Sermons and Biblical Studies

EPHESIANS 2:14–18 For He Himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility (Ephesians 2:14). Paul speaks of a dividing wall of hostility between the Jews and the Gentiles. Some have suggested that this refers to a barrier that existed in the temple that … Continue reading “THE WALL OF HOSTILITY”

EPHESIANS 2:11–13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ (Ephesians 2:13). After the call of Abraham, the Hebrews became the people of God. They were marked by the rite of circumcision, understood as sealing them to the Lord, and thereby separated from … Continue reading “RECONCILING JEW AND GENTILE”

EPHESIANS 2:11–13 Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth …—remember that at that time you were separate from Christ … (Ephesians 2:11–12). Memory is a tricky thing. We remember the things that are important to us, the things that we use all the time. We forget things we never use, as most … Continue reading “THE IMPORTANCE OF MEMORY”

EPHESIANS 2:6–10 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8). Ephesians 2:8 can be read either of two ways: The gift of God is faith, or the gift of God is salvation. While Greek scholars continue to debate the question, … Continue reading “THE GIFT OF GOD”

EPHESIANS 2:6–10 Not by works, so that no one can boast (Ephesians 2:9). Ephesians 2:8–10 says that our salvation is entirely due to the grace of God and is received by faith alone. The good works that we do as believers do not merit or earn us anything, so that we cannot “boast” in them. … Continue reading “DO WE MERIT GRACE?”

EPHESIANS 2:1–7 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:6). Yesterday we concluded our study of the doctrine of man, and it led us right to the point we left in Ephesians 2. Man is dead. He is separated from God and … Continue reading “RAISED WITH CHRIST”

ROMANS 3:9–20 Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit. The poison of vipers is on their lips (Romans 3:13). Modern people believe that man is basically good, with a few flaws here and there. This is not the teaching of the Bible. The Bible teaches that we are pervaded by sin because sin … Continue reading “THE DEPTH OF SIN”

ROMANS 3:21–31 For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). “To err is human; to forgive, divine.” We encounter this common saying frequently, yet both parts of it are seriously wrong. The idea that “to err is human” implies that human beings cannot help but sin, and this implies … Continue reading “THE SIN OF MANKIND”

1 CORINTHIANS 6:12–20 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ Himself? (1 Corinthians 6:15). When we consider man as the image of God, there are two additional dimensions of the matter that we have to analyze. The first is that theologians have made a distinction between the image of God in … Continue reading “THE BODY AND THE IMAGE”

PSALM 8 What is man that You are mindful of him, the son of man that You care for him? (Psalm 8:4). John Calvin begins his monumental Institutes of the Christian Religion by arguing that the way to understand God is to understand something about man, and the way to understand man is to understand … Continue reading “WHAT IS MAN?”