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

“There was no getting around the stubborn fact that taking sweetmeats was only ‘hooking,’ while taking bacon and hams…was plain simple stealing…”

(Mark Twain, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, chapter 13)

“Cursed be the cheat who has a male in his flock, and vows it, and yet sacrifices to the Lord what is blemished”

(Malachi 1:14; 1:8)

The prophet Malachi did not mince words when he leveled a rebuke at God’s people for ripping off the LORD their God. That rebuke still rings and resonates in the ears of all who would do his will. A sampling of the rebuke appear as follows, with a brief analysis—

“Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me”

(Malachi 3:8)

1. The Lord has expectations for his people (3:8,9).
2. These expectations are not empty, but full expectations (3:10a).
3. It is not vain to serve God (3:13,14).
4. Service to God will open the windows of heaven and blessing (3:3:10b).

Will you not serve him today? “Then once more you shall see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve him” (3:18).

– Robert M. Housby

“He went on his way through towns and villages, teaching and journeying toward Jerusalem. And someone said to him, Lord, will those who are saved be few? And he said to them, Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, open to us, then he will answer you, I do not know where you come from. Then you will begin to say, We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets. But he will say, I tell you, I do not know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of evil! In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God but you yourselves cast out. And people will come from east and west, and from north and south, and recline at table in the kingdom of God. And behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.”

(Luke 13:22-30)

Through the years, we have seen people both elated and disappointed with their various  experiences in the kingdom of God. Some have expectations of being served, instead of serving; others work themselves into a burn-out and wind up becoming bitter; and, yet others serve with no other agenda than being well-pleasing to God their Father. The story of Luke 13:22-30 uses the phrase, “the kingdom of God” twice. Those seeking to enter, but who are unable to enter, start to present a false picture of their association with the master. The best light they could spin, however, was to say, we know who you are. We saw you teaching in our streets while we dined. All of a sudden, the kingdom becomes gravely important.

The time for seeking is now.

– Robert M. Housby

“I will not forget thy word”

(Psalm 119:16, KJV)

Pavese wrote, “We do not remember days, we remember moments” (The Burning Brand (1961). This may be true in many respects, but, there are admonitions in Scripture to remember both days and years (Deut. 32:7). Yet, there is a forgetting which goes beyond the trivial and enters the terrible. The psalmist declared: “I will not forget your word” (Ps. 119:16, 176). Psalm 119 is closely aligned with the law of the LORD, as given through Moses (see John 1:17; Deut. 1:5; Ps. 119:1).

In Deuteronomy 8, the word “remember” occurs twice (8:2, 18). The word, “forget” occurs three times (8:11,14,19). Of course, to not forget, and to remember, are expressions of the same intended object. That object is “the LORD your God” (8:2, 7, 11, 14, 18, 19, 20). But, to remember and not forget the LORD includes a foundational approach to the Bible. Note—“And you shall remember the whole way” (Deut. 8:1,2, emphasis on the whole); “…but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD” (8:3).

The psalmist wanted to express where he stood in relation to the law of the LORD. If it should ever seem like he has forgotten you, perhaps, rather, it is you that have forgotten him (Isa. 49:14,15; 51:12,13;Lk. 12:6). “Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you.” “Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And yet not one of them is forgotten before God.” If God should not forget us, how could we forget such a God?

-Robert M. Housby

“…he has put eternity into man’s heart…”

(Ecclesiastes 3:11)

He dazzled his world, at a young age, with his sophisticated mathematics. He, then, proceeded to speak of a “God shaped vacuum.” His name was Blaise Pascal. Is there such a thing as a “God-shaped vacuum?” A void, which, if not filled, causes a man to attempt to connect in some way to the eternal, by legitimate and illegitimate means? Is there such a need built into man to seek out the eternal? Is there a need so important and basic that without its comfort one is destined only to constantly apply band-aids to his dying wounds? Is this search for love and quest for ultimate purpose an inherent condition of man’s soul?

The Bible does speak of such a “God-shaped vacuum.” For example, it is written in Ecclesiastes 3:11—“I have seen the business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end” (Eccl. 3:10-11). Add to this reference, the words of Jesus in John 4:13,14, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty forever.” (see also Acts 17:27,28; 2 Cor. 5:2).

But, the real question is not whether such a vacuum exists. The more incisive question is whether one has found the right resource to fill it. If the Christian fulfillment story of the gospel is rejected, perhaps all that one can expect is summed up—“She is older than the rocks among which she sits; like the vampire she has been dead many times” (Pater’s reflections upon Leonardo’s Mona Lisa, The Renaissance). Thank God for Jesus and the power of his rising (Acts 13:30-41)!

