Uberabundance
Read: Romans 5:12-21 Grace abounded all the more. (v. 20) If reading about the spread of Adam’s sin feels a bit like a bad virus circling the globe, you’re not far off. It’s actually worse. No mask or any amount of handwashing can prevent you from getting it. Sin does not enter us from the […]
Paid in Full
Read: Romans 5:1-11 At the right time Christ died for the ungodly. (v. 6) After eating in a restaurant with our four preschool children, I was surprised to learn that our bill was paid in full. The waitress shared that someone blessed us because they were impressed by how well our kids behaved. I was, […]
What Comes First?
Read: Romans 4:1-25 In hope he believed against hope . . . (v. 18) What came first, the chicken or the egg? This is the issue of Romans 4. What comes first, our faith in God’s promise or our obedience to God’s law? Romans 3:24 emphatically declares we are “justified by his grace as a […]
How Good Is It?
Read: Romans 3:21-31 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested . . . (v. 21) The “but” of verse 21 pivots from the valley of our despair to the mountains of God’s majesty. There is so much to take in it’s hard to know where to look. Our family once brought a friend […]
How Bad Is It?
Read: Romans 3:1-20 No one does good, not even one. (v. 12) I needed a dentist. I knew I had problems, but not how bad my situation was. Dental visits can feel for me like an audit of my oral hygiene habits. Despite having access to toothbrushes and floss, I have not made good use […]
The Heart of the Matter
Read: Romans 2:12-29 Circumcision is a matter of the heart . . . (v. 29) Many people bear physical symbols of their ethnic/religious traditions. South Sudanese Dinka scar the heads of young boys. Ethiopian Mursi women use small plates to stretch holes in their earlobes and lips. Hindus place a red ink spot (a bindi) […]
No Excuses
Read: Romans 2:1-22 Therefore you have no excuse . . . (v. 1) One of the good manners my kindergarten teacher taught was to never point a finger at another. “When you do,” she said, “three of your own fingers point back at you.” When the more religious readers of Paul’s letter saw the list […]
Never Enough
Read: Romans 1:18-31 They exchanged the truth about God for a lie. (v. 25) How did we become experts at sin? Paul described the path sin takes once we start down its journey. First, though, the majesty of creation is meant to reveal God’s glory to us (v. 20). We were created in God’s image, […]
Not Ashamed
Read: Romans 1:1-17 I am eager to preach the gospel to you also. (v. 15) I can still see the joyful smiles of the men’s choir from Teen Challenge, a ministry to young people in difficult life situations. They radiated our sanctuary with white-hot faith once each year, sharing testimonies and singing at the top […]