Tag Archives: Holy Spirit

Romans – The Gospel of God (Part 33)

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“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, ‘The just shall live by faith.” Romans 1:16-17

In our last study we looked at God’s Eternal Plan that Father, Son and Holy Spirit purposed together “before time began.” We’ve seen the Eternal Plan Revealed and The Plan to Rule. Now we’ll look at The Plan to Overcome.

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Christian Unity … Think About It (Part 3)

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“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious oil upon the head, Running down on the beard, The beard of Aaron, Running down on the edge of his garments. It is like the dew of Hermon, Descending upon the mountains of Zion; For there the Lord commanded the blessing—Life forevermore.” Psalm 133

Psalm 133 is one of the shortest Psalms, but also one of the most poignant and powerful. “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brethren to dwell together in unity!” King David chose one of the most powerful images for the unity of God’s people – the anointing of Aaron the first High Priest of Israel.

“Also Moses took the anointing oil, and anointed the tabernacle and all that was in it, and consecrated them. He sprinkled some of it on the altar seven times, anointed the altar and all its utensils, and the laver and its base, to consecrate them. And he poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron’s head and anointed him, to consecrate him.” Leviticus 8:10-12

God rescued His people from slavery in a foreign land and unified them as one people who would carry God’s banner to the promised land. Moses poured so much oil on his brother that the oil ran from the top of Aaron’s head to his beard and onto the edge of his garments. The anointing of God set apart every part of Aaron for the great work he had been called to accomplish.

One of my biggest personal disappointments as a Christian has been the lack of unity among Christians. I read Psalm 133, John 17, Romans 12 and 14, Ephesians 4, and Philippians 1 and 2 and wanted to experience the beauty of unity with other believers. I’ve taught and written about the importance of unity in the Church since becoming a Christian almost 45 years ago … but … I don’t want unity at the expense of truth. Unfortunately, that is what we have been witness to for far too long.

In our previous post about Ecumenical Unity, we looked at the danger of Christians shedding truth for the sake of unity. As our series about Christian Unity continues we will look at concerns about Emerging Unity.

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Romans – The Gospel of God (Part 32)

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“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”

In our last study we looked at God’s Eternal Plan that Father, Son and Holy Spirit purposed together “before time began.” Genesis 1 is a recounting of how God revealed the Plan and how it culminated in God’s crowning achievement – man (male and female). God (elohim) made (na’a’seh – let us make) man (adam) “in Our image” (besalmenu), “according to Our likeness” (kidmutenu).

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Romans – The Gospel of God (Part 31)

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“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.” Romans 1:16-17

The Apostle Paul is just 16 verses into his letter to the Romans and has already use the word “gospel” four times.

“Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God.” vs 1

“For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of His Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers.” vs 9

“So, as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also.” vs. 15

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.” vs. 16

Paul told the Romans he was “ready” to preach the Gospel to them because it is “the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes.” Before we consider the “power” of the Gospel, let’s look at the “purpose” of the Gospel.

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Romans – The Gospel of God (Part 29)

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“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.” Romans 1:16-17

Let’s quickly review what we learned in our last study. Here is the basic flow of the Apostle Paul’s thematic argument in Romans 1:16-17:

  • I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ
  • It is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes
  • For the Jew first and also for the Greek
  • For in it (the Gospel of Christ) the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith
  • The just shall live by faith

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Romans – The Gospel of God (Part 28)

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“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, ‘The just shall live by faith.” Romans 1:16-17

In our last study we saw that the Apostle Paul was “not ashamed of the gospel of Christ.” We looked at how readers might understand this statement based on their living in an ‘honor-shame’ culture. Public shame was to be shunned at all cost. However, the Gospel of Christ carried with it a strong message of public shame.

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Thinking About Contentment

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“Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:11-13

This is one of the most practically powerful statements in Paul’s writings. It hits everyone of us where we live: the issue of contentment.

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Grace in the Third Millennium (Pt 2)

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We continue today sharing a GraceLife article written almost 15 years ago at the beginning of the Third Millennium A.D. These were thoughts about the new millennium at the beginning of the new millennium. I’m thinking now about how the first 15 years of the millennium have gone for Christians and the world God called us to reach with the Gospel. This is the second part of that article. If you haven’t read the first part, you may want to do that now.

Also, I’m curious what you think about what this article says about Christians and Christianity, about the Gospel and the people who need to hear it. Please share your comments with us and we’ll include them in the section below the article. Thanks!

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What’s A Saint To Do?

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Paul makes no bones about it. He is a saint. A holy man. And why not? That’s what God called him to be.

“… just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love …” Ephesians 1:4

Start talking about holiness at the office, school or around the neighborhood and see what happens. It’s like the plague made you its permanent home! People don’t want to hear about holiness: God’s or yours. They especially don’t want to hear about their lack of it.

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Romans – The Gospel of God (Part 20)

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SAMSUNG“… and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.” Romans 1:4

The Apostle Paul, in the first sentence of his epistle to Christians in Rome, introduces us to God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. It’s clear from Paul’s letters to the ancient churches that he believed and taught the Doctrine of the Trinity – God in Three Persons. It’s a doctrine that Paul had already developed and taught extensively by the time he wrote his letter to the Romans.

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