Category Archives: Scripture

Bible, Flesh, Glory, Heaven, Romans, Scripture, Sin

HARD WORDS TO HEAR

ROMANS 8:20

“For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope”

Do you remember as a child when your parents said, “This is for your own good”? Usually, that involved a spanking or some type of discipline for you to learn by. I never understood (or believed) that until I had children of my own and found myself saying the same thing. Sometimes the only way we can learn valuable lessons is go through a trial or perhaps even discipline. (Hebrews 12:11)

Today’s verse is a little difficult to comprehend at first glance. Can I boil it down for you? As followers of Christ, we are subjected to sin and all the consequences of it. God could have chosen to save us and then take us directly to heaven. Instead, He left us here on earth for a reason. Why would He do that? Didn’t He know it would be difficult for us? Didn’t He know we would fail and lapse into sin from time to time? Didn’t He know we would face discouragement in the midst of these trials?

APPLICATION

You know I reference Albert Barnes a lot in my blogs. Well, he gives some good reasons why God allows us to remain here and to be subjected to sin after we are saved. Look at these examples he gives: “1. Christians are subjected to this state to do good to their fellow sinners. 2. By their remaining here the power of the gospel is shown in overcoming their sin; in meeting their temptations; in sustaining them in trial; and in thus furnishing living evidence to the world of the power and excellency of that gospel. 3. It furnishes occasion for some interesting exhibitions of character – for hope, and faith, and love, and for increasing and progressive excellence. 4. It is a proper training for heaven. 5. It is fit and proper that he should engage here in the service of Him who has redeemed him.”

Now, these examples Barnes gives are not straight from Scripture, but each could be shown true in Scripture. For whatever reason God has chosen to leave us here, it is good because He is good and all that He does is good. We may not understand it now, but we can trust in His goodness. God is preparing us all for a future glory. Doesn’t that give you hope?

As you go through your own life lessons, lean on the truth of God’s Word. He has given us freedom from the penalty of sin and the power to refrain from it. He has not saved us to make us suffer here in our sinful, fleshy bodies. No, He has saved us to be a shining example of His power through fallen man. Trust in His power, not your own, to overcome the sinful desires in your life. He is able!

Lord, I so desire to be with You in glory but use me while I am here to show Your glory to others.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Anticipation, Bible, Glory, Revelation, Romans, Scripture, Waiting

EAGERLY AWAITING

ROMANS 8:19

“For the eagerly awaiting creation waits for the revealing of the sons and daughters of God.”

I watched this movie recently about a young girl who ran cross country. She overcame some great obstacles, including battling asthma, to win a state championship. Even though that race is a long distance race, it was won at the very end by just inches as she fell forward across the finish line in front of the previous state champion runner. It was literally a photo finish.

Why do I bring that up? Because the Greek word used by Paul which is translated “eagerly” gives us that picture. It’s the word apokaradokía “(from apó, ‘away from’; kara, ‘the head’; and dokéō, ‘thinking’) – properly, thinking forward (literally with head out-stretched), referring to eager, intense expectation.” (HELPS Word-studies). The word is used twice (here in today’s verse and Philippians 1:20). Paul’s use of the word here shows his keen desire for us to see the future of our glorified bodies. He can hardly contain himself.

APPLICATION

In Philippians 1:20 Paul uses apokaradokía when he writes, “according to my eager expectation and hope, that I will not be put to shame in anything, but that with all boldness, Christ will even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.” Not only do we see our glorified bodies being eagerly sought, but we also anticipate that our current bodies are a means in which Christ is exalted. Don’t you just love that? We are to be always eagerly anticipating Christ’s work in our lives, now and in the future.

Can you honestly say that you’re eagerly anticipating these things? We all look forward to heaven, but most of us are in no hurry to get there. The older I get, the more my head strains toward that finish line. Don’t get me wrong. I love my life and what Christ is doing in and through me. But I am more and more ready for that day when I will see my Savior face to face. How about you?

