Righteousness, Wrath, and Rescue: A Journey through Romans 1-8.

Righteousness, Wrath, and Rescue: A Journey through Romans 1-8.

Living The Grace Life

Romans 5:15-21 Last week, we heard a lot about sin and death. We learned of the pitiful condition of mankind apart from his Creator. It’s all bad news without any hope. BUT, the story doesn’t end there! Because in the first verse of Romans 5:15 is BUT the free gift is not like the transgression.  This week we will focus our attention on the reason Jesus came to earth to undo all Adam and the human race have done through sin. You won’t want…

Does Jesus Reign Supreme?

Romans 5:12-21 You may have heard the expression, “If Jesus is not Lord of all, He’s not Lord at all!” The expression is usually directed at people who claim to be believers but whose lives are not characterized by the “Lordship” or rule of Jesus.  That may sound spiritual on the surface, but does it have support from the Bible. In Romans chapter 5 verses 12-21, the Apostle Paul helps us understand how all the world is under the rule of either sin…

Love Like No Other

Romans 5:5-10 According to an article from NASA, “Human beings have certain basic needs. We must have food, water, air, and shelter to survive. If any one of these basic needs is not met, then humans cannot survive.” NASA and Jamestown Education Module I imagine that most of us would like to add to this list. Sure, maybe humans can “survive”, physically with these basic needs, but surely humans want to do more than merely survive.  Yet, when we look around our world, country, city, churches, and even…

Faith, Peace, And Glory

Romans 5:1-5 Believers in Jesus Christ by faith alone in Christ alone, have been forever justified before God, the righteous judge. However, we know this is not the only benefit we receive when we believe. Our faith unlocks a plethora of spiritual blessings that God offers all of His children.  In Romans 5, Paul transitions from his explanation of eternal justification by faith alone apart from works, to the benefits that flow from this justification. When all is said and done, we…

The God Of The Impossible

Romans 4:13-25 John Bertram Phillips or, J. B. Phillips (16 September 1906 – 21 July 1982) was an English Bible scholar, translator, author and clergyman. He wrote a book in 1952 entitled, “Your God is Too Small.”  The idea expressed is that many people struggle to conceive a powerful God in light of their current circumstances. The God we have come to know is too small to help in light of the big issues we face in life.  Yet, the…

Blessed Are The Forgiven

Romans 4:4-12 Oftentimes as Christians, we seek the forgiveness of God for wrongs done. We sense our need for the removal of guilt and the infusion of God’s love and mercy. However, the way in which we hope to receive that forgiveness resembles more of a transaction where we do our part and God does His. We weep over our sin, we determine to do better or try harder, or we make a bargain with God that we hope will bring His…

Faith + Nothing = Everything

Romans 4:1-6 As Christians, we are a people of faith. We believe in the Creator God and His Son, Jesus Christ. As a people of faith, it is important to understand the role of faith in our salvation, as well as our sanctification.  Many people today, including Christians, misunderstand the basis on which we were saved. In Romans 4, the Apostle Paul lays out a detailed argument for the truth that all the world is saved on the basis of faith…

Public Display Of Affection

Romans 3:24-26 Holiness and sinfulness cannot coincide, just as light and darkness cannot. This presents a serious and eternal problem for all of mankind. God, who is the epitome of holy, cannot allow sin in His presence. Consequently, we as sinful people cannot exist with God in our depraved state. There is only one way for sin to be forever removed and God has said that it is only through the death of His righteous Son, Jesus Christ.  The death of Jesus…

The Way, The Truth, The Life

Romans 3:21-26 In newly-released findings from Dr. George Barna and the Cultural Research Center’s inaugural American Worldview Inventory, it was found that a majority of people who describe themselves as Christian (52%) believe that a person can gain eternal salvation by “being or doing good.”  That includes close to half of all adults associated with Pentecostal (46%), mainline Protestant (44%), and evangelical (41%) churches. As expected, a much larger share of Catholics (70%) embrace that point of view. Wow! Nearly half of people…

The Totality Of Depravity

Romans 3:9-18 “The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time.” Genesis 6:5 Wow, what a dismal assessment of the condition of man! It was 100% accurate though, because it was from the Creator of man, God Himself. Whew, good thing we’ve improved so much over the past several thousand years! NOT!  Reality check: mankind is still wicked because mankind is…

Personal Holiness Matter

Romans 3:1-8 A common reason many unbelievers cite as a reason for disbelief in God is the failures of those who claim to be Christians. Their reasoning is “if they (Christians) don’t live what they believe, then it must not be true.” However, God says otherwise. Romans 3 tells us that we are all accountable for our own lives and responses to the truth of God, no matter how well someone else may live it themselves. Believers and unbelievers alike are responsible for…

Rest(oration) for the Weary

Rest(oration) for the WearyRomans 2:25-29 “Work as if it’s all up to you and pray as if it’s all up to God.” Have you ever heard this expression? Well, maybe there is some truth to this, but the only problem is we can work ourselves to death and miss the work God wants to do!  The Jews are a prime example. They both worked and prayed and neither got them any closer to God. What about you? Are you working and…
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