INTRODUCTION: One difficulty that presents itself while working through a book like Romans in small segments is that it is very hard to find a place to stop . . . becauses Paul frequently doesn’t stop. This week we need to run a little ahead and stop in mid-thought, and next week we will back …
When the Preacher Slips His Leash
“As we will see a little later, apostolic boldness is something people are not likely to understand until they actually hear it, and then they are not exactly sure that it is what they wanted after all!” (Wagner, Tongues Aflame, p. 40).
Righteous Vengeance/Romans 11
INTRODUCTION: Paul is walking the world through the meaning of honest confession before God. The unbelieving Gentiles don’t want to honor God as God, or give Him thanks, and so Paul set the grandeur of God right in front of them, as displayed in every created thing. The Jews don’t want God, and so Paul …
Let God Be True/Romans X
INTRODUCTION: We learned from the end of chapter two that not all Jews are Jews, along with the corollary that not all Christians are Christians. But keeping up with the apostle can be a strenuous effort sometimes, and we now learn in the first part of chapter three that the Jews who are not really …
So Preach as Though There Were Men Standing in the Back Waiting to Arrest You
“The hallmark of the apostolic method of preaching was boldness. Again and again as we read Luke’s account we are arrested by the power and boldness that characterized the way in which the gospel was proclaimed by those early preachers . . . This characteristic boldness is all the more striking when we compare it …
The Absolute Necessity of the New Birth/Romans 9
INTRODUCTION: We left off with St. Paul’s observation that the Gentiles blasphemed God’s name because of the behavior of God’s people. In this passage, he goes on to show the root cause of the discrepancy between the holy name by which God’s people were called, and unholy lives which disgraced that calling. The root cause …
The Genesis of Hypocrisy/Romans 8
INTRODUCTION: We have already seen in the first chapter that the unbelieving Gentile world is without excuse in their rebellion against God. We have also seen (in this second chapter of Romans) that believing Gentiles are not in the same position. And here in this passage, we come to the point of emphasis, which is …
Preaching and Timbre
“God plays a number of different instruments, and the individual personality and background of the preacher is as much a part of powerful preaching as is the divine influence” (Wagner, Tongues Aflame, p. 31).
Easter Answer Once More
A week or so ago I blurbed The Easter Answer. A bunch of people went to that site and found an intriguing title, but no way to order the booklet. But, good news, the web site now has a purchase option here.
Glory, Honor, Immortality/Romans 8
INTRODUCTION: Paul has already stated his great theme—that the just shall live by faith. This is the great epistle of justification by faith, apart from works of the law. At the same time, it is quite striking that there is no more of a contradiction between Paul and James than there is between Paul in …