Christ Church Bentonville

Have God's purposes and promises to His people failed?  Paul says, "No!"  The issue is not with God or His Word or His purposes and promise.  God’s purpose of election has succeeded, is succeeding, and will always succeed.

Paul, had not turned his back on his people or forsaken his roots.  Their unbelief and rebellion, and the eternal consequences that awaited them, grieved him deeply.  

Paul celebrates God's unwavering love and the believer's ultimate security in Christ.

In the midst of our suffering, not only is the Spirit praying for us and with us, the Father is working all things together for our good. 

A theology of glory ignores sin and believes suffering is a consequence of a lack of faith and an obstacle to be avoided or overcome.  A theology of suffering acknowledges sin and sees suffering as an inevitability that we must endure as we await the consummation of God’s kingdom and anticipate the fulfillment of future glory that is to be revealed when Christ returns in the fulness of time.

Christians are our heavenly Father’s sons and daughters, and we know that is true based on how we live.  We could say it another way; how we live exhibits whose we are, and we are our Father's children.

Paul says our salvation is sure because we are no longer under the Father's condemnation, we are free in Christ, and we are indwelt by the Spirit.

Those who have been justified through faith in Christ are being sanctified, but still have the remnants of sinful corruption in their flesh until they are glorified. In Romans 7:13-25, Paul details his experience of the Christian life to teach the Romans and all Christians to endure the struggle for sanctification, knowing that the outcome is secure because God has accomplished deliverance of the...

The law is not our problem.  Sin is our problem.  But the law is not the answer to our problem either.  The answer is grace.  

Paul begins what will be a chapter-long clarification of our relationship to the law.

Just as there is no third way in regard to our standing (we are either in Adam or in Christ), there is also no third way in regard to our living (we are either slaves of sin or slaves of righteousness; we either obey sin or we obey God).

Paul has an answer for those who fall into the ditches of legalism on one side and antinomianism on the other.  We must "consider ourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus."

We are all either in Adam or in Christ.  There is no third way.

Justification by faith alone is not simply a biblical doctrine to be theologically critiqued or debated.  Justification by faith alone has life-altering blessings to which we should cling. 

God is fulfilling His promise to bless father Abraham with many sons and daughters as people embrace the Gospel of Jesus Christ by faith alone.

Abraham was the prime example of justification by faith, righteousness being credited and not merited, and salvation being inclusive not exclusive.

There's no room for boasting in our salvation when the righteousness God offers is received by the faith God gives as a gift and the basis for the justification God declares.

In his closing argument, Paul says the evidence, which includes the compelling testimony of Scripture, has shown beyond any reasonable doubt that no one is without excuse and is guilty before God due to sin and no one is justified by the works of the law.  No not one!  

Paul pauses his case for the sinfulness of all mankind to address some objections. As we hear Paul’s refutation, may we join him in being not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”

Paul exposes both legalism and formalism for what they are, forms of self-righteousness and false hope in terms of our justification.

Having driven home the point that God’s judgement is going to be just, patient, certain, impartial, and appropriate, Paul moves on to identify the standard by which everyone will be judged. 

The Jews were judging the Gentiles and not holding themselves to the same standard.  So Paul wanted them to know their only hope was the same hope as the Gentiles.  A righteousness not their own.

Are there sins more heinous than others?  Yes.  Do all sins deserve God’s wrath?  Absolutely.  But there is hope. God offers salvation from them all in Christ.

We can’t appreciate the good news unless we understand the bad news. Paul rightly diagnosed the bad news and we must apprehend the severity of it to appreciate the solution which is the Gospel. 

The gospel isn’t something we do.  The gospel isn’t something we live.  The gospel is an announcement of good news.