If You Believe Not the Old Testament...

 Don't try to separate Christ from the Old Testament. Christ Himself referenced what we call the Old Testament, all the time. Christ even tells us if we do not believe the Old Testament, we can't believe His words. Is there a lot of history and such in the Old Testament that tends to be hard to read because we can't comprehend the need for it? Yes. We have to be led of the Spirit as we read, Old or New Testament. The Spirit will guide us even through the stuff that might be considered hard to read, and lead us to the truths we need so desperately. 

"The Gospel According to Moses. 

It is this lesson that is taught us throughout all the Scriptures: "For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope." In the book of Job this is made manifest. "Ye have heard of the patience of Job,  and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy." James 5:11.

In the writings of Moses it is as clearly set forth. Christ says: "Had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me; for he wrote of me. But if ye believe not the writings, how shall ye believe my words?" John 5:46, 47. 

If the gospel according to Moses is neglected, it will be of no use to read the gospel according to John, because the gospel can not be divided. The gospel of Christ, like himself, is one."

Articles on Romans by E. J. Waggoner Chapter 15 Excerpt

He Suffered For Our Reproaches

 "The God of All Comfort."

Ro. 15

3 For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written,  The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me. 

4 For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope. 

5 Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus; 

6 that ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

7 Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us, to the glory of God.

2Co_1:3  Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort

2Co 1:4  Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. 

God is "the God of patience and consolation." He is "the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God." 2 Cor. 1:3, 4. He takes upon himself all the reproaches that fall upon men. "The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me." Of the children of Israel it is said, "In all their affliction he was afflicted." Isa. 63:9. The words of Christ are, "Thou hast known my reproach, and my shame, and my dishonor." "Reproach hath broken my heart." Ps. 69:19, 20. Yet in all this there was no impatience, no murmuring. Therefore, as he has already borne the burdens of the world in the flesh, he is fully able to bear ours in our flesh, without complaining; so that we may be "strengthened with all might,  according to his glorious power, unto all patience and long-suffering with joyfulness." Col. 1:11.

Articles on Romans by E. J. Waggoner Chapter 15 Excerpt

Death to Self As We Live.

 This life is truly just about dying because we are to die daily to self. 

As we mostly know, dying is not something that comes easy. So why would we ever expect our dying to self would be something easy to comprehend, easy to learn. To surrender self is to become selfless, and serving others is the only thing we can do. On our own, we cannot be selfless. Our Savior's life is something we have to examine closely. He led a life of dying to self. He lived to serve others in all things. 

Putting God and others before ourselves is a constant setting aside self. We rail against that thought. We do things to keep ourselves as comfortable as we possibly can- emotionally, mentally, physically. We don't like to be torn from our self-bubble of normalcy. We choose ourselves over others all the time in many little and big ways. Our fear of stepping outside of our safety zone keeping our life on an even keel is a very real thing. We go through dramatic changes as we are thrust out of our comfortable ways and into things unexpected. We feel the stress of it all eating away at our comfort bubble and we want to get back to that sweet comfort. We are forced into situations of constant choosing and we need to recognize if we are choosing self over others, over God. To hide from knowing this choice will not make it okay, it will keep us self-serving. We can delude ourselves, but not God, never God. 

Another danger is when we do things to receive self-soothing accolades, loving to hear our praises sung because it reaffirms we are doing good things, we are being self-less, and yet… anytime we take any praise upon ourselves for any good deed we may do, we are taking that praise falsely, selfishly. All glory belongs to God. Jesus gave ALL the glory to God for all that He did. He did NOTHING without the Father. Not a single miracle did He perform on His own, not one.  Not a single iota of glory did Jesus take to Himself so why, why do we insist on seeking the praise of others? Why do we feel crushed when our efforts are not deemed good enough to please those we are seeking to please. We feel that way because we are not supposed to be seeking to please ourselves through pleasing others. We are to seek to please God in all things. Jesus sought to please God in all things… ALL things. We are to do no less, through Him, through the Holy Spirit, through the Heavenly Father. 

Faith Over Fear.

