Romans (2010)

If we believe God is faithful and will fulfill His promises to Jacob's descendants, then are we the new Nazis? Listen to this lesson to learn the view of a replacement theologian who makes this false accusation. Find out what Christian Palestinianism is to avoid the evils that come from it. Hear seven observations to help us recognize those who would have us believe that God doesn't keep His Word.

Have you seen any wolves lying down peacefully with lambs lately? That's what the Bible says would be happening if some theologians were right that the Church has replaced Israel and we are living in the Messianic Kingdom. Listen to this lesson to learn how literal interpretation shows us that we are still living in a fallen world. See how God will restore national Israel and fulfill all His promises to them. Find out the four types of supersessionism and learn when some in the church began to spiritualize the Bible rather than believing the words meant what they said.

Oh no! You see a letter from the IRS peeking out of your mailbox. After reading it, you don't assume it has a hidden meaning but that it means what it says. The same is true of the Bible. Listen to this lesson to learn about literal interpretation of the Scriptures. See how using allegorical instead of literal interpretation has led to Replacement Theology which teaches that God's promises to Israel now belong to the Church. Find out how this results in Christian anti-Semitism and its many evils.

When's the last time you thanked Israel for how it's helping you? Since the media lashes out at Israel as the number one trouble spot in the world, you may be wondering what they've done for you lately. Listen to this lesson to learn how even today the descendants of Abraham are fulfilling their role as a blessing to the world. Find out how the Apostle Paul expresses his searing grief in a rash wish of what he would be willing to do if it could help his Jewish unbelieving brothers. Enjoy an up-close personal tour of some of the sites of the Bible as they look today.

If we're having troubles, is it because God doesn't love us anymore? Paul tackles this question head on and logically builds to a soaring crescendo of assurance that nothing can separate us from God's love. Listen and learn about the different judgments of mankind and how believers will be judged by Jesus Christ who loves us and gave Himself for us. See seven daunting life circumstances that we may face and why none can defeat us. Find out how Christ is our defense attorney and not even death or all the powers of hell can ever conquer us.

How's this for an iron-clad guarantee? Paul teaches that God Himself is for us, so no one can successfully accuse and convict us. Since God is the one who has cancelled the debt against us, there is no higher court to overturn His decision. Listen to learn the meaning of the legal terms of justification and imputation. Find out the answer to the question of whether our sins were paid for when Christ died on the Cross, or when we trusted in Him for our salvation. Understand the difference between the two types of imputations and the role the baptism of the Holy Spirit plays in our eternal security.

True, guaranteed security is only a fantasy in this life. Romans 8 teaches that God planned a secure destiny for everyone who trusts in His Son. But is there any dreadful wrongdoing we can commit that means God will not complete our destiny? In this lesson we see that God promises that no matter how chaotic our life becomes, He will stay with us until the end. Understand the unbroken chain that God's plan rests on and the seven rhetorical questions that Paul presents to assure us that nothing can separate us from the love of God. Learn how we can become one of the Super Bowl champions of eternity.

The "would've, should've, could've" questions in life can eat us alive. None of us know all that could have happened, but God's foreknowledge includes these alternative scenarios along with all the actual events of the past, present, and future. In His infinite wisdom, God designed a road map to spiritual maturity called predestination. Its ultimate goal is for all believers to be conformed to the image of His Son, Jesus Christ. Learn how predestination is not related to individual salvation but to God's plan and purpose. See the Scriptures that reveal God's contingency knowledge and hear how Romans 8:28-29 is a comfort to us in times of suffering.

Does God's foreknowledge violate man's free will? Two major camps have emerged in this age-old battle. On the one hand hear how Calvinists teach that foreknowledge means God predetermines how humans can respond to him. On the other hand, learn how Scripture clearly shows that foreknowledge means God "knows beforehand" but this knowledge does not influence mankind's choices. This last view portrays God's sovereignty as far greater than a deterministic God by revealing that God allows humans to make choices freely and yet, despite the chaos their sinful choices bring, He orchestrates the affairs of history to bring about His desired ends.

Foreknowledge and Predestination: A Calvinist Concept? Learn how one can support the correct meaning of foreknow and predestine from the same verses the Calvinist uses to support his very different and questionable meaning. How have some very respectable Calvinists scholars articulated their reasoning for their interpretation of the term foreknowledge? What is the fallacy of their reasoning? How is the meaning of a word determined by those in the business of defining words? Understand what foreknowledge means within context throughout scripture. Does theology determine the meaning of scripture or does scripture determine a correct theology?

Romans 8:28 is frequently quoted in times of suffering, but seldom broken down into specifics which give it enhanced significance in our practical understanding. This study shatters the idea of the narrow omniscience of God in strict Calvinism as applied to election, predestination, and God’s “call.” Though not all of Calvinism is the same, understand more fully the five points of Calvinism which place regeneration before belief, abolish the universality of volition, and limit response to the gospel to a predetermined, specific few. See how God’s election and call relate to His plan for those who have already believed. Place into context scripture used to support Calvinist theology to determine who are called, the nature and result of their response, and the means through which God has always drawn us.

