Paul has made an argument that all of us fall short of the glory of God. Our feeble efforts at “being sinless” fall woefully short. Yet Paul makes it clear that “Now, righteousness from God apart from the law, has been made known….This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ.” (Romans 3:21-22). Paul now turns his focus back to the patriarch, Abraham.
We need to remember that the Jews at the time of Jesus thought they had an inside track to the Living God. For them, being in the bloodline of Abraham, the rite of circumcision, and the Law of Moses meant they were part of the kingdom of God. They looked down on the Gentiles who were the idol-worshiping pagans.
Romans - Lesson 3
Romans 4
February 3, 2022 • Meg Rice
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Romans
Romans Lesson 11
March 31, 2022 • Meg Rice
We are coming to the end of Paul’s letter to the Romans. Paul has put forth remarkable insight into the power of God and our weakness as human beings. Chapters 14 and 15 are a continuation of what kingdom living looks like. This section began with Paul’s declaration in Romans 12:1 "Therefore, I urge you brothers in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship."
Romans Lesson 10
March 24, 2022 • Meg Rice
Chapter 12 begins with the word "Therefore", so we need to see what it is "there for". In chapters 1-8, Paul gave us his beliefs about doctrine. In other words, he told us what we need to believe, or our right thinking about God and man. God has wrath against the sinfulness of man, BUT he has provided a way to be saved through his grace and that way is faith in Jesus as His Son. Chapters 9-11 are about the Jewish nation and God’s sovereignty. Because of God’s mercy and sovereignty, we move into the practical application of what righteous living looks like in chapters 12-16.
Romans Lesson 9
March 17, 2022 • Meg Rice
Romans 11 is the final connecting of the dots between Christianity and Judaism. To me, this chapter is one of the most intriguing in this letter. In chapters 9 and 10, Paul has been making logical Old Testament supported arguments in hopes to lead his Jewish brothers to accept Jesus as the Messiah. Yet he realizes that as a nation, Israel is refusing the offer of righteousness through faith in Jesus.