ROMANS 3:19–20 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God (Romans 3:19). For many of us, the expression “shut up” is regarded as impolite and unacceptable. But the Bible records an … Continue reading “WHEN GOD SAYS “SHUT UP!””
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OUR LINK TO CHRIST
ROMANS 3:21–24 This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe (Romans 3:22). The slogan of the Reformation was “justification by faith alone.” Justification is the act by which we as unjust people are declared just in the sight of God. The Protestant doctrine is that justification is by faith. … Continue reading “OUR LINK TO CHRIST”
MAN AS BODY AND SOUL
GENESIS 2:7–25 And the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being (Genesis 2:7). The intrusion of Greek philosophy into Christian thought has been extremely significant in the area of the nature of man. Nowhere has the church … Continue reading “MAN AS BODY AND SOUL”
MAN: A REBEL AGAINST GOD
PSALM 53:1–3 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). The doctrine of sin comes to us not simply as information but as an indictment, and so we not only have a problem understanding it intellectually, we also have a problem dealing with it morally. There is nothing more … Continue reading “MAN: A REBEL AGAINST GOD”
THE TOTAL DEPRAVITY OF HUMAN LIFE
ROMANS 3:13b–18 The poison of vipers is on their lips. Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood; ruin and misery mark their ways, and the way of peace they do not know. There is no fear of God before their eyes (Romans 3:13b–18). Yesterday we saw that … Continue reading “THE TOTAL DEPRAVITY OF HUMAN LIFE”
THE MYSTERIOUS CHARACTER OF MAN
PSALM 8 What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? (Psalm 8:4). Today we begin a five-part study asking, “What is the nature of man?” It is one of the most profound of all questions. The French philosopher Pascal pointed out that man uniquely has … Continue reading “THE MYSTERIOUS CHARACTER OF MAN”
THE IMAGE OF GOD IN MAN
GENESIS 1:26–31 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness” (Genesis 1:26a). Central to our understanding of the nature of man is the fact that he is created in the image of God. There are relatively few specific references to man as “the image of God,” leading some to maintain … Continue reading “THE IMAGE OF GOD IN MAN”
NO SALVATION WITHOUT FAITHFULNESS
ROMANS 3:3–8 What if some did not have faith? Will their lack of faith nullify God’s faithfulness? Not at all! Let God be true, and every man a liar (Romans 3:3–4a). Paul here considers an objection that was thrown at him. People were saying, “Look, didn’t God promise Abraham that he and his seed would … Continue reading “NO SALVATION WITHOUT FAITHFULNESS”
THE APOSTOLIC INDICTMENT OF HUMANITY
ROMANS 3:9–11 There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God (Romans 3:10–11). Romans 3:10–18 is one of the most radical and extensive indictments of the corruption of man ever to appear in print. Here Paul begins with a universal negative: There is none righteous: … Continue reading “THE APOSTOLIC INDICTMENT OF HUMANITY”
A DESCRIPTION OF MAN’S FALLEN STATE
ROMANS 3:9–13a Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit (Romans 3:13). The apostle Paul gathers quotations from the Old Testament to illustrate that the organs of the human body that God designed for righteousness now have become tools of wickedness: the throat, tongue, lips, mouth, feet, and eyes. The body that God gave … Continue reading “A DESCRIPTION OF MAN’S FALLEN STATE”