Reading the Bible as a bedtime story to children?

[Hestha]

no. But that doesn't make it a good idea, let alone what Romans is about.

So, you think you know what Romans is about?

Can you summarize Romans in your next post?

 

[ebia]

So, you think you know what Romans is about?

Can you summarize Romans in your next post?

What for?

It's a letter to Christians in Rome. Its a long and carefully constructed argument, but it barely summarises the gospel; it assumes its audience are already familiar with that. It wrestles with some of the implications of the gospel for the Christian community in Rome in about 60AD

The gospels tell the gospel (gasp!).

 

[ViaCrucis]

Using the Book of Romans to evangelize is not my idea.

Link: Romans Road - What is Romans Road to Salvation?

The "Romans Road" is a modern Evangelical concept, accomplished by dumbing down Romans into bite sized morsels that really doesn't get across just how deep Romans is.

If I were to give a sweeping summary of St. Paul's Epistle to the Romans it would go something like this:

The Apostle, after some introductory material, begins by presenting the Pagan Gentile world as a debauchery, filled with all sorts of "icky Pagan things". He uses this as a platform upon which to build his argument by swiftly turning the situation on its head. He is drawing the Jewish Christians in Rome into agreeing with him, "Yes, those Gentiles engage in all kinds of awful things that we don't like" and immediately says, "How can you judge them when you do the same things?". The argument shifts by stating unequivocally that Jews and Gentiles are in the same boat, nobody is with excuse. The Jews who were given the Covenants and promises of God and the Prophets and the Law should know better--and thus will be judged; and the Gentiles who while without the Law and the Prophets will likewise be judged. Thus whether Jew or Gentile, we are all sinners.

The Apostle moves on discussing how we, as human beings, are all equally bound and united to Adam--the common patriarch of all human beings--and even as Adam brought sin and death by His disobedience, Christ has undone what Adam did by His obedience, bringing resurrection from the dead--thus in Christ, the Second Adam, human beings (Jew or Gentile) have hope and salvation.

He speaks of our death to sin by our common Baptism, where we were united to Christ, having become new creations. He speaks of the problem of the present struggle, "I the good I want to do I do not do, while the evil I wish not to do I do" "what a wretched man I am! Who can save me from this body of death?!" "Thanks be to God though Jesus Christ our Lord..." etc. And in spite of this struggle we have all hope in Christ, which moves us in the direction of, "There is therefore no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus" and that our hope, by the Spirit of God which we have received, that we will be resurrected to new life, "If the Spirit of Him who raised Christ from the dead lives in you, than he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies". Then getting into the Mystery of Election whereby God has justified us freely by grace, through faith.

Then addressing common objections to Election, but weaving beautifully to describe how the Jews have not been cast off from God (see how the context has flipped a bit since the beginning of the epistle), God has by no means rejected them. Ultimately, the Apostle says, all have been consigned to disobedience so that God may have mercy on all. God will have mercy on whom He will have mercy (Romans 9:15), and we are drawn by Romans 11 that God has chosen to have mercy on all--Jew, Gentile, everyone (Romans 11:32).

Having reached the climax of the argument, the Apostle then moves to his appeal, "I appeal to you therefore brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as living sacrifices..." "For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment..for as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another" Therefore, "let love be genuine, abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affeciton. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly." etc

In this context he then points out that we are to be peaceful civilians--we pay our taxes, we don't engage in destructive behavior against the governing authorities. Accomplishing all things through love "Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law." Don't judge, be peaceable. Abide by the example of Jesus Christ. All of us, Jew or Gentile, have become one in Christ having our common hope in Christ.

None of it is about trying to convert non-Christians; the epistle is written for the sake of the Church in Rome to address the squabbles between the Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians in the community; and St. Paul does this so beautifully.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[DCJazz]

Why do they need a major thwack across the head? Isn't Romans the part where Paul evangelized to the Romans? Don't you think you need to get the message across and tell your children that they are sinners?

Why do you feed milk to a newborn? Why not a burger? It's because they aren't ready for solid food yet. Not to mention a burger being way too big at that point in their development.