More importantly, though, I have to ask myself if I am as eager to see Christ exalted in my mortal flesh, this earthly body. Every day I should strain myself towards that goal so that I can draw others to Him. I have to admit that I don’t do that as often. My prayer for you and for me is that we will be so busy straining our heads to exalt Jesus that the coming glory we will experience will just be icing on the cake. Will you join me?

Lord, I am stretching forth to reach all that You have for me, both now and later.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Bible, Eternal Life, Glory, Romans, Scripture, Suffering

SUFFERINGS AND GLORY

ROMANS 8:18

“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”

Have you every endured some kind of suffering knowing that in the end it would be worth it? Take weight-lifting for instance. We push ourselves and cause momentary pain in our muscles so that we can get stronger and be able to do what we want to do physically. I remember vividly how Coach Powell pushed us in the weight room as football players. We didn’t appreciate all those off season hours in the gym until we hit the field in the fall. Then our strength we had built through pain paid off.

Paul knew all about suffering. He had endured his fair share of it. In 2 Corinthians 6:4-5 he shares some of his experiences of suffering. “4 but in everything commending ourselves as servants of God, in much endurance, in afflictions, in hardships, in difficulties, 5 in beatings, in imprisonments, in mob attacks, in labors, in sleeplessness, in hunger,…” Did you notice how he started that? He said, “as servants of God.” You have to remember this through the suffering.

APPLICATION

We have to also remember why we even have suffering. Matthew Henry says it well. “Sin has been, and is, the guilty cause of all the suffering that exists in the creation of God. It has brought on the woes of earth; it has kindled the flames of hell. As to man, not a tear has been shed, not a groan has been uttered, not a pang has been felt, in body or mind, that has not come from sin.” So, as long as we are in this mortal body, we are open to suffering because of sin. This sin may or may not be of our own making. But all suffering is a teacher.

But Paul doesn’t stop with his talk of suffering. No! He says it doesn’t compare with “the glory that is to be revealed to us.” Hallelujah! Picture a scale you would use to weigh out seed or grain. On one side you have the weights you use to measure the amount of seed or grain you put on the opposite side. When the scale is balanced, you know you have the correct amount of weight. Sufferings will never outweigh our coming glory. Paul says they are incomparable.

The image of a mother right after birth of a baby just popped into my head. The intense suffering of childbirth gives way to indescribable joy as she holds that little life. That, beloved, is what Paul is saying in today’s verse. Any and all suffering we may endure will quickly fade away as we receive the glory He has promised. Praise God from Whom all blessings flow.

Dear Lord, let my sufferings remind me of the coming glory.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Bible, Children, Christ, Father, Heirs, Inheritance, Romans, Scripture

HEIRS OR JOINT HEIRS

ROMANS 8:17

“and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.”

You and I read often about adult children who inherit millions for dollars from their parents only to blow it within a short period of time. Because they did nothing to earn it, they don’t have an appreciation what it cost their parents. They feel entitled to it. Many very successful celebrities have pledged to leave the majority of his wealth to charity to encourage their children to make their own money. Aren’t you glad God doesn’t think that way?

In today’s verse, Paul tells us just how blessed we are. Because we are children of God, we are “heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ.” In this phrase we see “heirs” mentioned three times. But we need to look closely at the original language to see a truth that is not easily revealed in the English translations.

APPLICATION

The Greek word for “heir” is kléronomos which means to distribute by lot. Land or possessions were divided by casting lots to decide who got what. All legitimate claims would be settled this way. So, the thing (money, land, servants) in question would be divided.

In our verse today, it seems that Paul writes “heirs” first and then goes on to clarify the inheritance. Each mention of being heirs intensifies. First, it’s just “heirs.” Then he writes “heirs indeed of God.” The little Greek word for “indeed” is not translated in the New American Standard. But this little word intensifies the phrase. It could read, “also heirs, heirs indeed of God…”

And then we get to the next escalation in Paul’s words. He changes the Greek word from kléronomos to sygklēronómos which comes “from sýn, ‘closely identified with’ and klēronómos.” (HELPS Word-studies). I believe the Topical Lexicon defines sygklēronómos well. “The term translated ‘fellow heir’ underscores a covenant reality in which more than one party receives the same promised inheritance. Rather than dividing an estate, the gospel announces an undiminished inheritance in Christ that is fully possessed by every believer. The word therefore does not point to proportion but to participation: each recipient enjoys the whole blessing because the inheritance is Christ Himself.” This word is used three other times in the New Testament (Ephesians 3:6; Hebrews 11:9 and 1 Peter 3:7).

