The Italian Memorandum

“All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God”

(Romans 3:23)

The need to study Romans is tremendous. Why? One reason why Romans deserves to be studied and re-studied, is due to the resurgent philosophy of being good without God trend in the world today. Turn on any popular television talk show and you are very likely to hear about self-help, psychology, and theology, which elevates man to the position of being his own god (literally!) or, simply the non-relevance of God; or, the relativistic—that’s just your truth (Phil 2:9-11!); or, the contrived—freedom from religion, instead of freedom of religion (Col. 1:16-18).

This “Being good without God” philosophy is being advocated on many levels. A brief listing of some areas and examples of this include:

1. “Law = repression; decriminalization = freedom” (Ronald Beiner, “Foucault’s Hyper-liberalism,” Critical Review, Summer 1995, pp. 353-54). (See Romans 2:12, etc.).

2. Amorality instead of immorality (i.e. denial that moral absolutes should or do exist). (See Romans 1:28, etc.).

3. Autonomous man (see Jer. 17:9; Mk. 10:18; Rom. 3:9-18; etc.).

4. Ethics as social construct created by language, not God. (see Richard Rorty; Michael Foucault; Jacques Derrida; etc.) (see Romans 1:21, etc.).

5. Global Socialism and Multiculturalism. New standards to accommodate all of the anti-Christian elements of the world (United Nations; UNESCO; UNICEF; etc.) A politically correct world where all ideas, lifestyles, and religions are of equal philosophic value and any one god is not better than any other (see Acts 4:12; Rom. 6:15-23). All men are good (see Matt. 7:11), not evil!

The basic problem here may be seen in John 3:16—“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life”. If man may be good without God, why did Jesus die? If man just needs more human governmental agencies, then philanthropy, not the love of God, is what the world needs now. Yes, we need Romans now more than ever!

– Robert M. Housby

When we feel we have nothing left to give
And we are sure that the song had ended—
When our day seems over and the shadows fall
And the darkness of night has descended,
Where can we go to find the strength
To valiantly keep on trying,
Where can we find the hand that will dry
The tears that the heart is crying—

There’s but one place to go and that is to God
And, dropping all pretense and pride,
We can pour out our problems without restraint
And gain strength with Him at our side—
And together we stand at life’s crossroads
And view what we think is the end,
But God has a much bigger vision
And He tells us it’s only a bend—

For the road goes on and is smoother,
And the pause in the song is a rest,
And the part that’s unsung and unfinished
Is the sweetest and richest and best—
So rest and relax and grow stronger,
Let go and let God share your load,
Your work is not finished or ended,
You’ve just come to a bend in the road

– Helen Steiner Rice

This poetry contains the Christian doctrine of perseverance and hope even in the face of perceived adversity. God is the difference between humanistic optimism, and optimism based upon Romans 8:22-28. Let God determine the ends and the bends.

– Robert M. Housby

world view – How one characteristically looks outward upon the universe.

“taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ”

(2 Corinthians 10:5,NASB)

All people have a world view. Some have world views that are skimpy, while others have developed their world view to reflect the creator-redeemer God. It is hoped that the following seven-fold structure will be helpful in the development of your Christian World View.

1. The Lord is God (Deuteronomy 4:35)

2. Jesus is the Son of God (1 John 4:15)

3. The Bible is the word of God (Psalm 119:160)

4. The church is the people of God (Acts 11:24,26)

5. The gospel is the plan of God (Romans 1:16)

6. Heaven is the calling of God (Hebrews 3:1)

7. Faith is the expectation of God [in all particulars](Hebrews 11:6)

We stand on the verge of a New Year. Will you stand with the Lord your God—regarding Jesus, Bible, Church, Gospel, Heaven, and Faith?