So it is with the Bible. Telling about King Saul's suicide as a bedtime story would definitely be a bit heavy for the child to grasp, especially if they've had no biblical upbringing.

 

[Hestha]

The "Romans Road" is a modern Evangelical concept, accomplished by dumbing down Romans into bite sized morsels that really doesn't get across just how deep Romans is.

If I were to give a sweeping summary of St. Paul's Epistle to the Romans it would go something like this:

The Apostle, after some introductory material, begins by presenting the Pagan Gentile world as a debauchery, filled with all sorts of "icky Pagan things". He uses this as a platform upon which to build his argument by swiftly turning the situation on its head. He is drawing the Jewish Christians in Rome into agreeing with him, "Yes, those Gentiles engage in all kinds of awful things that we don't like" and immediately says, "How can you judge them when you do the same things?". The argument shifts by stating unequivocally that Jews and Gentiles are in the same boat, nobody is with excuse. The Jews who were given the Covenants and promises of God and the Prophets and the Law should know better--and thus will be judged; and the Gentiles who while without the Law and the Prophets will likewise be judged. Thus whether Jew or Gentile, we are all sinners.

The Apostle moves on discussing how we, as human beings, are all equally bound and united to Adam--the common patriarch of all human beings--and even as Adam brought sin and death by His disobedience, Christ has undone what Adam did by His obedience, bringing resurrection from the dead--thus in Christ, the Second Adam, human beings (Jew or Gentile) have hope and salvation.

He speaks of our death to sin by our common Baptism, where we were united to Christ, having become new creations. He speaks of the problem of the present struggle, "I the good I want to do I do not do, while the evil I wish not to do I do" "what a wretched man I am! Who can save me from this body of death?!" "Thanks be to God though Jesus Christ our Lord..." etc. And in spite of this struggle we have all hope in Christ, which moves us in the direction of, "There is therefore no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus" and that our hope, by the Spirit of God which we have received, that we will be resurrected to new life, "If the Spirit of Him who raised Christ from the dead lives in you, than he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies". Then getting into the Mystery of Election whereby God has justified us freely by grace, through faith.

Then addressing common objections to Election, but weaving beautifully to describe how the Jews have not been cast off from God (see how the context has flipped a bit since the beginning of the epistle), God has by no means rejected them. Ultimately, the Apostle says, all have been consigned to disobedience so that God may have mercy on all. God will have mercy on whom He will have mercy (Romans 9:15), and we are drawn by Romans 11 that God has chosen to have mercy on all--Jew, Gentile, everyone (Romans 11:32).

Having reached the climax of the argument, the Apostle then moves to his appeal, "I appeal to you therefore brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as living sacrifices..." "For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment..for as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another" Therefore, "let love be genuine, abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affeciton. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly." etc

In this context he then points out that we are to be peaceful civilians--we pay our taxes, we don't engage in destructive behavior against the governing authorities. Accomplishing all things through love "Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law." Don't judge, be peaceable. Abide by the example of Jesus Christ. All of us, Jew or Gentile, have become one in Christ having our common hope in Christ.

None of it is about trying to convert non-Christians; the epistle is written for the sake of the Church in Rome to address the squabbles between the Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians in the community; and St. Paul does this so beautifully.

-CryptoLutheran

That would imply that there is background story. Perhaps, the Jewish Christians were accusing the Gentile Christians for being not "true Christians", even though the Jewish Christians did the same atrocities as the Gentile Christians. St. Paul presumably reminded the Gentile Christians and Jewish Christians about "stop being so self-righteous". Since everybody was a sinner, all a Jew or Gentile had to do was follow Jesus Christ and believe that Jesus would lead the way to salvation. God had mercy on all. Then, St. Paul commanded the Christians to do what was righteous, even if they were treated unrighteously by others, and make love, not war, in the community.

Wow. Thanks for the summary.

At this point, Sparknotes on the New Testament would really be helpful. At least it can guide me how a passage is supposed to be read, as opposed to misread and missing the entire point. Out of curiosity, have you checked out Sparknotes before? Sparknotes have done some work on the New Testament.