Welcome back to our current series, studying through the Book of Romans with HelloMornings.
Our Bible reading today is Romans 16: 17 -24 ...
17 Now I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause dissensions and obstacles contrary to the doctrine you have learned. Avoid them, 18 for such people do not serve our Lord Christ but their own appetites. They deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting with smooth talk and flattering words.
19 The report of your obedience has reached everyone. Therefore I rejoice over you. But I want you to be wise about what is good, yet innocent about what is evil. 20 The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.
21 Timothy, my coworker, and Lucius, Jason, and Sosipater, my fellow countrymen, greet you.
22 I Tertius, who wrote this letter, greet you in the Lord.
23 Gaius, who is host to me and to the whole church, greets you. Erastus, the city treasurer, and our brother Quartus greet you.
[24 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.]
Verse 19 stood out for me today: "The report of your obedience has reached everyone. Therefore I rejoice over you. But I want you to be wise about what is good, yet innocent about what is evil."
Firstly, Paul commends the Believers at Rome for their obedience to the truth of the Gospel.
What a great thing to be known and recognized for!
I pray that my reputation may be similar!
Secondly, Paul warns his readers not to be led astray by false teachers, which can happenno matter how long or how well we've been following the Lord, if we don't keep our guard up.
And what an important warning this is for us today! With the ease of access we all have to post on the internet and to self-publish books, it's easier than it has ever been for literally anyone to get his or her version of the Gospel out into the public domain (look - I'm doing it right now!).
This makes it more important than ever - in my opinion - to be checking our sources (don't just swallow everything you read on a website, friends!!), and comparing everything we read and everything we listen to to the Word of God.
We have to be in the Word primarily for ourselves, not via someone else's devotional book or podcast (these things can be good, but only if we've read our Bibles ourselves first, and heard from the Author, before we read other people's comments and opinions).
It's also vital - again, in my opinion - that we belong to a local, Bible- preaching, church. We need to have teaching and correction and direction from church leaders who are themselves soaking in the Word of God, in order to shepherd their flocks well.
In this way, we can do as Paul instructs, and "be wise about what is good, yet innocent about what is evil."
In this way, we will be wise enough to recognise false teaching when it comes across our path or shows up in our Facebook feed. We need to know the Truth of the Scriptures so thoroughly that we will immediately recognise false distortions of it.
Paul also wants the Believers in Rome (and us) to continue to be "innocent about what is evil.
The Greek word Paul uses is "akeraios", which also means "unmixed, pure, or simple." In other words, he wants his readers to continue to avoid sinful practices, instead of becoming tainted or scarred by participating in them.
As Believers, we can’t ignore sinful behaviour or false teaching just to keep the peace. We bring correction in love, but love requires that we deal with these things because they are dangerous to our faith