“But on some points I have written to you very boldly by way of reminder, because of the grace given me by God” (Romans 15:15, ESV)
Redundancy is not always a bad thing. The fact is, we do have a tendency to forget things. Thus, we often need a bold reminder. Consider Israel for a second. On several occasions we read that they “forgot the Lord their God” (Judg 3:7; 1 Sam 12:9). The consequences of this forgetting were disastrous for the nation. It brought plagues, famines, and wars against them. There are many exhortations for the nation to remember the great things God had done and to teach succeeding generations so they would not forget.
God had established certain feasts for Israel to serve as reminders of their relationship with God and His provision for them. Take the Passover celebration for instance. The Jewish people have participated in the Passover every year from the time of the Exodus as a reminder of God’s redemption. The elements of the Passover meal itself were to remind the nation of how God delivered them from the hand of Egypt.
Remember that when Jesus celebrated the Passover with His disciples, He established a meal of remembrance for the church. We partake often of the bread and the cup to remember the atoning work of Jesus.
It is interesting that in the previous verses of this letter to the Romans, Paul has just commended the believers for their knowledge of the truth. Yet, he states that he wrote the letter to them in a very bold way to remind them of the very truths that they apparently had understood.
Many hear the word doctrine and they immediately have negative connotations. But doctrine is not a bad word. It is something that we, as believers must understand. To understand is vital. Interestingly, the word understand comes from the Old English, understandan, which is the combination of two words, under and standan. Thus, when we understand we have something to stand under. If we do not stand firmly under sound doctrine, we will lose our footing and be prone to fall.
Paul understood this and put together the letter to the Romans, which is a masterpiece of Christian theology and theology in practice. He did this to reinforce truth to the believers so they would continue to stand firm. Do not be afraid of redundancy when it comes to doctrine. Do not be the person who says, “I’ve heard it all before. I already know all that.” For this reinforcement is for your good and the benefit of the others in your church.
Take advantage of the doctrinal teaching that your church offers. I would suggest that you ask your pastor to recommend books and courses to help you fully grasp and remember the doctrines of our faith. Yes, you may have heard much of this before, but the redundancy will drive things home that will give you a good footing in your Christian walk.
Renewing the Heart 