like faithfulness had vanished—yet God had quietly preserved a remnant for Himself (vv. 3–4). In the same way, Paul says, there is “at the present time… a remnant, chosen by grace” (v. 5). And grace and works cannot be mixed: if salvation is by grace, it cannot be earned—otherwise grace would no longer be grace (v. 6; cf. 4:4–5). Many in Israel were hardened in unbelief, just as the Scriptures foretold (vv. 7–10), but that hardening is not the end of the story.

Paul then explains that Israel’s stumbling was not so that they would fall forever. God, in His wise providence, has used Israel’s trespass to bring salvation to the Gentiles—and even this is meant to stir Israel to jealousy, so that many will turn and be saved (vv. 11–14; cf. 10:19). Using the picture of an olive tree, Paul warns Gentile believers not to become proud: they were “grafted in” by faith, while some Jewish branches were broken off because of unbelief (vv. 17–20). The root supports them, not the other way around, so arrogance has no place in the church (v. 18). Paul calls them to a humble, persevering faith that remembers both the kindness and severity of God—kindness toward those who continue in faith, severity toward unbelief (v. 22). And the door of hope remains open: God is able to graft the natural branches back in again (vv. 23–24).

Finally, Paul reveals a “mystery”: Israel’s hardening is partial and temporary, lasting “until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in” (v. 25). In God’s saving plan, “all Israel will be saved” in the way He has ordained—through the Deliverer who takes away sins (vv. 26–27). Even now, Israel may stand as “enemies” regarding the gospel, yet they are still “beloved” regarding election, because God’s gifts and calling are irrevocable (vv. 28–29). God is weaving mercy through human disobedience—first mercy to Gentiles, and mercy also to Jews—so that no one can boast, and all salvation shines as mercy alone (vv. 30–32). Paul can only end one way: worship. “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!” (vv. 33–36).

🌀 Reflection:
Romans 11 humbles us. We didn’t get “grafted in” because we were better, smarter, or more deserving—we stand by faith, supported by grace (v. 20; cf. Eph. 2:8–9). And it gives us hope: God is never done, never surprised, and never unfaithful to His promises—even when His ways are deeper than we can trace.

💬 Mission Challenge:
Pray for someone you think is “too far gone,” and then reach out with a simple act of gospel kindness—an invitation, a conversation, or a Scripture shared—trusting that the God who grafts in outsiders can also bring the hardened to faith (v. 23).

Romans 10 on 12/29 | NT260 — Reading & Growing in Christ

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Paul continues with a pastoral ache for Israel: “my heart’s desire and prayer… is that they may be saved” (v. 1). Many of his fellow Jews are sincere and zealous, but their zeal is misdirected because it isn’t shaped by the truth of God’s saving plan (v. 2). Instead of submitting to God’s righteousness—His way of making sinners right through Christ—they tried to establish their own righteousness through law-keeping (v. 3; cf. Phil. 3:9). But Christ is the goal and culmination of the law, and He also marks the end of using the law as a pathway to righteousness. Right standing with God belongs to “everyone who believes” (v. 4).

Paul then contrasts the way of works with the way of faith using the Old Testament itself. Leviticus shows that law-righteousness demands doing—and doing perfectly (v. 5; cf. Gal. 3:10). But Deuteronomy shows the nearness and accessibility of God’s saving word, now fulfilled in Christ who has come down from heaven and been raised from the dead (vv. 6–8). The gospel is simple and clear: confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, and you will be saved (vv. 9–10). This promise is for all people—Jew and Gentile alike—because the same Lord bestows His riches on all who call on Him (vv. 11–13).

And if people can call on the Lord and be saved, then the message must be carried to them. Paul traces the “chain” of salvation backwards—calling, believing, hearing, preaching, sending—and celebrates the beauty of those who bring good news (vv. 14–15). Yet he also grieves: hearing is necessary, but hearing alone is not enough—many in Israel did not “obey” the gospel by believing it (v. 16). Even so, Israel cannot claim ignorance; the Scriptures foretold both Gentile inclusion and Israel’s resistance (vv. 18–21). The chapter ends with a stunning picture of God’s patience: He is still holding out His hands to a disobedient people (v. 21).

