You can't hold hands on a motorcycle
This week's verses are Romans 9:30-33 : What shall we say then?—that the Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness obtained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith, but Israel even though pursuing a law of righteousness did not attain it. Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but (as if it were possible) by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone, just as it is written, “ Look, I am laying in Zion a stone that will cause people to stumble and a rock that will make them fall, yet the one who believes in him will not be put to shame . ” These verses are simultaneously a good treatment of the whole "works without faith is dead" thing, and a good post-Valentine's reality check. The Apostle Paul is talking about the law, about grace, and about relationships. In the Old Testament, as part of his relationship with the Jewish people at the time, God gave a set of instructions through Moses on how to live the right way. I've talked with a numbe...