Now, do you see? We aren’t just heirs. We are joint-heirs. We all share it all with Christ. We aren’t just given a little slice of heaven. We have it all. We aren’t given a portion by lot. We have full access to all that Christ claims as His. What an inheritance. But this is only given to His children. Are you one?

Father, I am Your child and am thankful I am a joint-heir with Christ.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Bible, Family, Father, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Romans, Scripture, Son

TEAMMATES

ROMANS 8:16

“The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God,”

Two is always stronger than one. The combined strength of two individuals has proven to be stronger than the sum of each person’s individual strength. We call that synergy. I have worked with team for most, if not all, of my ministry career. Some teams were stronger than others. Do you know why? Because in those weaker teams we had some members who didn’t give their all. You have heard it said a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. So true.

Paul reminds us in today’s verse that we are not on this journey alone. The Spirit is front and center in our lives. It is He Who empowers us to live our lives for Christ. It is He through Christ Who guides our thoughts and minds. And it is He Who, if we will allow Him, will keep us from those sinful behaviors that so easily entangle us. We are a team, a heavenly team.

APPLICATION

It’s interesting to me that the only three times the Greek verb summartureó is used in the New Testament, they are used by Paul in this letter to the Romans (2:15; 8:16; 9:1). Check out this one commentary’s remarks on this phrase. “The testimony of our own spirit is borne in that cry of conscious sonship, ‘Abba, Father’; but we are not therein alone; for the Holy Ghost within us, yea, even in that very cry which it is His to draw forth, sets His own distinct seal to ours; and thus, ‘in the mouth of two witnesses’ the thing is established. (Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary)

It is always good to have corroborating witnesses to prove a point. Here we have our spirit and God’s Spirit agreeing that we are children of God. Now, it would be one thing for us to say that on our own. I could claim to be the President of the United States. That claim wouldn’t go very far. If, however, that claim was backed up by the Supreme Court, I may very well be the President (don’t worry, I’m not, lol). Agreement with others carries weight.

This is why we should never, never doubt our sonship with the Father. The Spirit of God says we are. All we have to do is agree with Him. He knows it’s true. Jesus knows it’s true. The Father knows it’s true. Celebrate the fact that you are one with them. As Jesus said, “I am in you.” Believe that and receive it. What a promise. I am given the privilege to call on my Father in heaven whenever I need Him. And He hears. 1 John 5:14 says, “And we have this confidence before Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.” Praise the Lord.

I am forever grateful, Lord, that You have given me the Holy Spirit to corroborate my testimony of being Your son.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Bible, Family, Father, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Relationships, Romans, Scripture

ABBA! FATHER!

Yesterday when I visited my daughter’s home, my little 18 month old grandson saw me when I came in the back door and came running. He is not calling my name yet, but his excitement and energy coming to me screamed, “Papa, Papa!” I can’t wait to hear him say that to me. And when he got to me, he practically dove into my arms. Here’s a pic to prove it (pardon the Band-Aid on the nose).

Paul’s use of “Abba! Father!” in today’s verse isn’t just a flippant use of Hebrew and Greek. No, this use of two words from two different languages was intentional and meant to convey a deep personal relationship. The phrase is used two other times in the New Testament which we will look at. Think of my illustration above. That’s the picture I want you to have in your mind when you hear “Abba! Father!”

APPLICATION

In Mark 14:36 we find Jesus using that phrase when He was in the Garden of Gethsemane praying. “And He was saying, ‘Abba! Father! All things are possible for You; remove this cup from Me; yet not what I will, but what You will.’” Jesus was crying out to His Heavenly Father during a time of deep pain and torment. He knew He was destined for this moment, but in this moment, He turns to the most intimate relationship He had, His Father. We must do the same.

