Scripture Studies in the New Testament - A Verse-by-Verse Bible Study

A verse-by-verse Bible study class. This study covers Romans 12:9-14. These studies focus on what the Bible says, and what it means.    Topics covered: The sparse style of writing in this passage -- A translation of the passage which reflects the original style of writing -- The continuation of the parse style suggests that verses 9-14 are closely tied to verses 6-8 -- In general, litera...

A verse-by-verse Bible study class. This study covers Romans 12:2-8. These studies focus on what the Bible says, and what it means.    Topics covered: A benefit to “offering your body as a sacrifice”: ability to “test and approve” what God’s will is -- God’s “good, pleasing, and perfect” will -- How to serve God -- Who is to serve?: “… every one of you…” -- Self-reflection and “sober jud...

A verse-by-verse Bible study class. This study covers Romans 12:1-2. These studies focus on what the Bible says, and what it means.    Topics covered: A significant instruction: “… offer your bodies…” -- The “why” of the instruction: “… in view of God’s mercy…” -- To what extent: “… as a sacrifice…” -- In what manner: “… living, holy, and pleasing to God.” -- By what motivation: “… This...

A verse-by-verse Bible study class. This study covers Romans 11:25-36. These studies focus on what the Bible says, and what it means.    Topics covered: Review of the three steps leading to the salvation of Israel, and Paul’s repetition of these steps -- The directness of Paul’s prophecy about the salvation of Israel in verse 26 -- A speculation about how Israel’s salvation will occur --...

A verse-by-verse Bible study class. This study covers Romans 11:12-24. These studies focus on what the Bible says, and what it means.    Topics covered: Review of the three steps leading to the salvation of Israel -- The cause and effect nature of the three steps -- The benefits to the world flowing from the salvation of Israel -- What “full inclusion” means in vs. 12 -- A prophecy in Ze...

A verse-by-verse Bible study class. This study covers Romans 11:11-32. These studies focus on what the Bible says, and what it means.    Topics covered: The remnant of the children of Israel throughout history -- The three-stage process leading to the salvation of Israel -- Paul’s reiteration of the three stages, throughout this passage -- The literary device of parallelism in the Bible...

A verse-by-verse Bible study class. This study covers Romans 11:1-10. These studies focus on what the Bible says, and what it means.    Topics covered: Ways in which God has not rejected “His people” -- Paul, as an example -- The preserved remnant, as an example -- The remnant, as illustrated through the history of Elijah -- Elijah on Mt. Carmel -- Elijah, fleeing from Jezebel -- The “st...

A verse-by-verse Bible study class. This study covers Romans 10:14-21. These studies focus on what the Bible says, and what it means.    Topics covered: The questions in verses 14 and 15: Are they informational questions or questions of objection? -- Review of chiastic structures -- The chiastic structure of verses 14 to 21 -- The center, thus emphasis of the structure -- How the four qu...

A verse-by-verse Bible study class. This study covers Romans 10:9-13. These studies focus on what the Bible says, and what it means.    Topics covered: Verse 9 looks like a “formula” for salvation, but is it? -- Christian salvation as an event, and a process -- The event: faith in an aspect of who Christ is -- The process of learning about Christ in all His fullness -- What is meant by “...

A verse-by-verse Bible study class. This study covers Romans 10:8-13. These studies focus on what the Bible says, and what it means.    Topics covered: The accessibility of attaining righteousness through Christ -- The significance of verse 9 -- The meaning of “believing in one’s heart” -- The “heart” in the Bible -- The significance of believing that “God raised Christ from the dead” --...

A verse-by-verse Bible study class. This study covers Romans 10:5-8. These studies focus on what the Bible says, and what it means.    Topics covered: Contrasting two systems of gaining righteousness -- One way to righteousness: obey the law perfectly and completely -- The impossibility of this way to righteousness -- The impossibility of now gaining atonement via animal sacrifices -- Th...

A verse-by-verse Bible study class. This study covers Romans 9:30-10:4. These studies focus on what the Bible says, and what it means.   Topics covered: The reasons that many children of Israel have rejected their Messiah -- Christ as a “stumbling stone” -- Prophecy in Isaiah of the Messiah as a “stumbling stone” -- The attempt of the early Christian church in Jerusalem to make Christianity a...

