The church of Christ on McDermott Road

It is not uncommon for people to say they are Christians, love Jesus, read their Bibles, and pray daily, but not want any part of church or organized religion. Sometimes this is because the church has disappointed them, hurt them, or just failed to excite and motivate them. In spite of our many shortcomings, the […]

Scripture: Leviticus 25:13-28

It is popular to think every nice, kind, and decent human being will spend eternity in heaven. However, that is not the Christian message. The Christian message is that only those who follow Jesus will be saved. Many wonder how that could be “Good News”? It sounds to some people like God is vindictive and […]

Scripture: Genesis 3, 6, & 11

We cannot expect people to believe the story the Bible tells unless the Bible is a credible witness. Our Bibles are a translation based on thousands of Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic manuscripts. Those manuscripts are not the original texts written by the author, but were copied by countless scribes. This process the Bible has undergone […]

Scripture: Genesis 2

Paul throughly understood the thinking of both the weak and the strong. Paul began his letter promoting peace by telling the Torah-observant Jews, who judged the Gentile world as wicked and sinful, they were essentially correct in their judgment. However, in condemning the Gentiles for their unrighteousness, they were also condemning themselves. The weak judged […]

Scripture: Acts 27

Paul argued that people are justified (set right with God and put into a right relationship with him) not by observing the demands of the Torah, but by faith in Jesus. The sort of faith Paul promoted was not simply mental assent to an idea, but loyalty to Jesus as King and trust that the […]

Scripture: Exodus 15-17

Paul spoke of sin and death reigning like a king (like Pharaoh) and enslaving all of humanity. Through Jesus, people are liberated from the reign of sin and death. This liberation is a gift, it is by God’s grace. It isn’t Torah observance that liberates people, it is God’s grace. In Christ, we live under […]

Scripture: John 4

The entire letter of Romans revolves around the issue of the Law. However, the question isn’t as simple as, “Should Christians observe the Law of Moses?” If a Christian wanted to observe the Law, they were more than welcome to do so. The question was more like, “How can those who observe the Law and […]

Scripture: Matthew 14:22-33

The Torah-observing group, the “weak” Christians in Rome, put a lot of stock in the idea that they were God’s chosen people. They likely perceived things like circumcision, dietary restrictions, and observance of holy days as indicators that a person was part of the chosen people. However, Paul wrote that not all Torah-observing Jews were […]

Scripture: Luke 5:1-11

If Paul’s primary goal in his letter to the Romans is peace between Jewish and Greek believers, what does he mean when he instructs them to present their bodies as a living sacrifice? It helps to notice what he says immediately following, they are all members of “one body in Christ.” Both the strong and […]

Scripture: Psalm 51

What does it look like to “live peaceably with all”? Paul gives various instructions to the Roman Christians about how to be at peace within the church community, as well as within society at large. These instructions would likely be received differently depending on a person’s social position. For instance, it would likely be the […]

Scripture: Jonah

From the beginning of Romans, there is plenty that applies to the way the “weak” judged others, and the way the “strong” despised others. However, it is not until Romans 14 that we really understand the identities of the weak and strong. This knowledge helps us understand the basis of their divisions and the heart […]

Scripture: 2 Kings 5

In the last chapter of Romans there is a long list of names. They probably don’t mean much to most us, but they are actually the whole point of this letter. When combined with an understanding of how Claudius kicked the Jews out of Rome, these names help us understand the cultural context of Romans. […]

Scripture: Joshua 3-4

Authentic Christians will do whatever it takes to stir up an appetite for intimacy with Jesus. (Scripture: Psalm 34:1-14)