Verse-by-Verse Bible Studies Podcast links (audio only) - (Spotify) / (Apple) YouTube channel - (YouTube) Hebrews 1 Philippians 1 | Philippians 2 | Philippians 3 | Philippians 4 Romans 1 | Romans 2 | Romans 3 | Romans 4 | Romans 5 | Romans 6 | Romans 7 | Romans 8 | Romans 9 | Romans 10 | Romans 11 | Romans 12 | Romans 13 | Romans 14 | Romans 15 | Romans 16 Topical Studies Audio/Video Bible Studies in Hebrews Introduction to Hebrews - (YouTube) / (Video) / (Audio Only) Hebrews 1:1-2, pt. 1 - (YouTube link) / (Video) / (Audio Only) Hebrews 1:1-2, pt. 2 - (YouTube link) / (Video) / (Audio Only) Hebrews 1:2-3, pt. 1 - (YouTube link) / (Video) / (Audio Only) Hebrews 1:2-3, pt. 2 - (YouTube link) / (Video) / (Audio Only) (Stay tuned for more studies in Hebrews, coming soon!) Audio/Video Bible Studies in Philippians Intro to Philippians / Philippians 1:1-2 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Philippians 1:3-6 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Philippians 1:7-11 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Philippians 1:11-12 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Philippians 1:12-18 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Philippians 1:19-21 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Philippians 1:21-26 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Philippians 1:27-30 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Philippians 2:1-4 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Philippians 2:5-8 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Philippians 2:9-11 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Philippians 2:12-13 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Philippians 2:14-18 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Philippians 2:19-30 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Philippians 3:1-6 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Philippians 3:7-11 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Philippians 3:12-16 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Philippians 3:17-21 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Philippians 4:1-7 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Philippians 4:8-13 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Philippians 4:13-23 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) (Stay tuned for more studies in Philippians, coming soon!) Audio/Video Bible Studies in Romans Introduction to Romans / Romans 1:1 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Romans 1:2-10 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Romans 1:11-17 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Romans 1:18-20 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Romans 1:21-32 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Romans 2:1-5 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Romans 2:6-11 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Romans 2:12-16 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Romans 2:17-29 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Romans 3:1-18 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Romans 3:19-26 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Romans 3:21-32 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Romans 4:1-3 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Romans 4:3 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Romans 4:4-12 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Romans 4:13-16 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Romans 4:17-21 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Romans 4:22-25 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Romans 5:1-5 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Romans 5:5-11 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Romans 5:12-19 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Romans 5:13-21 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Romans 6:1-4 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Romans 6:3-11 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Romans 6:11-16 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Romans 6:17 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Romans 6:18-23 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Romans 7:1-6 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Romans 7:7-8 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Romans 7:9-13 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Romans 7:12-25 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Romans 8:1 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Romans 8:2-4 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Romans 8:4-11 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Romans 8:10-17 - (YouTube link) / (Video) / (Audio) Romans 8:18-23, pt. 1 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Romans 8:18-23, pt. 2 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Romans 8:24-28 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Romans 8:28 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Romans 8:29-30, pt. 1 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Romans 8:29-30, pt. 2 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Romans 8:31-39 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Romans 