 We believe. However, I think we sometimes forget that we believe. How do the men and women Christ followers suffer all the way through torture, and still believe when my life gets tossed about with car troubles, health issues, future insecurities and I forget to believe? I have to word it that way because I do believe, I know I believe and I know Christ is helping my unbelief, so why do I forget? Why do I let myself get caught up in uncertainties? Why do I borrow the trouble of tomorrows possibilities? Why do I question the reasons for situations I know are in God's hands? I could use the excuse I do all that because I'm human and that is true. I'm extremely infallible in many ways, but I have a God who is greater than my sinful humanity. I have His promises. A person suffering severe painful torture near to death, in throes of agony beyond my grasp of truly comprehending and still their mouth rasps out whispers of praise to God not only for their own situation but that of their torturers is something I marvel at! That person is human with all humanities infallible ways as well, yet they choose faith over fear. Can I choose faith over fear? Is it a choice? It goes against so much in me, so much of my character, so much of my genetic make-up, so much of my tendencies, so much of who I am and have been since childhood. I was the little girl who still remembers being so frightened of Kindergarten that I could barely breathe. I remember scuffing the toes of my brand new school shoes in the dirt over and over being so nervous and being scolded for doing so. I was that little five year old that somehow found it too fearful to carry my nap blanket to school so my sister did it for me. That little girl grew into a fearful big girl, and that fear shifted and altered to meet new circumstances. That fear ebbed and flowed in different ways for different reasons. That fear was believed conquered through Christ but reared its ugly head to beat me down even as I cried out to be saved from its mental, emotional pain. Faith over fear.  Maybe it's a daily thing, or at times an hourly thing. Maybe it's a choice that isn't made all at once and declared but rather a choice made in situation after situation for the rest of my life. Faith over fear. Maybe the fear needs to be felt for the faith to rise up through outright choosing beyond all comprehension to believe. Faith over fear, maybe it is feeling the awful symptoms of fear and still believing even though the symptoms persist, my God is greater than those and they won't diminish my choice to believe my God will see me through all things, because HE strengthens me, I can't strengthen myself. Faith over fear, like so many things in our lives we are taught should be automatic, but aren't for us like we imagine they should be, we must choose deliberately and hold fast to in spite of all things contrary to having that faith. Faith over fear, Lord I believe, You, Lord, You help my unbelief. Lord help me to remember to believe. Faith over fear. You, Lord, conqueror of all, even death. By Your mercy and grace, through Your will now and forever. Amen.

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Articles on Romans by E. J. Waggoner Chapter 15 Excerpt

Romans 15:1-7

1 We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves. 

2 Let every one of us please his neighbor for his good to edification. 

3 For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written,  The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me. 

4 For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope. 

5 Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus; 

6 that ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

7 Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us, to the glory of God.

"How to Please Others. This is still further shown by the exhortation, "Let every one of us please his neighbor for his good to edification." We are never exhorted to aid a brother to sin, in order to please him. Neither are we exhorted to close our eyes to a brother's sin, and allow him to go on in it without warning him, lest we displease him. There is no kindness in that. The exhortation is, "Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart; thou shalt in anywise rebuke thy neighbor, and not suffer sin upon him." Lev. 19:17. The mother who would be so fearful of displeasing her child that she would not stop it from putting its hand into the blaze, would be exhibiting cruelty instead of kindness. We are to please our neighbors, but only for their good, not to lead them astray.

Bearing Others' Weaknesses. Going back to the first verse, we find this lesson still more strongly emphasized:  "We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves." "For even Christ pleased not himself." Compare this with Galatians 6:1, 2: "Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such on one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ." In bearing the infirmities of the weak, we are fulfilling the law of Christ. But to bear another's burdens does not mean to teach him that he can safely ignore any of the commandments. To keep the commandments of God is not a burden; for "his commandments are not grievous."  1 John 5:3.

How Christ Bears Our Burdens. Christ bears our burdens, not by taking away the law of God, but by taking away our sins, and enabling us to keep the law. "For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh; that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us." Rom. 8:3, 4.

He Says "Come." One blessed thing in the service of the Lord is that he does not say, "Go," but, "Come." He does not send us away to labor by ourselves, but calls us to follow him. He does not ask anything of us that he does not himself do. When he says that we ought to bear the infirmities of them that are weak, we should take it as an encouragement, instead of a task laid upon us, since it reminds us of what he does for us. He is the mighty One, for we read, "I have laid help upon One that is mighty; I have exalted One chosen out of the people." Ps.  89:19. "Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows." "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all." Is. 53:4, 6.

