Christ, a Stumbling Stone
In Romans 9 Paul wrote of Jews who stumbled at the stone of stumbling, a rock of offense, just as Isaiah had prophesied in Isaiah 28:16: “Behold, I lay in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense, and he that believeth on him shall not be put to shame” (Romans 9:33). They […]
The Consequences of Israel’s Rejection of Christ
In our last article we examined Paul’s question, “Did God cast off his people?” to which he answered, “God forbid” (Romans 11:1). We observed that Israel’s state was the result of its own making. God did not cast them off; they rejected Him when they rejected His Son which He had sent to save them. […]
Did God Cast Off His People?
This is taken from Romans 11:1-2 in which the whole verse reads, “I say then, Did God cast off his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God did not cast off his people, which he foreknew …” Paul’s proof that God had […]
The Invitation to All
In Romans 10:4 Paul wrote, “Christ is the end of the law unto righteousness to everyone that believeth.” We have observed that this statement is a declaration that Christ is the means through which Jews reached the goal of the law: righteousness. But that righteousness is not offered exclusively to the Jews; we have seen […]
The End Times
“The end is near!” is stereotypical in movies and television shows for the insane person on the street corner to scrawl on the side of a building or put it on a piece of cardboard and hold it for anyone to see. The world sees it, and scoffs at the foolishness. God, after all, has […]
Christ, the End of the Law
In chapter 9 Paul expressed one of the greatest degrees of love mortal man could express. As he considered the condition of the Jew separate from Christ he said, “I could wish that I myself were separate from Christ for my brethren’s sake …” (Romans 9:3). In our last article we showed such was impossible: […]
God’s Word Has Not Come to Nought
Romans 9 introduces a new division in the book. The first section (chapters 1-8) shows the great need all men have for the gospel, establishing the truth that the Jews needed the gospel as much as the Gentiles. The Law could not provide man’s need but Christ did. By His death and resurrection, Christ annulled […]
Present Suffering: Future Glory
Romans 8:18 says, “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed to usward.” With these words, the apostle introduces this section of his epistle. He will speak of the “creation,” the “whole creation,” and of “ourselves who have the firstfruits […]
“Walk Not After the Flesh”
Paul, in Romans 8:2, wrote, “There is now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit.” The phrase “who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit” is found in this verse in the KJV, but it is not found in the ASV. […]
The Helplessness of the Unregenerated Soul
In Romans 7 Paul has discussed the dominion of law: how that so long as man lives he is under its dominion (Romans 7:1). By his illustration (which he identified as “the law of the husband”), he showed that the only way man becomes free from the Law dominion is to become dead to it. […]