Rom 9:1-2 I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit— 2 that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart.
Paul’s claim to speak the truth in Christ is confirmed by his testimony of a clear conscience before the Holy Spirit.To have a clear conscience before the Holy Spirit is the highest achievement for humans. That essentially means that we have nothing to hide from God, from whom we cannot hide anything anything. There are many things we think we can hide, including secret sins that no one else can know. Because God is not visible, we think our sins are invisible. This starts us down a path of losing our fear of God. God is lowered in our mind. His sovereignty in our lives is replaced by our own selfish way of thinking. Paul makes this significant claim to add emphasis to his strong feelings for the Roman Christians. Some interpreters say that this chapter reveals the heart of the letter. Everything up to this point gives the theological foundation for the deeper relational issues in Rome. The issues that Paul will discuss in the follow chapters are actually ones that were found in other early churches, with evidence scattered throughout his letters. The issues focus on the relationship of Jews and Gentiles, how Gentiles come to faith, and their relationship to God’s laws. He will clear up many of those ideas in the following three chapters.
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