Insightful Musings on the New Testament
by
Ray Sparre, NU class of '67

Ray has a wealth of experience as a Husband, Father, Pastor, Missionary, and student of the Word. He believes and practices his faith where the rubber meets the road. You'll find his writings to be practical, insightful, and grounded in a truly Christ-centered world view.

Below are links to a printable daily Bible reading guide which Ray is following, and an archive of all his daily devotional writings for 2010.

|  Daily Reading Guide  |  2010 Devotion Archives  |
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10 August 2010
Passage: Romans 3
Focus: “Where then is boasting?  It is excluded.  On what principle?  On that of observing the  law?  No, but on that of faith.” Romans 3:27.
            I believe it is possible to add some clarification and expanded meaning to these words of Paul by exchanging the word “law” for “religion,” and the word “faith” for “reality”.  It becomes even more meaningful to define “religion” as WHAT MAN DOES TO REACH GOD and “faith” (or “salvation” or “relationship”) as WHAT GOD DOES TO REACH MAN.  It is easy to recognize the popular pretense of men who like to create the illusion that these concepts are one and the same—that their religious boasting is a description of REAL FAITH.  But they’re just not the same.
            Verse 22 states: “This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.”  In the margin of my Bible I made a comment some time ago connected to the word “believe”—“This is the hinge.”  Indeed it is that—the hinge on which the whole matter of destiny turns.  This FAITH is ESSENTIAL.  “Without faith it is impossible to please God” (Heb. 11:6).  It is not something that man can generate entirely on his own.  It is actually something only God can impart as the condition of BELIEF is met.  We do the essential BELIEVING and God does the essential IMPARTING.
            Paul says it very well in Ephesians 2:8-10.  Read it again carefully. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.  For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
 
            “Only those who see the invisible can achieve the impossible.”