9 Intro - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Romans 9:1-9 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Romans 9:10-18 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Romans 9:17-23 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Romans 9:24-29 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Romans 9:30-10:4 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Romans 10:5-8 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Romans 10:8-13 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Romans 10:9-13 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Romans 10:14-21 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Romans 11:1-10 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Romans 11:11-32 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Romans 11:12-24 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Romans 11:25-36 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Romans 12:1-2 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Romans 12:2-8 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Romans 12:9-14 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Romans 12:15-21 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Romans 13:1-7 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Romans 13:8-14 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Romans 13:11-14:4 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Romans 14:1-12, pt. 1 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Romans 14:1-12, pt. 2 - (YouTube link) / (Video) / (Audio) Romans 14:13-15:2 - (YouTube link) / (Video) / (Audio) Romans 15:3-15 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Romans 15:16-33 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Romans 16 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Detailed Descriptions of Audio/Video Bible Studies in Hebrews Hebrews 1 - (back to top) Introduction to Hebrews - (YouTube) / (Video) / (Audio Only) Topics covered: What we don’t know about the book of Hebrews -- The inspired nature of Hebrews -- The New Testament Canon and how it came about -- Analysis of the “Apostolic Origin” criteria for a NT canon candidate -- The importance of the Council in Rome (382 AD) in determining the NT canon -- Who wrote Hebrews? -- Paul? Luke? Apollos? - - To whom was Hebrews written? Hebrews 1:1-2, pt. 1 - (YouTube link) / (Video) / (Audio Only) Topics covered: General outline of the Epistle to the Hebrews -- The literary beauty of the first four verses -- The importance and majesty of Christ, as described in the first four verses -- The most important words in verses 1 and 2: “God spoke” -- The significance of the fact that God speaks to us -- To whom God spoke -- When God spoke -- The arc of history reflected in the two eras in which God spoke. Hebrews 1:1-2, pt. 2 - (YouTube link) / (Video) / (Audio Only) Topics covered: How God spoke -- The piecemeal revelation in the Old Testament: “… at many times and in various ways…” -- The centrality of Christ in the New Testament revelation -- With Christ, the end of God’s revelation -- By whom God spoke -- The authority of “a Son” -- The glory and majesty of Christ, as depicted in verses 2 through 4 -- The four key Christological passages of the New Testament -- The agreement and consistency of these four passages. Hebrews 1:2-3, pt. 1 - (YouTube link) / (Video) / (Audio Only) Topics covered: The single sentence in verses 2 and 3, expressing the greatness and glory of Christ -- The chiastic structure of these verses -- The seven aspects of Christ’s characted expressed in these verses: Christ as Prophet, Heir, Creator, Deity, Sustainer, Priest, King -- Christ as Heir -- Christ as Deity -- The glory of Christ. Hebrews 1:2-3, pt. 2 - (YouTube link) / (Video) / (Audio Only) Topics covered: Christ as Creator and Sustainer of the Universe -- Knowing that Jesus is Creator of the Universe affects our view of His life on earth -- Knowing Christ as Creator reveals the marvel of Christ as human -- The created “through” Christ -- The connotations of the word translated universe: has a time element -- Christ as creator of the “eons” and “ages” -- Christ as sustainer of all things. Detailed Descriptions of Audio/Video Bible Studies in Philippians Philippians 1 - (back to top) Introduction to Philippians / Philippians 1:1-2 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Topics covered: Background on the city of Philippi -- Paul in Philippi -- The variety of people who founded the church in Philippi -- The background of the writing of the epistle -- The elements of the greeting: the senders; the addresses; the greeting -- Timothy and Paul -- Paul’s identity as a “slave of Christ Jesus” -- The true meaning of the words “saint” in the New Testament -- The phrase “in Christ Jesus” -- Paul’s trademark blessing: “grace and peace.” Philippians 1:3-6 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Topics covered: Paul’s message of thanksgiving -- The importance of thanking God -- Paul’s close relationship with God -- Praying at all times -- The strong partnership all Christians have, expressed in the Greek word “koinonia”. -- How the Philippians expressed this “koinonia” relationship -- This strong partnership implies