The Law brings wrath rather than righteousness. So, God’s righteousness has to be received through faith, this means that it becomes about God’s grace, it is a free gift not earned. This means the promise is for all of Abraham’s descendants not just law observers. Given the link to circumcision, the implication here is not… Continue reading Romans 4:16-25
Tag: New Testament Studies
Unclean -a talk on Mark 5
I recently preached on Mark 5 for a local church. Here’s a dry run of the sermon that I recorded as one of my “walk and talk” videos.
Who are the unclean today?
The other day, I wrote about Mark 5 and the unifying response being Jesus’ response to uncleanness. Now, most of us don’t live in a society that makes such ceremonial distinctions though some of you will live in communities where halal or kosher laws matter. However, I think that the idea of uncleanness has power… Continue reading Who are the unclean today?
Demons, disease and death
What ties together the three events in Mark 5? We have the casting out of a demon, a woman who is healed and a dead girl who is raised. The answer is “uncleanness.” The Klaw distinguished two categories. First there was the category of holy and profane or ordinary. Secondly, there was the category of… Continue reading Demons, disease and death
Romans 4:13-15
God had made a promise to Abraham back in Genesis 12:1-3, the promise was the basis for the covenant and was repeated at various times. Note that whilst in Genesis 12, 15 etc was on the promise of land, Paul extends this inheritance to speak of the whole world, not just Canaan. Paul insists that… Continue reading Romans 4:13-15
The risen Messiah
Here’s the final talk in the Jesus and the Gospels series.
Romans 4:9-12
If blessing is about forgiveness, then is this restricted to the circumcised, to the Jews? There is an argument for this. First, God had promised blessing to Abraham and then to his descendants. So it could be argued that David is giving us more information about what that blessing is. It is to be forgiven… Continue reading Romans 4:9-12
Romans 4:1-8
Paul is continuing to think through whether or not the Jews through their ethnic identity, having the Law and circumcision had an advantage. So, he goes back to Abraham, the one through whom the promise to Israel was made. It was the covenant with him that they considered themselves to be heirs of. So, what… Continue reading Romans 4:1-8
Romans 3:27-31
One of Paul’s aims in his argument is to exclude human boasting. Our only boast is the Gospel, he has previously expressed this point in the under-stated form, “I am not ashamed of the Gospel.”[1] Boasting is excluded by a form of Law. Paul distinguishes between a Law of Works, what you do or a… Continue reading Romans 3:27-31
Romans 3:21-26
“But now”, these emphatic words suggest a turning point. If the Law is limited then something big, something different needs to happen. Paul says that this “but now” something different is God’s righteousness which has been revealed to us in another place than the Law. A few options for what is meant by God’s righteousness… Continue reading Romans 3:21-26
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