🌀 Reflection:
Romans 10 presses two truths into our hearts at the same time: salvation is truly near—Christ is accessible by faith—and salvation is urgently personal—you must believe, confess, and call on Him. Zeal and sincerity aren’t enough if we refuse to submit to God’s righteousness in Jesus.

💬 Mission Challenge:
Share Romans 10:9–13 with someone this week (in a conversation, a text, or a post), and invite them to respond to Jesus—not by trying harder, but by calling on the Lord who saves.

Romans 9 on 12/28 | NT260 — Reading & Growing in Christ

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Romans 9 begins with Paul’s deep anguish over Israel. Though he has just celebrated the unbreakable security believers have in Christ (8:31–39), his heart is heavy because so many of his fellow Israelites have rejected the Messiah (v. 1–3). This sorrow is intensified by Israel’s unique privileges: adoption, glory, covenants, the law, worship, promises, the patriarchs—and even the human lineage of Christ Himself, who is “God over all” (vv. 4–5). Yet Paul insists that Israel’s unbelief does not mean God’s word has failed. From the beginning, God’s promises were never based on mere physical descent but on His gracious promise and calling (vv. 6–8).

Paul shows this from Israel’s own story. God chose Isaac, not Ishmael, and Jacob, not Esau—choices made before birth and apart from works—so that God’s purpose of election would stand (vv. 9–13). Salvation has always depended on God’s merciful call, not human effort or entitlement. When this raises the question of fairness, Paul answers plainly: God is never unjust (v. 14). Mercy, by definition, is undeserved (vv. 15–16). Using Moses, Pharaoh, and the image of the potter and the clay, Paul affirms both God’s sovereignty and humanity’s responsibility without trying to reduce the mystery (vv. 17–23).

The Old Testament itself foretold what Paul’s readers were witnessing: God would call a people from the Gentiles and preserve only a remnant from Israel (vv. 24–29). The real issue, Paul concludes, is not God’s faithfulness but the way righteousness is pursued. Gentiles received righteousness by faith, while many in Israel stumbled by seeking it through works (vv. 30–32). Christ stands at the center of it all—the promised stone. To some He is a stumbling block; to those who believe, He is a sure foundation who will never put them to shame (v. 33).

🌀 Reflection:
Romans 9 humbles us. Salvation is not something we earn, inherit, or control—it is a gift of mercy. Instead of arguing with God’s ways, we are invited to trust His character, grieve for the lost as Paul did, and cling to Christ as our only hope.

💬 Mission Challenge:
Pray specifically for someone who has heard the gospel but continues to resist it. Ask God to soften hearts, and look for an opportunity this week to speak about Jesus—not with pride, but with compassion and humility.

Romans 8 on 12/27 | NT260 — Reading & Growing in Christ

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Romans 8 opens with one of the clearest and most hope-filled declarations in all of Scripture: “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (v. 1). Because of Jesus’s saving work, believers are no longer trapped under the power of sin and death but have been set free by the law of the Spirit of life (v. 2). What God’s law could not do—because it was weakened by human sinfulness—God accomplished by sending His own Son as a sin offering, condemning sin in the flesh so that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us (vv. 3–4). Life in Christ is marked by a new mindset and a new direction: those who belong to Christ are no longer defined by the flesh but by the indwelling Spirit, who brings life and peace (vv. 5–11).

Because the Spirit lives in us, believers are no longer debtors to the flesh. Instead, we are empowered to put sin to death and live as God’s sons and daughters (vv. 12–14). This life is not driven by fear or slavery but by adoption. Through the Spirit, we cry out to God as our Father—“Abba!”—with confidence and intimacy (v. 15). The Spirit Himself assures us that we belong to God and that we are heirs with Christ, sharing not only in His glory but also, for now, in His sufferings (vv. 16–17).

