How many times will you hear the words during a reoccurring struggle to “walk by faith,” or be advised by a mentor to “let go and let God.” You “walk by faith and not by sight,” when, in reality, do any of us really know what that means? Walk by faith…what does that mean. Thanks for the encouragement…but how do I? I know I need to, but what does that look like? I have believed in Christ… You gave me this life, now show me how to live (Chris Cornell, Audioslave). Paul is going to tell us here in Romans to answer a question that I’m sure plagues us in our Christian walks, or lack their of.

v5 Obedience to the faith. Do you feel as tho you are obeying the faith? Or you’re the blind squirrel that every so often gets something right, subjected the majority of the time to the chains of the flesh. But aren’t we supposed to be set free from the bondage of sin and death? please… show me how to live.

v12 so that you may be established. Do you feel established? How long have you been a believer for? You know your way around the Bible enough not to be led astray by those false teachers… but why do you still not feel like you are established? You desire to walk the walk, but still fall flat so often? If the New Man in you is so much stronger than the flesh, why don’t you see it happen in you life. Please… show me how to live.

v16 I am not ashamed of the Gospel. Paul is not ashamed of the Gospel because its power is living through him. You have been a Christian for 5, 10, 20 years… maybe more? Would you be proud to wear a name tag on your chest saying “Joe: 10+ Years as a Believer,” or would you be embarrassed of that accessory? Not due to the corny nature, but the way you conduct your day to day… you may feel ashamed rather than proud. Why? SHOW ME HOW TO LIVE.

v17 the JUST shall LIVE by FAITH…the righteousness of God is revealed from FAITH to FAITH. Why do I not see God working in my life? Why does God seemingly reveal His power and love to others, and not you? I hate to say it, but the answer is simple, but we miss the understanding. We need to live by FAITH. You say “I know that already!” Paul is going to show us how.

the JUST – already Justified in the eyes of God. How? By simply believing in Christ as your Savior (John 3, Eph 2:8-9, Rom 4).

This is going to be a great ride as we go thru Romans and Paul will, in fact, show us how to live. Keep in mind a simple outline of the book of Romans as we chart our course, and this trajectory has to begin at ground level, the baseline that we are all sinners and in need of a Savior.

Chapter 1-3 Condemnation: The whole world is condemned due to their sins. Sin separate us from having a relationship with God.

Chapters 4-5 Justification: How is that relationship restored. How are we justified in the eyes of God? Through faith.

Chapters 6-8 Sanctification: Living a set apart life not God. This is the “shall LIVE by faith” part of 1:17. Living a life that is honorable to God.

Chapters 9-11 Israel as an Illustration: Paul paints a portrait of how to live by revealing God’s dealings with Israel as an example to us. What a beautiful canvas we are to become.

Chapters 12-16 Transformation: By living by faith not by sight you can see the moving hand of God revealing Himself in your life, but also through your life to others.

These first three chapters might seem depressing, but know that there is hope coming in the following part of the letter. In order to learn we need to be teachable. And teachability comes from humility. These first three chapters are quite humbling.