Biblical Literacy with Mark Lanier

Jesus is the light of the world, and He should be the center of your Christmas celebration. Listen to God's message, obey it quickly, and share what He's doing in your life with others. The post Special Event – A Christmas Devotion; Brent Johnson, 12/14/25 appeared first on Biblical Literacy .

The Bible isn't a book it's a library with over 60 different books that require different reading approaches. If you want to truly understand Scripture, you need to know how to read poetry differently than history, and wisdom literature differently than narrative. The post How to Use A Study Bible, Part I: Mark Lanier, 12/07/25 appeared first on Biblical Literacy .

Paul never converted to a new religion—he recognized Jesus as the Messiah while remaining a faithful Jew. The real issue isn't whether this happened before or after Damascus Road, but whether you're living under the law's demands or the Spirit's power. The post Session 22 – Romans; Romans 7: 14-25: Mark Lanier, 11/16/25 appeared first on Biblical Literacy .

Mark continued in the study of Romans with a focus on Chapter 7: 1-7—Paul’s most debated chapter, especially the verses studied today. Paul uses a legal analogy. The post Session 21 – Romans; Romans 7:1-7: Mark Lanier, 11/02/25 appeared first on Biblical Literacy .

True freedom isn't the absence of a master—it's serving the right master. You are slaves of the one whom you obey. The post Session 20 – Romans; Romans 6:14-23: Mark Lanier, 10/26/25 appeared first on Biblical Literacy .

Don't let the witch—the serpent—beguile you into wrong thinking. Consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ. The post Session 19 – Romans; Romans 6:11-13: Mark Lanier, 10/12/25 appeared first on Biblical Literacy .

Mark begins the lesson by addressing a question or concern that we all may have had after giving our life to Christ.  We may be worried that we have done something wrong. Everything seems to be going wrong with my life. I am not living that Christian Victory. I am not that success story that says I gave my life to Jesus and now everything is rainbows. The post Session 18 – Romans; Romans 6-8...

Summary: Mark Lanier delivers a detailed biblical teaching on Romans 6:5-7, addressing the theological question of whether grace gives believers a license to sin. The session covers: Introduction Lanier opens by discussing the difficulty of Romans 9-11 and introduces the context through W.H. Auden’s Christmas oratorio, where Herod grapples with the implications of the Messiah’s [&#8230...

Grace is the cross of Christ, and in Christ crucified, we have sin defeated. Sin needed the death of Christ to get us out from under the thumb and dominion of sin and death. The post Session 16 – Romans; Romans 6: Mark Lanier, 09/21/25 appeared first on Biblical Literacy .

We don't boast in our achievements or our ancestry—we boast only in the cross of Christ. Your life has cosmic significance; you're not just trying to be a good person, you're participating in God's restoration of all things. The post Session 15 – Romans; Romans 5:15-21: Mark Lanier, 09/07/25 appeared first on Biblical Literacy .

Embrace the love of your Lord who has worked for eternity to save you—because it is that awesome. The post Session 14 – Romans; Romans 5:12-15: Mark Lanier, 08/31/25 appeared first on Biblical Literacy .

Christ died for weak sinners—not because we deserved it, but because God's love triumphs over human failure. You are not God's enemy anymore; through Christ's death, God has turned you into His friend. The post Session 13 – Romans; Romans 5:6-11: Mark Lanier, 08/24/25 appeared first on Biblical Literacy .

Suffering produces endurance, endurance produces character, and character produces hope—and hope will not put us to shame because God's love has been poured into our hearts. The post Session 12 – Romans; Romans 5: Mark Lanier, 08/17/25 appeared first on Biblical Literacy .

Friendship in the ancient world meant sharing your life together—participating in both the good and the bad. Christianity comes along and redefines those categories, breaking down barriers of inequality between rich and poor, Jew and Gentile, slave and free. The post Session 5 – Philippians; Friendship: David Capes, 07/27/25 appeared first on Biblical Literacy .

Grace plus anything is not grace - it's works. Knowing Jesus is the most important thing you can do. The post Session 4 – Philippians; Destination – Knowing Jesus: David Fleming, 07/20/25 appeared first on Biblical Literacy .

Humility isn't about thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less. The way to unity in the body of Christ is through putting others' interests first, again and again. The post Session 3 – Philippians; A Call to Unity: David Fleming, 07/13/25 appeared first on Biblical Literacy .

Communication is the key to any relationship, whether from you to God, you to your family, or you to strangers The post Session 2 – Philippians; On Being a Good Citizen: Brent Johnson, 07/06/25 appeared first on Biblical Literacy .

Friendship is central to the gospel and there is a tremendous lack of friendship in probably your life. True friendship means we share life together—the ups and the downs, the highs and the lows. The post Session 1 – Philippians; An Epistle of Friendship: David Capes, 06/29/25 appeared first on Biblical Literacy .

Abraham was justified by faith 30 years before circumcision, proving righteousness comes through trusting God, not through works or law. Grace—God's unmerited favor through Christ's death and resurrection—has always been God's plan A for making us right before Him. The post Session 11 – Romans; Romans 4: Mark Lanier, 06/22/25 appeared first on Biblical Literacy .

Abraham was justified by faith, not works—a principle that applies to all believers. God justifies the ungodly through Christ, offering complete forgiveness and joy to anyone who believes. The post Session 10 – Romans; Romans 4:1-9: Mark Lanier, 06/15/25 appeared first on Biblical Literacy .

Mark interviewed a special guest during today’s class: Dr. W. Scott Sager, minister, professor, speaker, community leader, and author based in Nashville,TN. The post Special Event – Conversation with Dr. W. Scott Sager: Mark Lanier, 06/08/25 appeared first on Biblical Literacy .

No human being can be justified before God through works of the law; instead, God's righteousness is revealed through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. Our only boast is in Christ's sacrifice, for salvation is entirely God's initiative and grace, not something we earn through our own efforts. The post Session 9 – Romans; Romans 3:20-31 through 4:1: Mark Lanier, 06/01/25 appeared fir...

God's righteousness is revealed through Christ's death and resurrection, declaring all believers "not guilty." Christ's sacrifice satisfies God's wrath and covers our sins, justifying us before Him. The post Session 8 – Romans; The “Gold” in Paul’s Words, Romans 3:21-26: Mark Lanier, 05/25/25 appeared first on Biblical Literacy .

5/18/25 Biblical-Literacy Mark continued in the book of Romans with insights into Romans Chapter 3:21-26 with an exploration into the Greco Roman language vs English. He divided the lesson as follows: 1. Explore the word group  Ancient Greek origin of “dike” which means, right, justice, punishment.  Translated into English it uses various words […] The post Session 7 – Romans; Romans...

If Jesus's death, burial, and resurrection is good news for us, then what is life without that? Paul uses a courtroom metaphor to show that everybody has sinned and fallen short of God's glory, and no one is good enough to save themselves. The post Session 6 – Romans; The Flow of Paul’s Logic: Mark Lanier, 05/11/25 appeared first on Biblical Literacy .