The Marks of the Master

If you are at all a people watcher, you will see different people wearing different marks on their bodies. Those marks tell you something about that person. For example, some people wear the mark of near sightedness; some have on their fingers the mark of being married; others bear the mark of expecting a child. Paul writes that he bears on his body the marks of the Lord Jesus Christ. The reference that Paul is making is to the marks of a slave. When Paul calls himself a servant of the Lord, he is not talking about being a paid laborer for the King.

The Wrath of God, Romans 1:18-32

After writing about the righteousness that comes from God through faith, Paul points out that those who lack this faith will face the wrath of God. Many people today are inclined to downplay the wrath of God and speak only of His love. They claim that the wrath of God is an Old Testament idea that no longer applies since Christ has come. Paul makes very clear in these verses that to ignore the wrath of God is to misrepresent the justice of the sovereign Lord.

Guilty before God, Romans 2:12-29

A certain amount of fair play is instilled in us when we are very young. We expect a certain kind of behavior, even when there is no written law to guide such behavior. How many times haven't parents heard words similar to these come from the mouths of their children: "How would you like it if I did that to you?"; "That's my seat, I called it first"; "Give me some of your orange; I gave you some of mine"; and of course they are all finished with the words, "That's not fair!"

God is Our judge, Romans 2:1-11

Recently I received a brochure from the public school system that explained why they had a full time policeman on staff. Yes, it was true that weapons were as commonplace as cell phones in this inner-city school. Yes, it was true that there had been a stabbing or two, but the students were basically good. They just needed some positive influence to reinforce their behavior.

Every Minister's Decree

Years ago, when I was at college, a professor who knew my theater background offered me an independent study on worship. He offered all kinds of ideas for alternate worship styles including opera, plays, and puppet shows. What he wanted was substitute methods for bringing the gospel that could replace the sermon. While researching the paper, I became convinced of the necessity of preaching. It is through preaching that the Holy Spirit awakens the heart and mind to faith in Jesus Christ's sacrifice.

Dead to Sin, Alive in Christ

After spending three chapters teaching his readers the depth of our sin and another three chapters on how we are reconciled to God through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, Paul pens three chapters on the significance that our union with Christ has on our daily lives. In Adam we were dead in sin; in Christ we are dead to sin. All our sins have been pardoned; we are declared to be without sin — justified by the second Adam. This bible study on Romans 6 expands on this.