active participation -- God’s role in beginning “a good work in us” -- The perseverance of God in supporting us in our service to God. Philippians 1:7-11 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Topics covered: The “koinonia” of Paul and the Philippians -- This partnership resulting in the Philippians sharing with Paul in his ministry -- The strong partnership, extending both to Paul’s “defending the Gospel” and extending also to Paul being “in chains” -- Paul’s “chains”, a part of his ministry -- The unity of the Philippian church, expressed in Paul’s addressing them often as “all of you” -- The strength of Paul’s feeling for the Philippians, through his statement that his longing for them comes from the “bowels” -- What “the bowels” meant for the Greeks -- Paul’s prayer for the Philippians in vss. 9-11: That their “love may abound” -- The importance of having a growing love -- Love based on “knowledge and depth of insight.” Philippians 1:11-12 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Topics covered: The outworkings of Christian love: “the fruit of righteousness” -- The “purity and blamelessness” of that love -- The “fullness” of that love -- This fruit coming to us “through Jesus Christ” -- This fruit done “to the glory and praise of God” -- Trials and suffering in the lives of Christians: not necessarily a sign of displeasure from God -- The discipline of God, described in Heb. 12:5-12 -- The “advance of the Gospel” through Paul’s trials -- The providence of God overseeing Paul’s trials -- Other examples of this: Joseph, and the early Christian church in Jerusalem -- A possible motto of the church: “… what has happened to me has served to advance the Gospel.” Philippians 1:12-18 - (YouTube link) / (Video) / (Audio) Topics covered: The Gospel advancing, despite Paul’s trials -- Proofs of this, in vss. 13 and 14 -- Paul’s ability to reach people with the gospel, because of his trials -- Boldness of the witnesses of Paul’s behavior during his trials -- Varying motives of those preaching the Gospel -- God’s use of flawed teachers -- The focus of any service: glorifying God, rather than oneself. Philippians 1:19-21 - (YouTube link) / (Video) / (Audio) Topics covered: Paul’s attitude while facing a possible imminent death -- Paul’s reasons for thinking that his time on earth is not done -- The sources of Paul’s confidence in this -- The effectiveness of prayer -- The help of the Holy Spirit to Paul -- Paul’s acceptance of either outcome: life or death -- The goal through either outcome: the exaltation of Christ -- Paul’s overriding attitude in life: “To live is Christ, and to die is gain” -- Meditations on the phrase: “To live is Christ.” Philippians 1:21-26 - (YouTube link) / (Video) / (Audio) Topics covered: Meditations on the phrase “… to die is gain” -- Our natural instincts versus the ways we are called to live as Christians -- Paul’s hypothetical choice: To “depart and be with Christ”; to “go on living in the body” -- The reason Paul believes he will continue in the body: God’s not finished with him on earth -- Paul’s “fruitful labor” in service to God, giving his life purpose -- A meditation on where those of the world seek to find “purpose”: fame, power, riches -- The history of the city of Philippi as a metaphor for this. Philippians 1:27-30 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Topics covered: A meditation: What it means to “live in a manner worthy of the Gospel” -- Our dual citizenship -- The imagery of the Macedonian phalanx, applied to the unity of Christians -- Paul’s words to the Philippians, to prepare them for the trials ahead -- The “granting” to us of suffering -- In what ways is our suffering a “granting” or gift of God to us. Philippians 2:1-4 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Topics covered: Four motives for unity in the church -- How Paul’s style of writing in verse 1 leads to meditation -- The specific connotations of the words “consolation” and “comfort” in verse 1 -- The strong emotional words “tenderness” and “compassion” -- The omission of the “basics” of Christianity in the four motives to unity -- The three ways to unity, laid out in verse 2 -- The strength of Paul’s instruction against faulty motives in service -- The importance of humility in service -- Looking ahead: Christ as our example of humility. Philippians 2:5-8 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Topics covered: The first half of Paul’s poem: The humbling of Christ -- Christ, our example in this -- The deity of Christ, before he came to earth: affirmed many places in the Bible -- The vast gulf between who Christ was before He came to earth, and His humble life as a man on earth -- Satan’s temptations of Christ all encourage Christ to give up His humble existence, and live on earth in glory -- Acting in Christ- like humility, in our day-to-day lives -- Meditation on why Christ died the humiliating death that He did, rather than a more honorable death. Philippians 2:9-11 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Topics covered: How Christ’s humility leads to the exaltation of Christ -- It is God the Father who exalts Christ, just as it is God the Father who will raise us up -- Jesus exalted to the highest place -- Jesus’ name