Paul wrote Romans 1:18-3:20 to the Roman church with a pastoral intention.  He’s not necessarily laying the groundwork for a gospel presentation here, nor is he theologizing in the abstract about the sinful condition of all humanity.  It isn’t wrong, of course, to draw theological conclusions from Romans 1-3 about universal human sinfulness, but we […]

Debates and discussions over the relationship of Scripture to science and the character of creation in Scripture have caused no small stir among evangelicals recently.  Grand Rapids Theological Seminary is hosting a one-day conference in March to provide a venue for presentations and conversations on these matters. In addition to GRTS’s own David Turner, John […]

In Romans 1:16-17, Paul says the following: For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who is faithful, to the Jew first and also to the Greek; for the righteousness of God is revealed in it from faith(fulness) unto faith(fulness) (ἐκ πίστεως εἰς πίστιν), […]

Why does Paul claim that he is not ashamed of the gospel in Romans 1:16?  And what does he mean by it?  And why does he say this in this letter to this audience? In reading vv. 16-17, we must keep in mind vv. 1-15 and Paul’s intentions in writing to Rome.  Paul’s statement in v. 16 is likely […]

The choir sang “The Only Son from Heaven” this morning as a communion anthem: The only Son from Heaven, foretold by ancient seers, by God, the Father given, in human form appears. No sphere his light confining, no star so brightly shining as he, our Morning Star.   O time of God appointed, O bright […]

I occasionally opened our Midtown services with a welcome that reminded us of our identity as God’s gathered people. Welcome to Midtown Christian Community.  Welcome in the name of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who died to save sinners, was raised to life, conquered Sin and Death, and who is coming to reign on earth […]

Readers of Romans may be tempted to race through the letter introduction in an effort to get to the really good stuff.  After all, it’s just a bunch of preliminary material to get out of the way before diving into the deep theology, right? Not at all!  The introduction of Romans contains a précis of […]

Romans contains quite a long letter opening.  The opening consists of 1:1-15, since Paul transitions abruptly into what appears to be the first major section of his letter in 1:16.  It’s tempting to regard a letter opening as relatively less important than the letter itself, and this is especially the case with Romans.  Some feel […]

In class yesterday we discussed Paul’s conception of his ministry to the Roman Christians.  I thought I’d repost this rumination on Paul’s gospel ministry. In Rom. 1:13-15 Paul tells the Roman Christians of his long-held desire to visit them.  He uses two expressions to speak of his ministry that are often misunderstood because of narrowed […]

I’m beginning a two-week intensive course on Romans today and thought I’d re-post this rumination on reading Paul’s text for what it is rather than for what many expect it to be. What sort of communication from Paul is Romans?  It’s been quite common to assume that Romans is a systematic treatise on the Christian […]