-Robert M. Housby

“So we do not lose heart…”

(2 Corinthians 4:1,16)

In ministry, we see people every week that have either lost heart, or are about to lose heart. In the King James Version of the Bible, this matter of losing heart is expressed in an equally fitting idiom—“we faint not” (2 Corinthians 4:1,16). Paul’s reason for his Christian fortitude lies in answer to the question raised in 2 Corinthians 2:16—“Who is sufficient for these things?” The “these things” of 2:16 refers to the significance of what Christianity is all about even in the face of painful experiences (see 2 Corinthians 2:4; 14-15).

Notice some specific reasons for not losing heart (that is, our belief system/whereby we are established, 2 Corinthians 1:21), as expressed in 2 Corinthians 1:

1. God is aware of and a comfort to our personal struggles (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)

2. Personal pain serves a larger purpose (2 Corinthians 1:5-7)

3. Our reliance is not in ourselves, but in God (2 Corinthians 1:8-10)

4. Prayer is our privilege (2 Corinthians 1:11)

5. Joy goes beyond personal pain, and taps into faith in Christ (2 Corinthians 1:24)

It certainly is strange that, “In a full heart there is room for everything, and in an empty heart there is room for nothing” (Antonio Porchia, Voces, (1968). “Widen your hearts also” ( 2 Corinthians 6:11-13).

-Robert M. Housby

“The God of heaven will give us success”

(Nehemiah 2:20, NEB)

There is a great need in our world to redefine “success.” Jesus said, “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet” (Matthew 5:13).

The world continues to define success along the lines of the big-four. It is not strange that Jesus addressed all four in his, Sermon On the Mount (Matthew 5-7).

1. Money (secular security) – “You cannot serve God and money” (Matthew 6:24).

2. Power (achievement/advancement) – “Your kingdom come, your will be done” (Matthew 6:10).

3. Beauty (external endowments) – “Therefore do not be anxious, saying…What shall we wear? For the Gentiles seek after all these things”

4. Athleticism (talent) – “On that day many will say to me, Lord, Lord, did we not…and do many mighty works in your name?” (Matthew 7:22).

Humanistic success, as grounded in the big-four, may cause one’s peers to oooh and ahhh! But, the God of heaven is not impressed. For, this kind of “success” is a “success” without God, and/or without God’s plan. May we come to learn that, “The God of heaven gives success” (Nehemiah 2:20).

-Robert M. Housby

“…he will be blessed in his doing”

(James 1:25)

In our experience, most people want to believe that God cares for them and will bless them. This notion is based upon a concept of the God of the Bible—for the God of the Bible is known as a blessing God (see Psalm 129:8). There is a sense in which God blesses all men, as it is written—“…For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust” (Matthew 5:45). However, there is another sense in which only particular people are blessed. This is a hard saying for idle, busybodies. For example, the biblical work-ethic, as commanded by the apostle Paul, reads—“If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies. Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living” (2 Thess. 3:10-12).

In the Epistle of James, James clarifies that one’s behavior determines whether he/she will be blessed or not blessed (James 1:25). Furthermore, one’s Christian view–that is, what source of wisdom (sophia, 3:13-18) one is operating with, will determine whether they get this message or scorn it (4:1-2,6). God’s blessings are predictable, according to data from James:

1. Blessings are conditional (James 1:25).
2. Blessings come to the steadfast (James 1:3,12).
3. Blessings are not conditioned upon belief alone (James 2:14-26; especially note 2:14).

Yes, God does long to bless you—not only with his sun and rain, but also, with his Son and Reign (Colossians 1:13)!

-Robert M. Housby

“And they will all be taught by God”

(John 6:45)

There are many versions of Christianity in the marketplace today. To most, this is a rather pleasant arrangement, as it allows for a smorgasbord approach to God—take what you want and leave the rest. But, there is a deep problem here. It is the same problem which Isaiah spoke of many years ago:

1. Preferring the word of men above the word of God (Isaiah 29:13).

2. Persevering in a plan that is not God’s plan (Isaiah 30:1).

3. Persistently refusing the Lord’s instruction (Isaiah 30:9).

To be taught by God is not optional (Isaiah 2:1-3; John 6:45;63; Hebrews 8:10-11). Jesus, himself, applied this information to the religious humanists of his day—“…in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men. You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men” (Mark 7:7-8).

So, would you be open to new information—information which comes directly from the Bible—without human creed, without human catechism, and without presumptuous human claim of direct revelation (2 Timothy 3:16,17; Galatians 1:6-9)? So, what is your attitude about Bible study?

Are you reachable or unreachable (Isaiah 59:1,2,21)?

-Robert M. Housby