– Robert M. Housby

(Bring Someone with You to Heaven)

“He [Andrew] first found his own brother Simon and said to
him, We have found the Messiah (which means Christ). He
brought him to Jesus”

(John 1:41,42)

“The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found
Philip and said to him, Follow me… Philip found Nathanael
and said to him, We have found him of whom Moses wrote in
the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Galilee, the
son of Joseph”

(John 1:43-45)

The Greek word for find/found in the New Testament is from the eureka family of words. This eureka experience often involves strong human emotions (see Lk. 15:8-10; 32!). Notice in John chapter 1 how Christianity functions at its evangelistic core— several essential features emerge:

1. People find Christ in their own lives.
2. Then, those people find other people, and bring them to Jesus.

This model is basic and contains certain assumptions: (1) Disciples care enough to tell others (2) These others, in turn, are open enough to be teachable. Jesus certainly had heaven on his mind (John 1:51; 3:13,31; 6:50; 18:36; 20:16-17). Won’t you make heaven your goal too?

– Robert M. Housby

(Hebrews Chapter 1: Regarding Jesus Christ)

“…let us hold fast our confession”

(Hebrews 3:6, 14; 4:14; 10:23)

A number of years ago, I was in a public library when I overheard a gentleman going on and on about the first chapter of Herman Melville’s, Moby Dick. He bestowed on this particular chapter the ranking of— “best chapter in all of literature.” As I listened, I determined to go read this chapter from Melville. Although, we need not prefer one chapter in the Bible over any other, the first chapter of Hebrews does call our attention to Jesus in a classical style that is absolutely riveting. The Hebrew writer urges his readers to hold on to their faith in the face of difficulties (3:1;4:14). Then, he tells with certain and superior pride in his Lord just exactly who it is that occupies the substance of the Christian confession—

1. God’s prophet son (1:1,2)
2. the heir of all things (1:2)
3. the co-creator of the world (1:2)
4. the radiance of the glory of God (1:3)
5. the exact imprint of his nature (1:3)
6. [who] upholds the universe by the word of his power (1:3)
7. [who] making purification for sins, sat down (1:3)
8. [who] is greater than angels

What a dynamic foundation for Christians! The Hebrew writer opens in he most powerful way possible— clarification of Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:2).

– Robert M. Housby

“Greet all your leaders and all the saints.
Those who come from Italy send you greetings.
Grace be with all of you”

(Hebrews 13:24,25)

A large portion of the New Testament is composed of personal letters. These letters are known as epistles (from the Greek, epistole). This epistolary form includes a greeting, which may come at the beginning of a letter or at the end.
Greetings were generally very important to the Jews (Matt. 23:6f.; Lk. 20:46; 11:43). The greeting was also customary among both non-Jews and non-Christians—“And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?” There is a reference by Jesus which suggests that the disciples were not to greet
anyone while on the mission of Luke 10:4—“…greet no one on the road.” But, this exception was not the norm, as Matthew 10:5-6 would indicate; and so it is called the limited commission, in contrast to the great commission of Matthew 28:18-20.
Notice the principle laid down in Matthew 10:12-16 about greetings—“As you enter the house greet it. And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it, but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you… ” In Christian ministry we encounter those who are friendly and those who are antagonistic. But, note that Jesus’ followers are to initiate the greeting.
(Matt. 10:12). Only then, will you be able to discern who will listen and who will not listen. We need not force ourselves upon those who are already unprepared soil for the gospel. But, in closing, do be kind and greet those about you this winter.

– Robert M. Housby

(Traits of Nominal Discipleship)

“You also are not one of this man’s disciples, are you?”

(John 18:17, ESV)

Nominal – 1. being such in name only (see Rom. 2:17-29; 1 Pet. 4:16; compare—
“I’m Church of Christ”)

The story of Peter denying Christ has been told often and taught much. The purpose of this article is to analyze what makes faith nominal—that is, what a denial of Christian discipleship looks like.

1. Instead of closeness to Jesus—maintenance of a distance.

2. Instead of unquestionable commitment—commitment in question.

3. Instead of personally focused faith—distracted personal faith.

4. Instead of affirmations of faith—denials of faith.

5. Instead of religious participation—religious spectator orientation.

6. Instead of decisions for Christ—decisions against Christ.

7. Instead of conflict resolution—flight during conflict.

Nominal Christian discipleship will always be around. But, when the majority of members succumb to this kind of malaise—the local church is in jeopardy. Make every effort to hold high the name of Christ (1 Peter 4:16). Peter had a come-back, as we read in 1 and 2 Peter. May our lives, too, repudiate nominal behavior. Are you one of his disciples?

