How did God justify sinful humankind? Continued. “And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.” 1 John 4:14, NET. God the Father commissioned Jesus to the earth and redeem humankind from slavery in the kingdom of sin and darkness. And to save it
“By his grace,” what does it mean? “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. But they are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” Romans 3:23, 24, NET. Traditionally, “justified by his grace” presented a problem when determining its true meaning. The difficulty results
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How did God make humankind righteous? In Romans chapters 3 through 7, Paul presents the very core of the good news, the completed and perfect salvation in Christ Jesus. God made us righteous in Jesus. He did not declare us righteous by covering our sinfulness. He removed our sinfulness from us and thus made us
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The core of the problem. Why was sinfulness such an insurmountable problem for humankind? God created Man in his image. However, humankind sinned in the first man Adam. Therefore, Man became unrighteous and lost the image of God. Humankind should have died forever the instant it sinned in the garden of Eden. However, God established
What shall we conclude? In the first two chapters of Romans, Paul established that Jews and Gentiles are sinners, and neither has an excuse for it. Neither one has an advantage concerning righteousness from God. However, God loves the equally. The Gentiles, despite having testimony by nature, did not seek God. Jews, even though they
Why the law? “What, then, was the purpose of the law? It was added because of transgression until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come. The law was put into effect through angels by a mediator.” Galatians 3:19, NIV. “The law was added because of transgressions,” why? Paul answers, “The law was added
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Jews and the law. “You who boast in the law dishonor God by transgressing the law?” Romans 2:23, NET. While those who were not Jews had an implicit knowledge about God in what was created, the Jews had a direct revelation. Because they received the oracles of God, Jews bragged about their self-perceived advantage. The
No one has the advantage. “For there is no partiality with God.” Romans 2:11, NET. There is no advantage in being a blood descendant of Abraham. There is no advantage in belonging to a specific religious group or organization. There is no advantage in being born of well-respected parents. There is no advantage in possessing
The self-righteous are guilty also. Paul established that the unrighteous, sinful humankind, were guilty of sin even though they did not have the law. Humans are guilty of sin in the garden of Eden even if they did not sin personally. Before the Old Covenant, prophetic visions, and the written code, humankind had what God
The wrath of God continued. Paul begins his theological presentation by asserting that the sin problem was so big that only God could solve it. Sin is a power that only God can defeat. The wrath of God is his hatred of sin. However, God does not hate sinners. Why does God hate sin? God
The wrath of God After introducing himself, greeting the saints, and explaining why he longed to see the believers in Rome, Paul begins the letter to the Romans by describing the need for the manifestation of the power of God in the world. “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness
The reason for writing the letter to the Romans. “For I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you.” Romans 1:11, NET. Paul wanted to visit the Church in Rome, but for an unknown reason, he could not fulfill the wish before he wrote the letter
Introduction “From Paul, a bondservant of Christ Jesus called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God.” Romans 1:1, NET. Being a bondservant of Jesus does not connote drudgery but honor and privilege. To be dead to self so that Christ can live in us is the greatest service to God, who