Chapter 12 began the application portion of Paul’s letter to the saints in Rome, and application was needed. After all, if Christians are to have an obedient faith (Romans 1.5) and “walk in newness of life” (Romans 6.4), then some instruction in how to obey and walk is needed. The primary application in chapter 12... Continue Reading →

We have now reached the practical application section of Paul's letter to the Romans. However, we should note that the practical application only matters because of the theological doctrine found in the first 11 chapters. In other words, all of the instruction for godly living found in this section matters little unless viewed in light... Continue Reading →

“Remnant” was a familiar concept to Paul and his kinsmen, one taken from their history. When Israel entered into a covenant with the Lord, He had laid out a series of blessings which would result from their faithfulness and curses which would result from their unfaithfulness, the last of which was captivity in a foreign... Continue Reading →

Paul may have had great sorry for his Jewish kinsmen (9.1-3) and prayed to God for their salvation (10.1), but things were not looking good for most of them. They were lost, but their condition was their own doing and blame could not be lain at the feet of God. They may have been God's... Continue Reading →

It is important to remember that chapter 10 falls in a section where Paul is lamenting the fact that his Jewish kinsmen had mostly rejected the gospel. This is the topic of Romans 9, 10 & 11 (remember, Paul didn't write the letter in chapters). It's little surprise that Paul spends so much time on... Continue Reading →

Paul began this section by describing his “great sorrow and unceasing anguish” over the fact that his kinsmen, physical Israel, had rejected Christ (9.2). Significantly, Paul returns to the feelings in his heart at the beginning of chapter 10: “my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved” (Romans... Continue Reading →

What this text is NOT about... Tragically, for many of us when we hear the term “election” our minds turn to John Calvin and his doctrine of Unconditional Election. As we will see, Calvin’s doctrine is NOT what Paul was teaching, but given the prevalence of this false teaching and their reliance on this passage... Continue Reading →

In our study of Romans 8.1-17 we focused on the fact that in Christ, everything has changed. Whereas our lives were once typified by sin and condemnation (see 5.18), "there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus," (8.1). Yet, Paul concluded this thought with a word about suffering, that we are... Continue Reading →

Our Need For A New Spirit The importance of man being a spiritual being reaches back to the Creation account. In Genesis 1’s abbreviated account of man’s creation we see that man was created in God’s own image (vs. 27), but in the fuller account of chapter 2 we see just how man was made... Continue Reading →

No Problem With The Law, But It's Not The Spirit Paul had firmly placed the Law on the side of sin and death (5.20-21; 6.14; etc.). Undoubtedly, some Jewish Christians began to accuse Paul of licensing sinful activity. After all, if we are not under Law, why would sin be wrong? Paul had emphatically stated... Continue Reading →