above every name -- The uniqueness of the name of Jesus in the world -- The two aspects of worship: “bowing the knee” (actions), and “confessing with the tongue” (words) -- The importance of verbal acknowledgement of Christ as Lord -- In the end, acknowledgement of Christ as Lord will be universal. Philippians 2:12-13 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Topics covered: What our reaction should be to Paul’s hymn about Christ in verses 6 to 11 -- The controversy about verse 12 -- Reconciling verse 12 (about “working out your salvation”) with Ephesians 2:8-9 -- The scope of our salvation -- Normally, we only consider one aspect of our salvation -- The aspect of our salvation here on earth -- Why we need to “work”, concerning the current aspect of our salvation -- This struggle, as described in Romans 6 -- Why “with fear and trembling”? -- God’s help in all of this. Philippians 2:14-18 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Topics covered: How to carry out Paul’s instruction from verse 5, to have the same attitude as Christ Jesus (see verses 14 to 16) -- The strict, unambiguous teaching in verse 16 -- God’s hatred of complaining and grumbling, as shown in Numbers 11 -- A reason to follow Paul’s instruction: a better Christian witness -- Two groups of people: “children of God” vs. “a warped and crooked generation” -- Christians as “lights in the world” -- “Holding firmly” and “holding forth” the word of life -- Contrast between Paul’s situation in Philippians, versus when he wrote 2 Timothy -- The circumstances which should bring Christians to rejoice. Philippians 2:19-30 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Topics covered: A comparison of two servants of God -- The true-to-life depictions of God’s servants in the Bible: strengths and weaknesses -- Timothy’s importance to Paul’s service -- Timothy as Paul’s “kindred spirit” -- Timothy’s “selflessness” in a world of “selfishness” -- The importance of a pure heart in service -- Timothy “proven” character -- Epaphroditus’s plans - - The myth that God’s servants have a supernatural force-field around them -- The universality of affliction against those who serve God -- Perseverance in service -- Why God allows trials to afflict His faithful servants -- The importance of the preparation for opposition when serving God. Philippians 3 - (back to top) Philippians 3:1-6 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Topics covered: Paul’s diversion -- Warning against the Judaizers -- The incompatibility of “works” and “grace” -- Is faith a “work”? -- Faith as the acceptance of God’s grace -- Christians as “the circumcision” -- Circumcision of the heart -- Boasting in Christ Jesus, and putting no confidence in the flesh -- Paul’s previous qualifications to “put confidence in the flesh”. Philippians 3:7-11 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Topics covered: Paul’s reconsideration of his previous accomplishments: all things a “loss”, even “rubbish” -- The scope of Christ’s identity in the four words “Christ”, “Jesus”, “my”, “Lord” -- What it is to be “in Christ” -- The value of a “righteousness from God” -- Paul’s deep desire to “know Christ” -- “The power of His resurrection” -- “The fellowship of His sufferings” -- “Becoming like Him in His death” -- The humility of the phrase, “… and so somehow, attaining the resurrection of the dead”. Philippians 3:12-16 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Topics covered: Paul’s continued Christian growth -- The goal of perfection in sanctification -- The importance for all of us to “press on” -- “Forgetting what is behind”: Not letting past failures or successes hinder our Christian growth -- Acknowledging that all Christians are at different levels of maturity in their faith -- Taking advantages of modern technology to aid in our Christian growth. Philippians 3:17-21 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Topics covered: The importance of Christian mentors and examples -- Jesus as the ultimate example -- Many professing Christians are not worthy examples -- In the Bible, the use of the word “walk” to represent one’s spiritual journey -- What it means to be “an enemy of the cross of Christ” -- Characteristics of enemies of the cross of Christ -- The Christian frame of mind: “citizenship in heaven”, rather than “mind of earthly things” -- The eventual transformation of our bodies through Christ’s power. Philippians 4 - (back to top) Philippians 4:1-7 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Topics covered: Paul’s true love for the Philippians -- The harm of squabbles within a church -- General instructions by Paul, at the end of Philippians -- The importance of Christians to “Rejoice” -- The importance of a “gentle and selfless” spirit - - The antidote for anxiety -- The privilege of being able to “present our requests to God” -- The importance of “thanksgiving” in prayer -- The importance of praying for “everything’ -- A consequence of praying for everything: Peace. Philippians 4:8-13 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Topics covered: What we should think about, and what we should filter out -- The importance of internal purity -- The importance of “learning” and “receiving” -- The importance