Paul writes in Galatians 4:6, “Because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying out, ‘Abba! Father!’” Here in this usage of the phrase, it is the Spirit crying out to the Father for us. Again, The Spirit and the Father are intimately connected. The Spirit only speaks what the Father tells Him to speak. He only moves as the Father tells Him. Shouldn’t we be the same?

Abba! Father! Daddy, daddy! Hear my cry! That is what we are saying when we use those words. We need to realize that the closet relationship we should have as followers of Christ is with the Father through the Spirit because of the Son. It’s a family thing. Remember, we are sons and daughters of the King. We have the right to call out “Abba! Father!” and to know He hears us. Amen!

I cry out to You today, Abba Father. Hear my cry!

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Bible, Holy Spirit, Inheritance, Reward, Romans, Scripture, Son

SONS AND DAUGHTERS OF GOD

ROMANS 8:14

“For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons and daughters of God.”

I have mentioned my dad a lot in these devotional blogs through the years. I loved my dad. He was a special man. I am proud to be Jack Willis’ son. I have a son. I pray he will be able to say the same about me one day when I am dead and gone. I have a son-in-law who lost his dad last year. I have claimed him as my son, and I hope he is proud to be in our family. Sonship is powerful.

So, when Paul says those “who are being led by the Spirit of God” are His sons, that is a powerful statement. It is not something that he simply writes down in this letter. Remember, every word of the Scriptures is inspired by God (2 Timothy 3:16-17). You will notice the words “and daughters” is italicized. That is because those words are not in the Greek. The Greek word for “sons” can also mean children. So, this applies to males and females.

APPLICATION

This sonship (or daughtership I just made that word up) is predicated by “being led by the Spirit.” John 1:12 says, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name,…” We have the right to claim this sonship, if we receive and believe. That’s what the Word says.

But “being led” implies obedience. The Greek word for “being led” means movement under authority. Isn’t that cool? We are moving under God’s authority through the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Paul has been talking about this flesh versus Spirit thing for a while now in this letter. This isn’t an easy thing for most of us. We have to give up our rights and yield to His rights over us. I heard it said this way – “When we come to Christ, all our rights are nailed to the cross.” Have you allowed your rights to die on the cross?

Sonship also implies being an heir to the One you call Father. When my father passed, he left an inheritance to his children. We don’t receive an earthly inheritance when we die. But if we are a follower of Christ and are sons and daughters of God, we will receive a heavenly one. (Colossians 3:23-24). How good is that? We will leave all our earthly possessions to someone else, but in its place, we receive an eternal reward. That’s because we are His sons and daughters. Praise the Lord.

I am so thankful that You made me Your son when I accepted Your Son as my Savior and decided to follow Him.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Bible, Death, Holy Spirit, Life, Romans, Scripture

YOU WILL LIVE

ROMANS 8:13

“for if you are living in accord with the flesh, you are going to die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live.”

Learning to live life to the fullest is something so many of us miss. We try to fill our life with stuff like careers, money, pleasures and the like. I have known so many people who were successful in the world’s eyes yet were miserable. You probably know someone like that. They work and work to find fulfillment in their lives only to come up empty in the end. It’s a sad story that is lived out far too often.

Paul is a master of contrasts in his letters. Today’s verse is no exception. He contrasts the futility of “living in accord with the flesh” with living “by the Spirit.” The first leads to death while the other to life. The Greek word Paul uses for “you will live” is the Future Indicative Middle of zaó which is a prominent verb used throughout the New Testament. It is used in some form over 120 times. This verb describes the life that is only truly available through God, specifically His Son Jesus.

APPLICATION

The Topical Lexicon’s concluding statement on zaó says this, “Zaó saturates the New Testament with the theme that true life, in all its dimensions, flows from and points back to the living God revealed in Jesus Christ. The church’s proclamation, practice, and hope are therefore inseparable from the vibrant pulse of zaó. Our life should always point back to the Life-giver.

This life permeates every aspect of our life – even in our giving. Look at 1 Timothy 6:18-19. “18 Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, 19 storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.” Only by giving can we truly gain this life. I am not referring solely to money, although that is part of it. When we stop focusing on ourselves, we can experience this life Paul is talking about.