Why the Task Is Easy. This is what makes it easy to bear one another's burdens. If we know that Christ bears our burdens, it will become a pleasure for us to bear the burdens of others. The trouble is that too often we forget that Christ is the Burden-bearer, and, being over powered with the weight of our own infirmities, we have still less patience with those of others. But when we know that Christ is indeed the Burden-bearer, we cast our own care upon him; and then when we make the burden of another our own, he bears that too."

As Christ Received Us.

 Articles on Romans by E. J. Waggoner Chapter 15 Excerpt

The fourteenth chapter of Romans presented to us our duty towards those who are weak in the faith, and who have excessively conscientious scruples with regard to things that are in themselves of no consequence. We are not judges of one another, but must all appear before [Christ's] judgment seat. If we have more knowledge than our brother, we are not arbitrarily to bring him to our standard, any more than he is to bring us down to his. Our greater knowledge rather throws upon us the responsibility of exercising the greater charity and patience.

The sum of it all is contained in these verses: "For meat destroy not the work of God. All things indeed are pure;  but it is evil for that man who eateth with offense. It is good neither to eat flesh, nor drink wine, nor anything whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak. Hast thou faith? Have it to thyself before God."

The Duty of Helping One Another Romans 15:1-7

1 We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves. 

2 Let every one of us please his neighbor for his good to edification. 

3 For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written,  The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me. 

4 For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope. 

5 Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus; 

6 that ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

7 Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us, to the glory of God.

Receiving One Another. The verses composing this chapter supplement the instruction given in chapter fourteen, and are a continuation of that. Thus, that chapter opens with the exhortation, "Him that is weak in the faith receive ye." The last verse of our present study is, "Wherefore receive ye one another."

How Are We to Receive One Another? The answer is, "As Christ also received us." This again emphasizes the statement that the apostle had not the slightest intention in any way of depreciating any one of the Ten Commandments when in the fourteenth chapter he said: "One man esteemeth one day above another; another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind."

Christ did not in the slightest degree make any concessions in the commandments in order to accommodate those whom he would receive. He said, "Think not that I came to destroy the law, or the prophets." Matt. 5:17.  Again, "If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love." John 15:10. Christ's commandments and those of the Father are the same,  because he says, "I and my Father are one." John 10:30. When a young man wished to follow him, he said to him,  "Keep the commandments." Matt. 19:17. Therefore it is evident that in making concessions for the sake of peace and harmony, no concession is to be made in respect to keeping the commandments of God.

Help Thou Their Unbelief.

 Oh, how we wish we could have faith for another, even when we question our own faith and pray for God to help our unbelief. We believe, we cry out, and we ask for help for our unbelief. We look at those around us who profess no belief at all, and we long to have them believe. We long for God to help their unbelief. We want to share our belief with them, our faith, our convictions but a heart has to be convicted on its own, a heart has to believe on its own, we can give none of our own faith at all, but we can share our knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. We can live Christ. We can live clinging to our Savior despite all of Satan's attempts to bring us to despair. We can pray for heart convictions of those who do not believe, pray their hearts cry out for the Savior, that they have even the tiniest of belief that the Lord will help all the rest of their unbelief.  Please, Lord, please. We believe, help our unbelief, we believe, help thou their unbelief! Please, Lord, please.

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The Limitations of Conscience.

"Hast thou faith? Have it to thyself before God." 

Faith and conscience pertain to single individuals. 

No man can have faith for another. 

No man can have faith enough to serve for two.

The teaching of the Roman Church is that certain ones have had more faith than they needed, and have been more righteous than was necessary, so that they can divide with other people; but the Bible teaches that it is impossible for any man to have more faith than will serve to save himself. Therefore, no matter how well one man's faith may be instructed, no other man can be judged by it.

We hear a great deal in these days about the public conscience. We are often told that the conscience of one man is outraged by the course of another. But it is with conscience as with faith, no man can have enough for two. 

The man who thinks that his conscience will serve for himself and for somebody else, has mistaken selfish obstinacy for conscience. It is this mistaken idea of conscience that has led to all the horrible persecutions that have ever been perpetrated in the name of religion.

Let Christians all understand that conscience is between themselves and God alone.

They are not at liberty to impose even their freedom of conscience upon another; but by the laws of the kingdom of Christ, they are obliged even to refrain at times from exercising their own freedom, out of consideration for others. That is to say,  the man who can walk fast, is to help along his weak brother, who is going the same way, but more slowly. But he is not to turn around to please somebody who is walking the other way.'

Excerpt- Articles on Romans  by E. J. Waggoner Chapter 14

Peace With Each Other.