of being a godly example -- The importance and value of contentment -- Being content with the situation in which God has put you -- “Learning” contentment. Philippians 4:13-23 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Topics covered: The importance of context, in the Bible -- The contextual tie of verse 13 to the previous verses -- The Philippians’ financial support of Paul -- Principles concerning Christian giving -- God’s sovereignty over our ability to produce wealth -- Giving, and our business partnership with the church -- Bible guidelines about giving to our local place of worship -- The tithe -- Tithing and “robbing God” -- The permission to “test God” concerning financial giving -- The rewards of giving -- The promise that God will “meet our needs” -- Final greetings to the Philippians -- Those of “Caesar’s household”. Detailed Descriptions of Audio/Video Bible Studies in Romans Romans 1 - (back to top) Introduction to Romans / Romans 1:1 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Topics covered: The importance of Romans -- Rough outline of Romans -- The simplicity of the Gospel -- Romans 1:1 -- Being a servant of Christ -- True servanthood -- Paul as an Apostle -- Paul's calling -- Paul set apart. Romans 1:2-10 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Topics covered: The Gospel in the Old Testament -- The importance of Christ's humanity and divinity -- The correct order: obedience comes from faith -- Belonging to Christ -- Why we pray in the name of Jesus -- Prayer effective, even when far away. Romans 1:11-17 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Topics covered: God's plans versus our plans -- Paul's obligations to all in need of the Gospel -- Paul's desire to reach all levels of society -- The danger of being ashamed of the Gospel -- The historical importance of Romans 1:17 -- The Gospel: a righteousness "from faith to faith." Romans 1:18-20 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Topics covered: Our reluctance to speak about the wrath of God -- The importance of understanding the wrath of God -- How God's wrath is being revealed -- The inherent knowledge of God that we all have -- Suppressing the knowledge of God - - The tendency in modern science to suppress the knowledge of God -- The support in science and mathematics that there is a God. Romans 1:21-32 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Topics covered: The process of falling into sin -- Ingratitude toward God as a source of sin -- Idolatry in the modern world -- God just "letting us be", as a punishment of sin -- Sin as a punishment of sin -- The church as a place which must welcome sinners -- The prevalence of sin in all of us -- The need for Christ by all of us. Romans 2 - (back to top) Romans 2:1-5 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Topics covered: The condemnation of those who judge others -- Judgment/salvation on a personal basis, not on a group basis -- Preparation for God's judgment -- God's perfect righteousness -- God's judges all humans on the same basis -- Our standard of righteousness vs. God's perfect standard -- God's kindness in patience. Romans 2:6-11 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Topics covered: Judgment/salvation for three groups of people: Those who know nothing of Christ -- Those know the Mosaic law, but not Christ -- Those who know Christ -- Judgment Day for all -- Salvation by faith for the Old Testament Jews -- The context of Hebrews 11 -- knowledge brings responsibility -- For those who don't know Christ, the possibility of faith in anticipation of Christ. Romans 2:12-16 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Topics covered: God's judgment based on the light of knowledge -- The internal revelation of the existence of God, and the natural revelation of the law -- The conscience an evidence of the natural law -- The possibility of salvation for those who have never heard of Christ. Romans 2:17-29 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Topic covered: Religious arrogance -- The God-given advantages to the Jews -- The rite of circumcision -- True circumcision: circumcision of the heart -- The need for inner purity. Romans 3 - (back to top) Romans 3:1-18 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Topics include: Paul's answer to objections by the Jews, as to whether they need Christ -- The value of the Word of God to the children of Israel -- The truth of religion not based on the unfaithfulness of its adherents -- Absurd arguments of the human intellect, at times -- The ends do not justify the means -- The universality of sin. Romans 3:19-26 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Topics covered: Accountability to the law, whether Mosaic or natural -- No one righteous under the law, whether Mosaic or natural -- The importance of the words, "But now" -- Paul's the grand declaration of the Gospel, in vss. 21-26 -- The importance, according to scholars, of vss. 21-26: "...the most important single paragraph ever written..." -- The "what?", "when?", and "how?" of the Gospel -- The Gospel in the Old Testament -- What "faith in Christ" means -- The righteousness of God -- The accessibility of justification to all - - What "justification" means -- An episode of Jacob and Esau, pre-figuring our standing before God. Romans 3:21-32 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Topics covered: Who needs justification? -- Why they need it -- The source of justification -- The cost of justification -- The value of being justified -- The mechanism of justification -- The scope of justification -- Meaning of the phrase "fall short of the glory of God" -- Christ's sacrifice atones for the sins of every human, including before Christ came to earth -- Salvation through Christ in Old Testament times -- The power of grace to influence behavior. Romans 4 - (back to top) Romans 4:1-3 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Topics covered: The New Testament as a continuation of the Old Testament -- Christ in the Old Testament -- The faith of Abraham -- Abraham's three great works, all driven by faith -- The three great promises of God to Abraham -- Abraham's faith in these promises. Romans 4:3 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Topics covered: The various citations of Gen. 15:6 in the New Testament (besides in Romans 4:3) -- Galatians 5:8 and Abraham's belief in the Gospel message -- Christ's teaching on the road to Emmaus -- The apparent contradiction between James 2:24 and Rom. 3:28 -- The context of James 2:24: James evaluating whether someone's faith is true -- A true faith will be demonstrated -- James many places states that salvation is based on faith -- Paul states many places that a true faith will be demonstrated -- James and Paul agree on what true faith is -- The value of both James' and Paul's viewpoints. Romans 4:4-12 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Topics covered: The importance of faith, in God’s eyes -- God’s crediting of righteousness not a result of any works -- An eternal truth: God is a debtor to no one -- This implies that salvation will never come from works -- God’s surprising willingness to justify even the ungodly -- All should rejoice when any sinner comes to Christ -- The forgiveness of David -- Salvation not earned by any religious ritual -- The purpose of circumcision -- The difference between circumcision and baptism -- Abraham, the father of our faith. Romans 4:13-16 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Topics covered: The promises to Abraham had nothing to do with the law -- Abraham’s great works rooted in faith -- The “all-or-nothing” aspect of righteousness through the law -- The perfect righteousness required by God’s perfect righteousness -- The purpose of the law -- “Faith is the response that makes the promise effective.” Romans 4:17-21 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Topics covered: The nature of Abraham’s faith: its core, its irrationality (in the eyes of the world), its consistency, its basis, its result -- The promises to Abraham pointed ahead to Christ -- Abraham’s faith in God’s life-giving power -- The relationship between hope and faith -- Abraham’s faith in the power and the promises of God -- The involvement of God in His creation -- Faith as a way to give glory to God. Romans 4:22-25 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Topics covered: The righteousness Abraham gained by faith, a model for us -- Abraham’s faith that God can “bring life from the dead” (and ours) -- Two ways that Abraham believed in God’s life-giving power -- Two ways that Christians believe in God’s life-giving power -- The value of Christ’s resurrection in strengthening our faith -- The importance of Romans 4:25 -- Atonement and justification, two different events -- The basis that Christ chose for our justification: faith. Romans 5 - (back to top) Romans 5:1-5 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Topics covered: The benefits of being justified -- Peace with God -- Access to God -- The confidence before God that we have through Christ -- Hope -- “…glory in our sufferings…” -- The surety of sufferings -- The purpose of sufferings -- Benefits to our sufferings. Romans 5:5-11 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Topics covered: The hope of the Christian -- God’s poured-out love -- The Holy Spirit, a token of God’s love -- The ultimate demonstration of God’s love -- Our state when we received God’s love -- The rareness of Christ’s sacrifice -- Who Christ died for -- The value of Romans 5:8 -- The perfect timing of Christ’s mission -- Christ’s sacrifice, and assured salvation -- Reconciliation with God. Romans 5:12-19 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Topics covered: The difficulty of this passage -- Paul’s purpose in writing -- A summary of Paul’s primary point of the passage -- Guiding principles for interpreting difficult passages -- The difficulties with verse 12 -- The significance of Adam’s sin -- The sin nature -- The Biblical view of death -- Bodily death and spiritual death -- Bodily death, a consequence of the first sin - - Spiritual death, a consequence of our sin -- Making sense of verse 12. Romans 5:13-21 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Topics covered: Review of verses 12 to 19 -- Finishing the sentence of verse 12 -- A purpose of the law -- The written law and the natural law -- Adam as a pattern of Christ -- The basis of the pattern -- Christ’s