In our verse today, zaó is in the Middle voice. Why is that important? Because the Middle voice implies that it is you doing the living. Technically, it is Christ in you. But He doesn’t make us into mind numbed robots. We have a choice to make each and every day whether or not we will live like Him. What is your choice today? Are you allowing Him to live through you? It is really the only sure way to live.

Father, today I choose to yield myself to You so that You can live through me.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Bible, Debt, Flesh, Holy Spirit, Romans, Scripture

A CLOSER LOOK

ROMANS 8:12

“So then, brothers and sisters, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh—”

Sometimes when you see, hear or read something, the real meaning does not come across. In this day of AI, we have to be extremely careful not to believe our first glances of things. What may appear to be real may actually not be true. That principle applies to Scripture as well. You need to look closely at the text and the context of the verse to get the full meaning.

That certainly applies to today’s verse. If you just read this verse by itself, you might think Paul is saying “we are under obligation…to live according to the flesh.” How preposterous is that? Paul would never tell us to do that. He had just been telling us how we are to live in the Spirit. That’s the context (read verses 8:9-11). Our obligation has shifted from death through the flesh to life through the Spirit.

APPLICATION

The Topical Lexicon says, “Believers no longer owe allegiance to fallen desires; their new debt is to live in step with the Spirit who secured their adoption.” Paul tells us in Colossians 2:14 that Christ is the One who has changed our obligation. “having canceled the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.” That old debt or obligation is dead. Praise the Lord.

I think it’s interesting that the same word used here for “obligation” is used also in Matthew 6:12 where Jesus taught the disciples to pray. He said, “Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.” God has wiped away every debt we ever owed or will owe through the blood of His Son, Jesus Christ. All we have to do is receive it and follow Him.

What are you in debt to right now? I don’t mean your mortgage or car loan. I mean what do you feel indebted to besides the Spirit of God? We should have no other debtor besides Him. As Paul says in today’s verse. We are not under obligation to the flesh or anything connected to it. We are in debt to the Spirit of God within us. Live like it.

Thank You for freeing me from the debt of sin and giving me a fresh start through Your Spirit.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Bible, Holy Spirit, Indwelling, Jesus, Resurrection, Romans, Scripture

RESURRECTED BODY     

ROMANS 8:11

“But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.”

One day this old mortal body of mine will give out. I’ve always told people that my heart only has so many good heartbeats, so I don’t want to waste any of them exercising. Lol. Seriously, I know my physical body is getting older. I simply can’t do what I used could do. I know my limitations physically. There is nothing I can do to stop the fact that I will die one day. That doesn’t bother me because I am ready to meet my Lord.

Why all the doom and gloom? Well, I don’t mean it to sound that way. Paul’s verse today speaks of the Spirit resurrecting Jesus from the dead. That’s great news, right? The even better news is that the same Spirit Who dwells within us will not only resurrect our mortal bodies one day, but He gives life to us right now. My body got a spiritual recharging when I received the Spirit of Christ through salvation.

APPLICATION

There are two very different schools of thought on this verse. Some say it refers to our resurrected bodies when Christ raptures the church. Our mortal bodies will be changed in an instant. Paul refers to this in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17. “16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who remain, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.” I’m ready for that, are you?

The other thought on this verse doesn’t ignore that, but they think this verse is mainly referring to the supernatural life-giving change that takes place in our mortal bodies now. Since God sees us not only as we are but also as we will be (glorified), we even now live in resurrected bodies. Sure, these mortal bodies are still subject to sin and death, but our spirit is unified with the Spirit of Christ who raised Jesus from the dead. That’s real power.

The Greek word for “mortal” is only used six times in the New Testament. The word is thnétos which means “liable to die.” This physical body will succumb to the grave at some point unless Jesus returns before then. Paul uses this word in 2 Corinthians 4:11 which gives us a view of this thought our resurrection exists also now. “For we who are alive are always consigned to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our mortal body.” We must allow the life of Jesus to be revealed now if we are followers of Jesus. Live a resurrected life today.

Thank You, Lord, for the power of Your resurrection in my life today.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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