Righteousness, Wrath, and Rescue: A Journey through Romans 1-8. (Page 2)

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…

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…

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 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…

The Harm of HypocrisyRomans 2:17-24 “The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips and walk out the door and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.” Brennan Manning I am not sure how we would qualify such a statement, but I believe we can at least acknowledge its truthfulness in general. Hypocrites do damage to the cause of Christ. In a world of constant cameras…

Romans 2:11-16 I imagine most of us remember our final exams in school. It could be the final to conclude a particular class, or it could be the final to graduate. Either way, finals are usually stressful! What finals accomplished though is they exposed how well we mastered the material. How well did we read, tune into the lectures, and complete the assignments?  God says in His Word that a day is coming when all mankind will take a final…

Romans 2:5-11 You may have heard the expression, “If you’re not living, you’re dying.” That expression may be more true than we realize. Paul said in Romans 8:6, “The mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace.” How true this is! So, are we living or dying? That is the question that we’ll look to answer this Sunday as we explore Romans 2:5-11 again and see how we can not just live,…

Life & DeathRomans 2:5-11 Stephen Covey has said, “We judge ourselves by our intentions and others by their behavior.” I found this to be true in my own life. The reality, however, is that the only thing that will be judged on the day of judgment is our actions, or works, not our intentions. This is Paul’s message in Romans 2:5-11. God, who judges impartially, will weigh each one’s works and reward everyone accordingly. This judgment comes not only in…

Romans 2:2-4 As Christians, we enjoy the never-ending always available grace of our loving Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The Bible tells us in Lamentations 3, “The Lord’s lovingkindness indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.” What we fail to understand though, at times, is that God’s lovingkindness, compassion, and faithfulness to us as His children may not always look like we think it should. There are times when our loving Heavenly Father’s love and…

Romans 2:1 How many times have we heard someone say this? Oftentimes when people say this it is in effort to deflect from their sinful practices so as to alleviate their conscience. However, this principle is true as it was espoused by both Jesus and the Apostle Paul. What does it mean to “do not judge, lest ye be judged?” That is the subject of Romans chapter 2. This Sunday, we will begin chapter two in our series,  Righteousness, Wrath, and…

Romans 1:24-32 Does sin still have consequences today? That is a question many Christians may contemplate throughout life. If Jesus has forgiven us all our sins, what real effect then does sin have in a believer’s life? What about unbelievers? Do they suffer the effects of their sin? Paul addresses this subject in Romans 1:24-32 as he shares what the dangerous descent into darkness leads to in the life of all people. 

Romans 1:18-25 Pilate, when confronting Jesus on His claim to testify to the truth exclaimed, “What is truth!” In our day, many people believe that ultimate truth is unknowable, especially truth related to the origin of man or the universe. God says otherwise.  Knowing the truth about our Creator and His design for life is not only imperative, but expected. Without a proper understanding of who we are and why God created us and for what purpose, life will be a…