I WANT YOU TO BE KNOWLEDGEABLE ABOUT WHAT IS GOOD

Proclamation:

“… But I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil.  The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.  The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.”  Romans 16:19-20 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written by the Apostle Paul under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God to the believers in Rome.  Paul devotes much of this final chapter of Romans naming thirty-five believers.  Some of whom he knew in the church at Rome, and others who were with him as companions who also sent greetings to the believers in Rome.  His brief message encourages them to greet one another with a “holy kiss.” (Romans 16:16)  He then urges them to “watch out for those who cause division” in the church.  He wanted them to be knowledgeable regarding The Word of God and not to mix it with that which is evil.  He said that soon The Lord God would put Satan in his place, but they were to resist the devil until that happens. (Romans 16:20)

Application:

There are those who belong to church congregations but they are there to serve themselves. (Romans 16:18)  They corrupt the church by deceiving the heart and head of believers. (Romans 16:18)  We need to be careful of what we hear, just because it was said in church does not make it true.  We need to compare what we hear with The Word of God before accepting it because people will deceive you. (Jeremiah 9:4-5 and Mark 13:5)  We need to resist the devil, and those doing his work, by submitting ourselves to The Lord God and His Holy Word. (James 4:7)