Paul then lifts our eyes beyond the present moment. The sufferings of this world, though real, are temporary and are not worth comparing with the glory that is coming (v. 18). Creation itself groans, longing for renewal, just as believers groan while waiting for the redemption of our bodies (vv. 19–23). In the meantime, the Spirit helps us in our weakness, even interceding for us when we don’t know how to pray (vv. 26–27). And we rest in the unshakable promise that God works all things together for good—not random good or easy good, but the good of shaping us into the image of His Son and bringing us safely to glory (vv. 28–30).

The chapter closes with a triumphant assurance. If God is for us, no accusation can stand, and no enemy can prevail (vv. 31–34). Christ has died, been raised, reigns at God’s right hand, and even now intercedes for us. Because of that, nothing—no suffering, power, fear, or circumstance—can ever separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord (vv. 35–39).

🌀 Reflection:
Romans 8 reminds us that the Christian life is lived between groaning and glory. We still struggle, suffer, and wait—but we do so with confidence. The Spirit lives in us, prays for us, and assures us that we belong to God. How does knowing you are truly secure in Christ change the way you face hardship today?

💬 Mission Challenge:
Encourage someone who is hurting or discouraged by sharing Romans 8:18 or 8:38–39. Point them to the hope, security, and unbreakable love that are found only in Jesus.

Romans 7 on 12/26 | NT260 — Reading & Growing in Christ

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Paul explains what it means that believers are “not under law but under grace” (6:14). Using a marriage illustration, he reminds us that law has authority over someone only while they live (vv. 1–3). In the same way, believers have died to the law through the body of Christ so we can “belong to another”—to the risen Jesus—in order to bear fruit for God (v. 4). Before Christ, the law interacted with our sinful flesh in a way that stirred up rebellion and produced “fruit for death” (v. 5). But now, in Christ, we are released from the law’s condemning hold so we can serve in the new way of the Spirit, not merely in the old way of written code (v. 6; cf. 2 Cor. 3:6).

That raises a hard question: if the law can stir up sin, does that mean the law is bad? Paul’s answer is just as strong as in chapter 6: By no means! (v. 7). The law is not sin; it reveals sin. Paul uses the tenth commandment—“You shall not covet” (Ex. 20:17)—to show how sin can seize God’s good command and turn it into an opportunity for more desire, more rebellion, and ultimately death (vv. 7–11). The problem is not God’s law; the problem is sin’s power working in us. So Paul concludes with a clear affirmation: “the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good” (v. 12).

In the second half of the chapter, Paul presses the point further: the good law is not the cause of death—sin is (v. 13). He describes the painful reality of the human condition: the law is spiritual and good, but we are weak and still battling indwelling sin (vv. 14–23). Whether Paul is mainly describing the experience of a person under the law or the ongoing struggle of a believer, the message lands in the same place: we cannot rescue ourselves by effort or moral performance. The struggle exposes our need and drives us to the only true deliverer. Paul’s cry becomes our hope: “Who will deliver me…?” And the answer comes immediately: “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (vv. 24–25; cf. Gal. 5:17, 1 John 1:8–9). Romans 8 is about to show how that deliverance is lived out by the Spirit.

🌀 Reflection:
When you feel the tug-of-war—wanting to obey God, yet sensing sin “close at hand” (v. 21)—don’t let it drive you to shame or self-salvation projects. Let it drive you to Jesus. The struggle is real, but so is the Savior who rescues, forgives, and trains you to walk by the Spirit (v. 25; 8:1–4).

💬 Mission Challenge:
Encourage someone who feels stuck in spiritual frustration. Share Romans 7:24–25 and remind them that Christianity isn’t “try harder”—it’s deliverance in Christ, and new power by the Spirit (v. 6; 8:2).

