Introduction It may not be immediately obvious, but it appears as though the apostle Paul painted himself into a corner. He began to wax a little too eloquent at the end of chapter 8, showing how absolutely nothing can separate the elect of God from the love of Christ. Who can lay a charge against …
Refugees and Apostles
INTRODUCTION: As we seek to live our lives as faithful Christians, informed by the Word of God, we soon discover that it is not a simple process. It is not as though the Spirit gave us a rule book, in outline form, fully indexed. He gave us laws, principles, stories, and parables, strewn across various …
Never Trust a Theologian . . .
Yesterday at church I saw a bumper sticker on a friend’s car that summarizes a lot of things wonderfully. “Never trust a theologian who hasn’t been executed.” Of course if we understand the spirit of the thing, we would not just limit ourselves to men like Cranmer, burned at the stake, but could also include …
Father of Mercies
INTRODUCTION: Under the direction of God, in recent years we have been led to redouble our efforts and emphases on what we call mercy ministry. Whether it is a continuation of our labor in the Ivory Coast, or a new field for mercy work in Myanmar, or locally through Sabbath House, we have been given …
Untouchable/Romans 31
INTRODUCTION: The conclusion of this chapter ties in nicely with the way it begins—the chapter begins with no condemnation, and it ends with no possible condemnation. And the basis for this glorious and exalted grace is the entire argument of Romans up to this point—the free gift, justification, and the love of God. This is …
What Shall We Then Say?/Romans 30
INTRODUCTION: We come now to the beating heart of what has been nicknamed Calvinism. But of course, Calvin—a faithful servant of God—did not concoct these doctrines. He taught that where Scripture is silent, we ought not to pry (Dt. 29:29). But he also taught, following Augustine, that Scripture is always a safe guide. The same …
Too Deep for Words/Romans XXIX
INTRODUCTION: The glory welling up with us is the future of the creation, and it is the future of the entire creation. This is a much neglected passage, perhaps because the view from here is so stupefying. We don’t quite know how to take it in—but that is all right because the Spirit will help …
Coming Glory/Romans XXVIII
INTRODUCTION: We should always desire to act biblically, and not to react to the mistakes or abuses of others. Many of us came into the Reformed faith because we were trying to get away from all the relational goo. Well and good. But take care not to react mindlessly. There is no relational goo in …
Christians on Paper/Romans XXVII
INTRODUCTION: So what is the difference between those who are simply called by God’s name, and those who really belong to Him? This is a question that arises in both covenants, and it is answered (in principle) the same way for both. The Jews had drifted into the error of externalism, and Paul is here …
No Condemnation/Romans 26
INTRODUCTION: So what is the state of the wretched man now that he has been brought into Christ? What is the birthright of the new Israel? We now see Paul begin to develop his teaching of the Holy Spirit’s work throughout this chapter, and the glorious result of that work, which is the phrase no …