In the last half of Romans 6, Paul ran with the idea that someone only has one of two possible masters: sin or God. He finished with a different comparison, […]
Romans, Lesson 12: We All Answer to Someone or Something
December 5, 2016 by
Christians don’t choose to live in their sin. Why? That is not who we are. We are Christians because God brings us into Jesus’ death and resurrection through baptism. Paul […]
Romans, Lesson 11: God’s Work in Baptism Frees You from the Law
November 6, 2016 by
In Romans 5, Paul spoke of what Jesus did objectively for all: save them. He also spoke that faith receives and trusts in what Jesus did and does. We know […]
The “Lament” Psalms, Lesson 7: Psalm 90
November 6, 2016 by
Structure This psalm resembles Deuteronomy 32 (vs. 10, 13, and 15) and Genesis 2:4 and 3:19 (vs. 3). We even find the same vocabulary: “dwelling place” (vs. 1, Deuteronomy 33:27), […]
Romans, Lesson 10: Jesus and Adam: One Brings Death, the Other Gives Life
November 6, 2016 by
Paul keeps driving home the point that our salvation is God’s doing, not a result of what we do. He earlier described us as being “weak” in relation to God. […]
The “Lament” Psalms, Lesson 6: Psalm 88
October 27, 2016 by
Structure Psalm 88 is the darkest of all the psalms, a prayer for help, ending without resolution. The psalmist cries out, with images providing an unflinching view of someone who […]
Church, State, and the Voting Booth
October 25, 2016 by
“Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and to God what belongs to God” (Matthew 22:21). Jesus’ words reveal that we live our lives in two kingdoms: The kingdom of […]
Romans, Lesson 9: The Hope We Have in Christ
October 22, 2016 by
Paul showed the absurdity of turning what God originally did to bring someone into His Old Covenant into what people did for God. “If the adherents of the Law are to […]
The “Lament” Psalms, Lesson 5: Psalm 51
October 20, 2016 by
Structure This psalm is a straightforward confession of rebellion against God with a plea for Him to restore David and the promise of a faithful life in the future. Intimacy […]
Romans, Lesson 8: Not Works but Faith
October 16, 2016 by
Earlier in Romans chapter 3, Paul transitioned from using “Law” to mean “Torah” (when he was addressing the Jewish Christian in the congregation) now to mean “God’s standard of righteousness […]
