Jan 21

  • pastorbln
    pastorbln added a text contribution Romans 1:18-31 Total Depravity
    Romans 1:18-31 Paul begins his exposition of the gospel with the claim that God's nature should be evident to all from his creation. He proceeds to outline the general rejection of God by mankind. He illustrates this depravity by citing the rise of sexual immorality, and homosexual practices in particular. He probably chooses this illustration as one that will be especially distasteful to the Jewish portion of his audience. Rather than focusing on the negative attitude shown towards hom… Read more »
  • pastorbln
    pastorbln added a text contribution Romans 1:8-17 Paul's Mission
    Romans 1:8-17 Paul states his desire and intention to visit Rome in response to his overall call to preach the gospel. He has been prevented thus far by his wider obligation to "the wise" and "the unwise," the "Greek" and the "Non-Greek." He characterizes the gospel as being for both Jew and Gentile. He also says its content is about faith from beginning to end. Read more »
  • pastorbln
    pastorbln added a text contribution Romans 1:1-7 Greetings
    Romans 1:1-7 Paul's formulaic greeting contains hints to the contents of the letter. Obviously, he will be talking about Jesus. In particular, he will make plain certain royal claims. Jesus' identity as an heir to David's throne is attested by historical fact. His claim to sovereignty over the world (and thus over the Roman Empire) is deduced from his resurrection. In response to these truths, Paul undertakes a mission among the Gentiles, calling them to a response of "o… Read more »
  • pastorbln
    pastorbln added a text contribution Romans: An overview
    Romans: Romans is, in many ways, Paul's magnum opus of systematic theology. Among the issues it deals with are the tension between Law and Grace, the nature of salvation and sanctification, and the ultimate fate of Israel. A key word in the book is "righteousness," which, along with its cognate "justification" occurs peppered throughout the text. We generally read this term in the moral sense, but NT Wright suggests that we should instead be reading it in a covenant s… Read more »