Romans 6 on 12/25 | NT260 — Reading & Growing in Christ

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After saying that grace abounds where sin increases (5:20), Paul answers the obvious objection: “So should we keep sinning?” His response is strong and clear: By no means! (vv. 1–2). Grace isn’t permission to stay the same—it’s power to live new. Believers have died to sin in the sense that sin no longer has absolute rule over us (vv. 2, 6, 14). Paul points to our union with Christ: we were baptized into Christ’s death and buried with Him, so that just as Christ was raised, we too might walk in newness of life (vv. 3–4). Our “old self” (who we were in Adam) was crucified with Christ so we would no longer be enslaved to sin (v. 6; cf. Gal. 2:20).

Because Christ has been raised and will never die again, His victory is permanent—and our union with Him changes everything (vv. 8–10). That’s why Paul tells us to consider ourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus (v. 11). Then he calls for action: don’t let sin reign in your mortal body, and don’t offer yourself to sin as an instrument for unrighteousness. Instead, present yourself to God as someone brought from death to life, and offer your life to Him for righteousness (vv. 12–13). The promise underneath the command is hope-giving: sin will have no dominion over you, because you are not under law but under grace (v. 14; cf. Ezek. 36:25–27).

Paul pushes the point further: being “under grace” does not mean we can casually sin (v. 15). Everyone is serving a master—either sin (which leads to death) or obedience (which leads to righteousness) (v. 16). But Christians have been changed from the inside out. We were slaves to sin, but God has made us obedient from the heart to the gospel-shaped pattern of teaching, and we’ve been set free to become slaves of righteousness (vv. 17–18). Sin’s path produces shame and ends in death, but serving God bears fruit that leads to sanctification, and its end is eternal life (v. 21–22). Paul ends with a famous contrast: sin pays wages—death—but God gives a gift—eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (v. 23; cf. Eph. 2:8–9).

🌀 Reflection:
Where do you feel sin trying to “reign” again—your thoughts, temper, habits, secret compromises (v. 12)? Don’t argue with it like it’s your master. In Christ, you’ve died and risen to a new life—so start today by believing what God says is true: you are alive to Him (v. 11).

🎄 Christmas Reflection:
Christmas celebrates more than Jesus coming into the world—it celebrates why He came. The Son of God was born so that we could die to sin and live to God. The manger points forward to a cross and an empty tomb, where Jesus breaks sin’s power and gives new life to all who are united to Him. Because Christ has come, grace doesn’t just forgive us—it raises us to walk in newness of life (vv. 4, 11).

💬 Mission Challenge:
Tell someone this week that grace doesn’t just forgive—it frees. Share Romans 6:23 and explain the difference between what sin pays (“wages”) and what God gives (“free gift”), and invite them to trust Christ for new life (v. 23, 5:8–9).

Romans 5 on 12/24 | NT260 — Reading & Growing in Christ

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Because we have been justified by faith, we now have peace with God through Jesus—not just a calm feeling, but a real change in our relationship with God where the hostility of sin is ended (vv. 1, 10–11). Through Christ we have access into grace and a secure place to stand, and that security produces hope—the certain expectation that we will share in the glory God has promised (v. 2). Even our sufferings aren’t meaningless for the believer. God uses them to form endurance, proven character, and deeper hope (vv. 3–4). And this hope will not put us to shame on the day of judgment, because God has already poured His love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit (v. 5; cf. Eph. 1:13–14).

Paul grounds that inner assurance in a rock-solid, historical proof: Christ died for us while we were still weak, ungodly, and sinners (vv. 6–8). Human love might rarely die for someone “good,” but God’s love is in a category all its own—Jesus died for enemies (v. 10). That’s why Paul argues “much more”: if God has already justified us by Christ’s blood and reconciled us through His death, we can be confident He will finish what He started—saving us from wrath and keeping us by Christ’s resurrected life (vv. 9–10; cf. 4:25). So our boasting isn’t in ourselves; it’s in God, because we have received reconciliation through our Lord Jesus Christ (v. 11).

