Winter 2024-25 Equip class - The End Is Just the Beginning: A Study in Eschatology.
The more we understand our salvation, the more we should marvel at His mercy, wonder at His wisdom, and exalt His excellence. In Romans 1-11, God has pulled back the curtain, as it were, and let us glimpse His salvation plan. Let your soul be captivated once again and join the angels saying, "Glory to God in the Highest” as you listen to Romans 11:33-36.
Winter 2024-25 Equip class - The End Is Just the Beginning: A Study in Eschatology.
Jesus provided salvation, but will Israel be saved? In Romans 11, Paul affirms that Israel has not been permanently set aside. God's promises to them are still sure. In God's plan, He will keep His promises to Israel and offer salvation to the world. We are humbled, grateful, and amazed by God's mercy. He keeps his promises generously. All Israel will be saved. Everyone who believes will be saved.
At times it doesn't look like God is keeping His promises. Or we fear our rebellion has ruined God's plans for us. But we must remember that God is always keeping His promises and always fulfilling His plan. This is the theme of Romans 9-11. Israel's rejection of their Messiah can't stop God from keeping His promises to them. God has not rejected His people. God keeps His promises by His grace.
We all make excuses. What about those who never hear the gospel? Or those who aren't "chosen" for salvation? Can anyone claim, "It's not fair, it's not my fault, I didn't know..."? In Romans, Paul focuses on Israel and their rejection of Jesus. He considers whether they have excuses to reject Jesus. The answer is clear: Israel and all mankind are responsible to respond to the gospel with faith.
We are often zealous about our own righteousness. This creates problems on the relational level, it is deadly for our souls. Paul explains that Israel's efforts to gain their own righteousness kept them from God's righteousness by faith. While God is sovereign in salvation, we are responsible to believe in Jesus. Our self-righteousness keeps us from submitting to the righteousness of God by faith.
"That's not fair!" I think we’ve said or thought of these words before. God created us with an inherent sense of justice. But with our sinful nature, we develop an oversensitivity to fairness. Paul assumes readers question God's choice to save only some sinners. Paul addresses the question by pointing to God's justice and mercy. His actions are always right. His salvation is always merciful.
"Nothing can separate us from the love of God." Didn't God make promises to save Israel, and yet they rejected Jesus? How do we know God will keep His Word? Romans 9-11 addresses this question to increase our confidence in God's promises and plan for Israel. The gospel does not nullify God's promises to Israel. In fact, it confirms that God always keeps His Word. God's promised salvation is sure!
Jesus loves us. Though we learned this about God, we are often tempted to doubt God's love. "Why is He keeping good things from me?" "Why am I suffering so much?" "How could God love me after what I've done?" Life situations tempt us to doubt His love. Paul addresses these questions to restore our confidence in God's love. We are reminded that nothing - not even our doubts - can hinder God's love.
"Why am I facing this trial? The Bible says God is good, but what I'm going through is not good! I'm not sure how to talk to God about the things I'm feeling." What if we lose hope or reach the end of ourselves? Romans has some of the most assuring verses reminding us that our good, sovereign Father guarantees our eternal security. He is doing good in our lives no matter what evils we face.
*Sigh* "It's always something." Life is full of sighs and groans. Some of them are light and short, but some of them are heavy and long. In a world full of hurricanes and heartache, disaster and disease, sin and suffering, how do we endure? How do we keep hope? Romans 8:18-25 teaches us to let the groans turn our attention to glory. Through the groans of suffering, hope in the glory to come.
Who are you? Some say roles don't define us as much as what we do. But that leaves us hopeless, stuck with terms like "failure" and "sinner" as our identity! Thankfully, Romans 8 teaches that through salvation, God gives a new identity. He redefines us. We are no longer slaves of sin, but children of God. We no longer walk in the flesh but in the Spirit. We have God's Spirit - it's who we are.
"Sin shall not have dominion over you..." Yes, but how? Romans 6:14 is triumphant but leaves us wondering why we still feel ruled by sin and how we can overcome it. Paul clarifies in Romans 7 that we cannot conquer sin by keeping the law in our strength. To live for God, we sever our former ties to the law. In Romans 8, Paul explains what God has done to empower us to live in victory over sin.
In the struggle with sin, we can feel exhausted or defeated. You may be told to "try harder” only to fail again. We relate with Paul in Romans 7, "The good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice." It’s a believer’s relationship with the law. Living by the law in our strength, we will fail. Only Jesus can save and sanctify us, empowering us to live for Him.
No one likes being told what to do or forced to follow rules. We love our liberty and fight for freedom. When the Bible says, "You are not under law, but under grace," we get excited! We can conclude, "I'm free to live how I want!" However, Paul points out that the only way to live free of sin is to live for God. True freedom is not found in living how I want, but in freely choosing to obey God.
Is it actually possible to experience victory over sin? Sometimes we get so entrenched in a sin we wonder if we will ever make progress. Will we ever be free of it? Can we win? Paul's answer in Romans 6:12-14 is not only that we can have victory over it, but that we must! Having just described the truths that make us dead to sin and alive to God, he tells us how to live that way.
Listen to learn not only why it's so crucial to rid sin from our lives, but also how we can begin living this way. There's good news - it's all accomplished through the work of Christ!