ROMANS 16:1–27 I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them (Romans 16:17). Paul wrote 15 verses of greetings to various members of the church at Rome, people he has known in the … Continue reading “PRESERVING UNITY IN TRUTH”
GOD’S PROVIDENCES
ROMANS 15:9b–33 But now that there is no more place for me to work in these regions, and since I have been longing for many years to see you, I plan to do so when I go to Spain (Romans 15:23–24). In the second part of Romans 15, Paul begins to express his desire to … Continue reading “GOD’S PROVIDENCES”
BENEFITS OF BIBLE STUDY
ROMANS 15:1–9a For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope (Romans 15:4). When Paul speaks of “everything that was written in the past” he is referring to the Old Testament. All of it, he says, was … Continue reading “BENEFITS OF BIBLE STUDY”
A MATTER OF CONSCIENCE
ROMANS 2:1–16 The requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them (Romans 2:15). What is the biblical view of conscience? The New Testament uses the word 31 times, and there are two general ideas for which conscience is used. First, … Continue reading “A MATTER OF CONSCIENCE”
THE CREATION ORDINANCES
GENESIS 2:21–24 For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh (Genesis 2:24). Genesis 2:24 is an example of a creation ordinance, one of the principles God made clear to humanity at the beginning of creation. It is a mistake to … Continue reading “THE CREATION ORDINANCES”
THE DEGREES OF SIN
1 PETER 4:1–11 Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8). In the Middle Ages, Roman Catholic theologians formulated a distinction between venial and mortal sins. Venial sins are relatively slight, being committed without full reflection. Mortal sins, they said, are sins that are so wicked … Continue reading “THE DEGREES OF SIN”
THE LIE OF LAWLESSNESS
1 PETER 2:13–17 Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God (1 Peter 2:16). Yesterday we looked at legalism, and today we want to look at the opposite error: antinomianism. Antinomian means “against the law,” and antinomianism is an approach to righteousness that … Continue reading “THE LIE OF LAWLESSNESS”
THE PROBLEM OF LEGALISM
JOHN 14:15–21 “If you love Me, you will obey what I command” (John 14:15). There are two errors into which a Christian can fall when it comes to ethics. One is legalism, and the other is antinomianism. Today we will consider the first of these two forms of error. Often Christians are accused of being … Continue reading “THE PROBLEM OF LEGALISM”
ETHICS AND MORALITY
PSALM 116:1–11 In my dismay I said, “All men are liars” (Psalm 116:11). The issue of the weaker brother in Romans 14 discussed in November demands that we focus some attention on the subject of conscience. Most people use the words ethics and morality interchangeably. There is, however, an important difference between the two. The … Continue reading “ETHICS AND MORALITY”
THE WEAK AND THE STRONG
ROMANS 14 One man’s faith allows him to eat everything, but another man, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables (Romans 14:2). Romans 14 deals with an important issue in community among Christians. There are always some differences of understanding between Christians, and Paul here tells us we are to bear with one another on … Continue reading “THE WEAK AND THE STRONG”