– Robert M. Housby

(Christians and the Human Experience)

“Is any among you suffering? Let him pray.
Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise…”

(James 5:13)

“If there were dreams to sell, merry and sad to tell,
And the crier rang the bell, what would you buy?”

– Thomas Lovell Beddoes

The human experience is often freckled with cheerfulness and suffering. Life, as we know it, is neither one or the other, but one and the other. James, very much in touch with the extremes of the human experience, uses terms which reflect our own times—“suffering,” “cheerful,” and “sick” (James 5:13,14). We may say with confidence that, while Christ came to save us from sin and death, he allows certain universals currently intact to prevail for a limited time. These universals would include such concepts and facts as human joy and human trials (James 1:3).

Since life has aspects of being a test, James encourages remaining steadfast under trial in order to withstand the test (see James 1:3, 12). To James, neither joy nor suffering, in and of themselves constitute a complete theology of blessing, but rather, how joy and sadness are handled. Does joy prompt you to live without God? Does sadness disprove the existence of God? No, they are just part of the whole human drama in which we find ourselves. So, may your days be merry and bright, but if they are not—all is not lost. “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us” (James 4:5).

– Robert M. Housby

“And Elijah came near to all the people and said, How
long will you go limping between two different opinions?”

(1 Kings 18:21, ESV)

The Bible teaches clearly that man is highly opinionated, even when those
personal opinions are not immediately forthcoming (see Job 32:6,10,17). We appreciate this aspect of the human experience, as given by God to man, which is sometimes referred to as free-will. A classic example of such free-will may be viewed in Joshua 24:15—“And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

When Elijah asked, “How long will you go limping between two different opinions?” (1 Kings 18:21), he was tapping into man’s ability to choose for himself. Surely, it was exasperating for Elijah to have to confront these religious wobblers, to say nothing about God’s own feelings on the matter. Of course, Elijah would be called a troublemaker for his efforts (1 Kings 18:17). But, his reply stands as a resilient model for all time: “I have not troubled Israel…but you have abandoned the commandments of the Lord” (1 Kings 18:18). He proceeded: “If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him” (1 Kings 18:21).

Jesus, himself, said, “If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him” (John 12:26). If you’re not serving, you’re not following; and, if you’re not following…you’re limping theologically.

– Robert M. Housby

“The righteous flourish like the palm tree”

(Psalm 92:12)

Sometimes those older 19th century Biblical commentaries shed light on a passage that is difficult to surpass because of first-hand experience and beauty of expression. Such is the case with Dr. Thomson’s comments about Psalm 92:12—“The righteous will flourish like the palm tree and grow like the cedars of Lebanon” (Barnes on the Old Testament, Vol. III (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, reprinted, 1968) 121-125:

“The palm grows slowly, but steadily, from century to century, uninfluenced by those alterations of the seasons which affect other trees. It does not rejoice overmuch in winter’s copious rain, nor does it droop under the drought and burning sun of summer. Neither heavy weights which men place upon its head, nor the importunate urgency of the wind, can sway it aside from perfect uprightness. There it stands, looking calmly down upon the world below, and patiently yielding its large clusters of golden fruit from generation to generation. [Re: the cedars of Lebanon] Beneath the giant arms of those old patriarchs of a hundred generations, there comes a solemn hush upon the soul as if by enchantment… But it is most impressive at night. Let us by all means arrange to sleep there. The universal silence is almost painful. The gay old towers of Lebanon, still as stone, stand all around, holding up the stars of heaven to look at you, and the trees gather like phantoms about you, and wink knowingly, or seem to, and whisper among themselves you know not what…The idea in the passage before us is, that the righteous will flourish like the most luxuriant and majestic trees of the forest…”

Brethren, let us flourish while we may! – Robert M. Housby