Paul ends his
letter to the Romans with Chapter
Sixteen. He uses the first part of the chapter to commend several
members of
the church. He wants others to know of those who are working diligently
for the
Lord.
In verse
seventeen, he changes from commending to
condemning. Paul knows that there are those in Rome who are causing
problems.
These individuals do not want to follow God’s Word. They are teaching
things
contrary to the doctrine that came from God. Paul tells the Christians
to mark
and avoid those who are doing this.
Paul says that
these false teachers and troublemakers
are serving their own belly. He says that these false teachers use good
words
and fair speeches to deceive the innocent. Paul wants them to beware of
such.
And Paul says that they are to desire to be wise in that which is good.
Then Paul says
that the God of peace will bruise Satan
shortly under the Roman Christians’ feet. In the context, this
statement must
be referring to the marking and avoiding of false teachers. These
troublemakers
were going to be cast out of the assembly of the Christians.
Many people
today do not want to believe that there is
to be church discipline. They will say that God is a God of peace and
that we
should all just get along. They are correct to say we are supposed to
get along
with one another. And they are correct to say that God is a God of
peace. But
the God of peace requires that those who cause division be disciplined.
When
these individuals are disciplined, Satan is bruised. Satan loves
sinners and
hates Christians. To discipline those that Satan loves is to bruise
Satan.
Make sure that you follow God. Do not
be a person who
causes division among God’s people. And beware of those who teach
something
other than what God has given us in the Bible. If any of this is hard
to
understand, ask an adult to help you.
Outside
the Camp
By Mark McWhorter
When the
Israelites were in the wilderness, Moses
ordained, as ordered by God, to set a limit around the camp. The Jewish
authorities in the first century tried to follow the example of Moses
by
establishing a “Camp area” around Jerusalem. This area did not stop at
the
actual walls that surrounded Jerusalem. In fact, the walls did not have
anything to do with what was considered within or without the camp.
The Jewish
authorities chose a distance of 2000 cubits
from the center of the Temple as the outer limit of the camp. They got
this
distance from the 2000 cubits that is mentioned in Joshua 3:4. There it
was the
distance that the Israelites were to stay from the Ark of the Covenant.
It was just
outside of this distance that the Jews of
the first century had their altar where the red heifer was sacrificed,
and it
was located east of Jerusalem on the Mount of Olives.
It was also the
rule that nothing unclean could be kept
within the camp. All individuals with contagious diseases had to live
outside
the camp. Ashes from all sacrifices were taken outside the camp. Any
person
condemned to death due to a bad crime had to be killed outside the camp.
We know that
Jesus was found guilty of blasphemy by the
Jewish authorities. This was a lie, but they wanted Jesus dead. Jesus
was
sentenced to die, but he had to die outside the camp because the
authorities
considered him unclean. The places that have been considered the
possible
places for Jesus’ crucifixion are all inside the camp.
Remember that
in Hebrews 13:12, we learn that Jesus was
crucified outside the camp. So there must be some other place that is
the
correct place. The probable place is the Mount of Olives. This was
where the
altar for the red heifer was located. Since Jesus is seen to us as the
red
heifer and we are told to go to him there, he must have been crucified
somewhere near the altar of the red heifer.
I am thankful
that Jesus was willing to come and die
for me. I know you are thankful that he died for you. He was willing to
be
taken outside the camp to die for us. He was willing to be considered
unclean
for us. Just as those in Bible times were required to be cleansed by
the water
mixed with ashes of the red heifer, we today must be purified by the
blood of
Jesus. The only way to know how to do this is to study our Bible. We
must learn
what it means to go to Jesus outside the camp.
Keep studying your Bible. Learn all you
can about what
God wants you to know. And if any of this is hard to understand, ask an
adult
to help you.