Then Paul widens the lens to show why this hope is so sure: everyone is either in Adam or in Christ. Through Adam, sin entered the world and death spread to all (vv. 12, 14). Adam’s one trespass brought condemnation, and the law later highlighted and even multiplied our trespasses by exposing sin more clearly (vv. 16, 20). But Christ is the “second Adam”—and His gift is not like Adam’s trespass. Where Adam’s one act brought death’s reign, Christ’s one act of righteousness and obedience brings an abundance of grace, justification, and life to all who receive Him by faith (vv. 15–19). Sin once reigned in death, but grace now reigns through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord (v. 21).

🌀 Reflection:
Where do you feel most “weak” right now—tired, tempted, anxious, discouraged? Romans 5 doesn’t tell you to prove yourself to God; it tells you to look at the cross. If God loved you when you were His enemy, you don’t have to wonder whether He’ll hold you now as His child (vv. 8–10).

🎄 Christmas Reflection:
On Christmas Eve, we remember that God’s love did not begin at the cross—it moved toward the cross through the cradle. The child born in Bethlehem came for the weak, the ungodly, and the undeserving. Christmas proclaims that God did not wait for us to love Him first; He came near while we were still sinners, to make peace and give us hope that will never put us to shame (vv. 6–8).

💬 Mission Challenge:
Share Romans 5:8 with someone today and put it in plain words: “God didn’t wait for me to get better—Jesus came for me when I was still a sinner.” Invite them to receive the free gift of grace and life found in Christ (vv. 15–17, 21).

Romans 4 on 12/23 | NT260 — Reading & Growing in Christ

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Paul points to Abraham—the great father of Israel—to prove that God has always made sinners right with Him by faith, not by works. If Abraham had been justified by what he did, he could boast. But Scripture says the opposite: “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness” (vv. 2–3, Gen. 15:6). Paul explains the difference with a simple picture: wages are earned, but a gift is received. That’s why the gospel is so shocking—and so hopeful—God “justifies the ungodly” who stop trying to earn righteousness and instead trust Him (vv. 4–5). David backs this up by celebrating the blessedness of forgiven people whose sins are not counted against them (vv. 6–8, Ps. 32:1–2).

Then Paul tackles circumcision, because many assumed the outward sign was the doorway into God’s blessing. But the timeline matters: Abraham was counted righteous before he was circumcised (vv. 9–10). Circumcision was a sign and seal of a righteousness he already had by faith, not the cause of it (v. 11). That means Abraham is the father of all who believe—Gentiles who believe without circumcision and Jews who are not merely marked outwardly but who “walk in the footsteps” of Abraham’s faith (vv. 11–12).

Paul goes further: the promise didn’t come through the law (which arrived centuries later) but through the righteousness of faith (v. 13). If inheritance came through law-keeping, faith would be emptied and the promise would collapse, because the law exposes sin and brings wrath on lawbreakers (vv. 14–15). That’s why the promise rests on grace and is guaranteed through faith, so it can include all Abraham’s offspring—Jew and Gentile alike (vv. 16–17). Abraham’s faith wasn’t denial of reality; he faced his aged body and Sarah’s barrenness, yet trusted God’s power to give life and keep His word (vv. 18–21). That same kind of faith is what God counts as righteousness for us as we believe in Him who raised Jesus—“delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification” (vv. 22–25).

🌀 Reflection:
Romans 4 presses a hard question: are you treating God like an employer who pays wages, or like a Father who gives grace? Real faith lays down boasting, stops bargaining, and simply trusts God to do what He promised in Christ (vv. 4–5, 20–21).

🎄 Christmas Reflection:
At Christmas, we celebrate a gift that cannot be earned. Jesus is not a reward for good behavior but God’s gracious answer to human helplessness. Just as Abraham believed God’s promise against all odds, we are called to receive Christ the same way—not by working, but by trusting. The birth of Jesus declares that salvation has always been, and will always be, by grace through faith (vv. 4–5, 16).

💬 Mission Challenge:
Encourage someone who feels “too far gone” by sharing the heart of Romans 4: God justifies the ungodly who believe. Tell them you don’t clean yourself up to come to Jesus—you come to Jesus to be made new (vv. 5, 24–25).