A verse-by-verse Bible study class. This study covers Romans 9:24-29. These studies focus on what the Bible says, and what it means.    Topics covered: God’s history of “calling ‘my people’, those who are not ‘my people’” -- Rejoicing when any sinner repents, even those whom we thought never would -- Preaching Christ to everyone, even those whom we think don’t deserve to be saved -- Jona...

A verse-by-verse Bible study class. This study covers Romans 9:17-23. These studies focus on what the Bible says, and what it means.   Topics covered: Overview (once again) of chapters 9 through 11 -- The difficulty of verse 18 exceeds that of verse 15, because it deals with God hardening (rather than having mercy) -- God exercises His sovereignty based on carrying out His purposes -- God exe...

A verse-by-verse Bible study class. This study covers Romans 9:10-18. These studies focus on what the Bible says, and what it means.    Topics covered: The example of the Jacob and Esau -- The difficult verses in this passage -- The references to “Jacob” and “Esau” as the nations that they became -- The purposes behind God’s elective choices -- Role of early Jewish Christians hindering t...

A verse-by-verse Bible study class. This study covers Romans 9:1-9. These studies focus on what the Bible says, and what it means.    Topics covered: The importance of teaching both “God’s sovereignty” and “human responsibility” -- Summary of chapters 9 through 11 -- Paul’s concern for the children of Israel -- Paul’s love for the children of Israel -- The blessings of God, poured out ov...

A verse-by-verse Bible study class. This study introduces Romans 9. These studies focus on what the Bible says, and what it means.    Topics covered: Summary of Romans to this point -- Overview of Romans 9 to 11 -- A difficult concept: Reconciling “God’s sovereignty” with “human responsibility” -- The Bible presents these concepts as compatible -- “God’s sovereignty” in chapter 9 -- “Hum...

A verse-by-verse Bible study class. This study covers Romans 8:31-39. These studies focus on what the Bible says, and what it means.   Topics covered: The value of the question/answer format -- Proofs of God’s love for us -- The surety of justification for those in Christ -- Christ in the judgment seat, with the ability to condemn or save -- Why those in Christ will not be condemned -- The di...

A verse-by-verse Bible study class. This study is the second of two studies that cover Romans 8:29-30. These studies focus on what the Bible says, and what it means.    Topics covered: God’s involvement in His creation -- The link between foreknowledge and predestination -- The difficulty of reconciling election with free will -- A strategy for making peace with these concepts: Let God b...

A verse-by-verse Bible study class. This study is the first of two studies that cover Romans 8:29-30. These studies focus on what the Bible says, and what it means.    Topics covered: Our salvation from God’s point of view -- A difficult concept: reconciling God’s sovereignty and human responsibility, with respect to salvation -- The testimony of the Bible: these concepts are not contrad...

A verse-by-verse Bible study class. This study covers Romans 8:28. These studies focus on what the Bible says, and what it means.    Topics covered: Romans 8:28 as a transition verse -- The original Greek phrase ordering -- The four phrases in the verse -- “All things work together for good” -- The scope of this phrase -- “And we know that” -- Do we “know” it? -- Why we should know it --...

A verse-by-verse Bible study class. This study is the second of two studies that cover Romans 8:24-28. These studies focus on what the Bible says, and what it means.    Topics covered: The importance and significance of hope -- Patient endurance -- The three parties involved in prayer -- “We do not know what we ought to pray for” -- The Holy Spirit’s intercession in prayer -- Principles...

A verse-by-verse Bible study class. This study is the second of two studies that cover Romans 8:18-23. These studies focus on what the Bible says, and what it means.    Topics covered: Suffering as part of the Christian life -- Endurance through hope -- The subjection of the Creation to “frustration” -- The groaning of the Christian -- The groaning of the Creation -- The positive side to...

A verse-by-verse Bible study class. This study is the first of two studies that cover Romans 8:18-23. These studies focus on what the Bible says, and what it means.    Topics covered: Suffering inevitable in this world, even for Christians -- The suffering, even, of the Creation -- The correspondence between the physical health of the world, and the spiritual health of people -- The univ...

A verse-by-verse Bible study class. This study covers Romans 8:10-17. These studies focus on what the Bible says, and what it means.    Topics covered: The work of the Holy Spirit -- The two aspects of “death” and “life” -- The Christian view of death -- The obligation of the Christian to live by the Spirit -- Various meanings of the phrase “putting to death the misdeeds of the body” --...