“… That Which Is Perfect …”
Several days ago, I had the opportunity to speak to someone about spiritual gifts. In the course of the conversation, when we discussed the ending of spiritual gifts, he brought up that the reference to “perfect” in 1 Corinthians 13:10 refers to Christ. He made the case that the only one who was “perfect” that […]
The Need for the Gospel
In Romans 1:16-17 Paul has shown that the power of God unto salvation and a righteousness from God from faith unto faith to all who believe (both Jew and Gentile) is revealed in the gospel. In the balance of this chapter and extending through chapters 2-3, the apostle will establish there was a desperate need […]
The Gospel: God’s Power to Save
The most familiar verses of Romans is 1:16-17: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel; for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth to the Jew first and also to the Greek, for therein is revealed the righteousness of God from faith unto faith, as it is written, the […]
How Can a Man Understand?
Proverbs 20:24 says, “A man’s steps are of the Lord; How then can a man understand his own way?” God’s control of our lives is beyond human comprehension. This proverb asks a rhetorical question regarding this topic: since the steps of a mighty person are from the Lord — how, then, can anyone discern or […]
Introduction to Romans
Romans is the sixth of the thirteen letters from the pen of Paul. It is, by just a few sentences, the longest of them. The book was written about A.D. 57 or 58 from Corinth and carried to the Roman church by the hands of a sister named Phoebe who was a member of the […]
Do We Inherit Adam’s Sin?
An enormous amount of the religious world believes that we inherit the sin of Adam. The consequence of this doctrine is that we’re born with a depraved, sinful nature. This sinful nature then produces the need of our salvation being totally controlled by God. We’re going to see that this contradicts the Bible. Romans 5:12, […]
We Have an Altar
As the writer of Hebrews is concluding his letter to the Hebrew Christians, he made this statement to them: “We have an altar whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle” (Hebrews 13:10). The writer has made a very informative and compelling contrast between the Law of Moses and the gospel of […]
Two Mounts
In Hebrews 12 the apostle made a final appeal to the Hebrew Christians to hold fast, to not make a tragic mistake and return to Judaism. He urged them to take care that they not fall short of the grace of God, that they watch lest there be a root of bitterness which springing up […]
Common Sense
If an object waddles like a duck, quacks like a duck, and looks like a duck then it must be a bowling ball. If you found the above statement absurd, then you understand the concept of the “common sense.” Humans have five senses with which God has blessed us: sight, touch, taste, hearing, and smell. […]
The Chastening of the Lord
To these Hebrew Christians for whom the letter was purposed, Paul had urged them to “lay aside every weight and the sin which doth so easily beset us (unbelief, as the context shows) and, laying aside these things they were to run with patience (steadfastness) the race set before them. They were urged to look […]