The Gospel is not man-made. It is from God. This is what Paul emphasizes. He says that as a Gospel preacher, God and Christ sent him, not men (1:1). He says it again in verses 11 & 12: “The Gospel which was preached by me is not according to man . . . I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it . . . I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.” The Gospel is from God. Paul’s opponents accused him of being a crowd-pleaser. After calling down a double curse on those who distort the…
The Gospel is by faith. Jesus walked on the earth for 40 days after His resurrection (Acts 1:3). He appeared to many, although some still doubted (Matthew 28:17). He even appeared to over 500 people at one time (1 Corinthians 15:6)! The facts of Jesus’ resurrection were so clear that His enemies had to pay others to lie about the empty tomb (28:15). There are two great spiritual truths here. First, seeing is not believing. If it were, then the disciples would not have doubted His resurrection when they saw Him in Galilee (28:17) and the Chief Priests and Pharisees…
Paul wrote Galatians right before Romans. Galatians and Romans are companion letters – they go together. This is like Paul. Paul wrote his first two letters to the Thessalonians (1 & 2 Thessalonians), both from Corinth (51 AD) during his 2nd Missionary Journey (Acts 18:11). They go together. Paul wrote his next two letters to the Corinthians (1 & 2 Corinthians), both in 55 AD on his 3rd Missionary Journey, the first from Ephesus (Acts 19:21), and the second from Philippi (Acts 20:1). They go together. Galatians and Romans are Paul’s 5th and 6th letters. Paul wrote them during his…
Romans has 2 main parts. Like other of Paul’s epistles, the first half is theological and the second half is practical. Ephesians is like this: Chapters 1-3 are theological, and Chapters 4-6 are practical. Colossians is also like this: Chapters 1-2 are theological, and Chapters 3-4 are practical. Romans is like this: Chapters 1-8 are theological. They cover salvation in all of its aspects: sin (1:1-3:20); justification (3:21-5:21); sanctification (6:1-7:25) and eternal security (8:1-39). The second half is practical: it deals with how Israel (9:1-11:36) and the Church will live out God’s salvation. Both parts glorify the incomparable God. The…
Romans is the single greatest literary composition in history. No single book has had a greater impact on human history and spirituality than the Bible. Of the 66 books, no single book has had a greater impact than Romans. The great preacher John MacArthur wrote: “Most, if not all, the great revivals and reformations in the history of the Church have been directly related to the Book of Romans.” Prominent men of every era owe their conversion to Romans. Aurelius Augustine, the greatest man of the early Church, repented in 386 AD after reading Romans 13:13-14. Martin Luther, the…
How much is Christ worth to you? One can measure value by sacrifice: what are you willing to sacrifice to gain something? In Mark 14:1-9, there are 4 major actors besides Christ. Each of them exhibit how one can value Christ. The Chief Priests and Scribes did not value Him at all. This is a striking irony. The religious leaders who were supposed to be leading others to God were trying to kill Him. They did not value Him at all. They only saw Him as a threat. The religious leaders loved “chief seats in the synagogues, and places…
Paul’s entire life was the Gospel. Romans focuses on the Gospel from the first verse. In it, Paul describes Himself as “set apart for the Gospel of God” (1:1). He goes on to the say that this Gospel was “promised beforehand (previously) through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures” (1:2). In other words, what God had promised and prophesied of in the Old Testament, was now fully manifested and established in Christ. As a Gospel minister, Paul was advancing God’s eternal plan in Christ. All of Romans is about the Gospel. Romans Chapters 1 - 3 is…
Romans 16 contains serious warnings. Romans 16 is about sweet fellowship in Christ. Paul mentions 33 people by name, 24 in Rome and 9 in Corinth (from where Paul was writing). However, sweet fellowship doesn’t just happen. Believers need to cultivate it through warmth and encouragement. They also need to cultivate it by looking out for and turning away from people who would purposefully disrupt it (16:18). Such people actually exist. Scripture warns about them everywhere (2 Corinthians 11:13; Galatians 1:8-9; Philippians 3:2; Colossians 2:18; 1 Timothy 6:20; 2 Timothy 3:6; Titus 3:10; 2 Peter 2:2-3; 1 John 2:18; 2…
Romans Chapter 16 is rich. It may not seem like it, but it is. Early in Church History, John Chrysostom (349 – 407 AD) said: “many . . . hasten over this part of the epistle . . . yet . . . it is possible even from bare names to find great treasure.” Emil Brunner, much later (1889 – 1966 AD), commends it as “one of the most instructive chapters of the New Testament” because it encourages personal relationships of love in the Church. Both are right. Chapter 16 is rich, edifying and encouraging. It is warm and intensely…
2 Corinthians 3:1-11 is the great ‘comfort’ section in the Bible. No other portion of Scripture mentions the word more. The word occurs 10 times in 5 verses (1:3-7). The Greek word for comfort, παράκλησις, means to ‘come alongside.’ The English word ‘comfort’ comes from two Latin words: ‘com,’ ‘with,’ and ‘fort’ or ‘forte’ which means ‘strength.’ The idea is that you come alongside someone without strength and lend him some of yours. The Great Comforter is God Himself, the Father, or Source, of all mercies and comfort (1:3). He not only removes or ‘delivers’ believers from their problems (1:10;…
Peter is nearing the end of his ministry. Peter wrote two letters toward the end of his life: 1 & 2 Peter. He wrote them about a year apart: 1 Peter around 65 AD and 2 Peter around 66 AD. When Peter wrote, Roman persecution had already started. Emperor Nero (37 – 68 AD) made it a crime to be a Christian in 64 AD. He was the first, and perhaps the craziest and cruelest, of 10 Roman Emperors that would hunt Christians until the end of Diocletian’s persecution in 311 AD. Peter himself would die in Rome under Nero’s…
The parables were over and Jesus was in His hometown. He was mostly with His disciples. The disciples were not fully mature, but they were growing! They were able to proclaim the Kingdom to the people of Judea. As the disciples were growing as proclaimers of Christ, an interesting, even shocking, and instructive incident occurred in Jesus’ hometown. Jesus went home and taught in His synagogue. The wisdom of His words was undeniable. All who heard were literally ‘knocked out’ (‘astonished,’ v. 54). They asked each other: “Where did This Man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers (v.54)?” …