These are some of the most widely quoted verses in scripture for comfort and for reference to the term predestination. It is essential to study them in terms of context and vocabulary. Discover the rich context that adds to the encouragement this passage brings. Understand the universally applied principle for every believer and the enhanced reality to believers who are focused on the path to spiritual maturity. See the historical baggage attached to the concept of “the called,” the application it had in the Old Testament to Israel and true meaning of the term to believers today.

Even with spiritual stability there is something inside of us that mourns viscerally under the effect of corruption of sin in the world. All of nature joins us in our inexpressible grief. Our groaning is so pervasive we cannot help but share it with God in our longing for the day we will be released from its hold. Through the yoke of our mourning, God moves us toward our destiny of glory which is the character of Jesus Christ. In this gift through suffering, God gives us hope to endure difficulties with a confident expectation of this future reality. When does the groaning end? How is it related to the First Fruits of the Spirit and the beginning of redemption? How do our prayers reach God with the full intention of HIS purpose?

Believers and nonbelievers will suffer. The difference is that believers can be elevated through their suffering. For an unbeliever, suffering begins and ends with the pain. Behind the suffering of a believer is a loving God with a plan to employ the realities of life as a test, a tool, a compass, a motivator or an encouragement to others. A review of the ten reasons why we suffer is an encouragement, not necessarily to pinpoint a specific reason, but to focus on the God behind the reasons and respond with wisdom to what His omniscience permits. Correct orientation to suffering is a means of becoming joint heirs with Christ.

Suffering is inevitable in the Devil’s world. Suffering isn’t just the agony of a catastrophic event. It includes the spectrum of difficulties in life from annoyances more evident when we’re weary, to those major assaults that wipe us out for long periods. Our response to suffering is the issue, beginning with recognition of God’s authority, encouragement and application of scripture, and possibly a change in behavior. Become familiar with the ten categories of suffering through illustrations of each in scripture. Understand that suffering isn’t always a result of sin, but in all cases it is the hand of a loving God steering a beloved child toward a course of His choosing, to exalt Himself and to protect us through righteous living in time and the expectation of incomparable glory in eternity.

Inheritance in scripture can mean inheritance of salvation as a grace gift, or inheritance as a reward for spiritual growth. See how to discern the difference based on context and vocabulary. Paul hammers the Corinthian believers for lives that were rife with sin, addressing them as carnal. Still, it is clear that Paul is writing to believers. Since believers already have the inheritance of salvation, what inheritance is Paul talking about when he says the unrighteous shall not inherit? Clarify this important distinction which is often ignored to incorrectly illustrate salvation by works. What does Paul say about lawsuits brought by Christians? How does he bring eschatology into an answer which is frequently misunderstood?

Fundamental error can creep into scripture boldly, or, as in the interpretation of our passage, on the basis of punctuation alone. Our discussion in Romans concerns believers and the distinction between adoption as children and heirship as sons. As children of God at salvation, by grace, we are all adopted into the family of God as heirs of eternal life with potential for becoming heirs as sons. Because of choice inherent in the word potential, not all will become heirs as sons. Being heirs as sons and joint heirs with Christ requires a choice to pursue spiritual maturity and possible cultural anathema through obedience to Christ. This persistent pursuit results in intimacy with God in time and rewards in eternity. This study details the difference this choice creates among believers and the result it has in time and eternity.

In Romans 8:13 we’re told that if we live according to the flesh we must die. Is this eternal death? What are the choices believers make that result in spiritual maturity and life? Is one who proclaims “Jesus' words” while consistently walking in the flesh someone God recognizes as a mature son? Is there a difference in being adopted as a son and inheriting, and between being a child of God and a son of God? How is it that our inheritance, which God has set aside for us, can be thrown into the Lake of Fire? Understand the historical background of adoption and its doctrinal significance as it applies to the Greek and Roman ideas of adoption. Paul will expand on these ideas to show the privileges and obligations of being sons.

Is it true that the sin nature is just as powerful in the believer as in the unbeliever? According to different theologies, a “big” sin either makes you lose your salvation, or, if you commit one, you were never saved in the first place. Is there truth in either? See the two types of believers in Romans 8 who are conflicted between the Spirit and the flesh. How do they succeed or fail? When Paul teaches the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, is that indwelling applied to a corporate body, the Church, or does it apply to the individual believer? Learn the difference between permanent sanctification in “indwelling” and temporal volition in “filling.” Were believers in the Old Testament ever permanently indwelt by the Holy Spirit? What were the conditions of their “filling?”

Context is the key to interpreting Romans 8. Romans 6, 7 and 8 are about how the justified live. Paul uses “flesh” in ways that suggest the location of the corruption of sin is in the body, not the soul. In a similar passage (Galatians 5), as in our passage, the requirement of the Law is love (the basis of all virtues of the Spirit), which is fulfilled in us only as we walk according to the Spirit. For believers, there is a war within between flesh and Spirit. For unbelievers there is no war, only the flesh. That’s one way we know Paul is talking to believers. Unlike Old Testament believers, we are given the power to choose which we will serve. The flesh is a death-like existence in life; the Spirit is life and peace. We are slaves to the one we obey.