ROMANS 3:1–2 What advantage, then, is there in being a Jew, or what value is there in circumcision? Much in every way! (Romans 3:1–2a). This question naturally arises from Paul’s discussion in Romans 2. He has just spelled out the fact that being a Jew externally was no guarantee of entrance into the kingdom of … Continue reading “THE BENEFITS OF CHURCH MEMBERSHIP”
IS THERE LIFE AFTER DEATH?
JOB 14:13–14 If a man dies, will he live again? (Job 14:14). In his day the Apostle Paul confronted the same question Job had asked centuries before. There were some in the Corinthian church who wanted to be Christians, but who also wanted to deny life after death. Paul wrote to them and said, “If … Continue reading “IS THERE LIFE AFTER DEATH?”
HYPOCRITES IN THE CHURCH
MATTHEW 23:1–36 Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces (Matthew 23:13) One criticism frequently aimed at the Church is that it is an organization full of hypocrites. No one would deny that hypocrisy is indeed a sin, but it is important to … Continue reading “HYPOCRITES IN THE CHURCH”
WHY GOD NECESSARILY EXISTS
JOHN 1:1–14 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God (John 1:1). We are living in an age of unparalleled skepticism about the essential content of the Christian faith. There is a tremendous doubt concerning the origin of human life and of the universe. It is … Continue reading “WHY GOD NECESSARILY EXISTS”
WHY IS THERE ONLY ONE WAY?
MATTHEW 26:36–46 Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will” (Matthew 26:39). Modern man likes to argue that there is something wrong with the God of the … Continue reading “WHY IS THERE ONLY ONE WAY?”
IS CHRIST THE ONLY WAY?
JOHN 14:1–11 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). Is Christianity the only way to God? Aren’t all religions ultimately the same, and aren’t they all ways to God? These are frequently asked questions, and we need to think … Continue reading “IS CHRIST THE ONLY WAY?”
THE PROBLEM OF THE “INNOCENT NATIVE”
MATTHEW 9:10–13 Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick” (Matthew 9:12). We often hear the question, “What happens to the poor, innocent native in Africa, who has never had the opportunity to respond to the gospel?” My first answer to this query sometimes shocks people, but it is … Continue reading “THE PROBLEM OF THE “INNOCENT NATIVE””
DID CIRCUMCISION SAVE?
ROMANS 2:25–29 Circumcision has value if you observe the law, but if you break the law, you have become as though you had not been circumcised (Romans 2:25). Circumcision was the sacred cutting rite that marked a male as a member of the household of Israel, but by New Testament times some rabbis had devised … Continue reading “DID CIRCUMCISION SAVE?”
THE REVELATION OF GOD’S TRUE PHILOSOPHY
ROMANS 2:17–24 You [Jews] have in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth (Romans 2:20). Paul begins his discussion of the Jews’ failure to keep God’s standards by focusing on their sense of superiority over all other peoples. He notes their pride in their relationship to God (Romans 2:17), and their conviction that they … Continue reading “THE REVELATION OF GOD’S TRUE PHILOSOPHY”
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ETHICS AND MORALS
ROMANS 2:14–16 Since they [the Gentiles] show that 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). Today is our last study on the implications of Romans 2:15 for modern society. In this lesson we’ll consider the difference … Continue reading “THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ETHICS AND MORALS”