undoing of Adam’s work -- The vast scope of Christ’s work -- Christ’s obedience -- How the trespass increases through the law -- What the law teaches. Romans 6 - (back to top) Romans 6:1-4 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Topics covered: The sin of taking advantage of God's grace -- The salvation that begins in this life: Salvation from sin in this world -- The transforming nature of salvation: A new life -- Breaking free from sin's control -- Sanctification -- The Holy Spirit's role in sanctification -- The symbolism of baptism -- Baptism in the Christian church -- Faith precedes baptism. Romans 6:3-11 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Topics covered: The symbolism of baptism: A death, and a resurrection -- Being united with Christ -- The obstacles to dying to sin -- The slow process of dying to sin -- Mortification, and vivification -- Crucifying the old self -- Freedom from slavery to sin -- Victory through the Holy Spirit -- Vivification: New life in Christ -- Victory over death. Romans 6:11-16 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Topics covered: Change of language beginning with verse 11: giving instructions/commands -- The ruler of this world -- Our choice in verse 13 -- The military connotation of verse 13 -- Offering each part of ourselves -- “… not under law, but under grace…” -- The New Covenant -- The law’s (for us fallen people) enticement to sin -- Again, the sin of taking advantage of God’s grace -- “No one can serve two masters” -- “Slaves to the one you obey.” Romans 6:17 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Topics covered: Serving from the heart -- Obeying “the form of teaching to which you were entrusted” -- A fact: we are all “entrusted” with differing levels of teaching about Christ -- The ramifications of that -- This begs the question: What is the fate of those who have no knowledge of Christ or the Gospel? -- Is salvation available to them? -- Differing views on this -- A view consistent with the teachings of the Bible, and the character of God -- The example of the Old Testament saints. Romans 6:18-23 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Topics covered: Uses of analogies in the Bible -- The consequences of being a slave to sin -- The slog of sanctification -- Plea for zeal for righteousness -- The Christian’s modified view of the past -- Shame, and its value -- Holiness -- Silence about the Holy Spirit in chapters 6 and 7 -- Three contrasts in Romans 6:23. Romans 7 - (back to top) Romans 7:1-6 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Topics covered: Themes of chapters 7 and 8 -- “… under law…” and “… under grace…” -- Paul’s style of writing -- Paul’s analogy about living under law -- The mechanism by which we are released from the law: death -- The death and new life of Christians -- The symbolism of baptism -- A new covenant -- Serving in “the new way of the Spirit” -- The absence of the Holy Spirit from chapter 7. Romans 7:7-8 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Topics covered: Assuming the Bible says what it means, and means what it says -- Paul’s switch to use the first person -- Multiple levels of meaning in this passage -- How the Law and sin are related -- The Law educates us about sin -- The uniqueness of the Law, “Do not covet” -- God desires internal purity -- Why sin increases in the presence of the Law -- Spiritual warfare -- The “forbidden fruit” phenomenon -- FOMO (“Fear of missing out”) -- How Satan uses the Law to tempt -- A weapon against much temptation: Contentment. Romans 7:9-13 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Topics covered: What moment in life in verse 9 referring to? -- Paul’s attitude before he was a Christian -- The moment when Paul recognized he was spiritually dead -- The moment in life, described in verse 9, that everyone on earth experiences: The true moment of accountability -- A real-life example of verse 9 at work -- The centrality of the gospel to the Christian religion -- The law, not at fault -- A key purpose of the law: The recognition of the horror of sin -- Various levels of interpretation of verse 9. Romans 7:12-25 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Topics covered: The horridness of sin -- Paul’s struggles with sin -- The Christian’s struggle with sin -- The battle within us -- “This body of death” -- Hope for the Christian -- The missing Holy Spirit in chapters 6 and 7 -- Introduction to chapter 8. Romans 8 - (back to top) Romans 8:1 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Topics covered: Introduction to chapter 8 -- The contrast between the end of chapter 7 and the beginning of chapter 8 -- What does the word “Therefore” refer to? -- The word “now” in verse 1, and what it suggests -- Romans 5 as a possible lead-in to Romans 8 -- The blessings and scope of the words “no condemnation” -- What it means to be “in Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:2-4 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Topics covered: The meaning of the literary phrases ”the law of the Spirit of life”, and “the law of sin and death.” -- God intervening, because of our weaknesses -- Before Christ, everyone “under the law” -- How we are all under the law, before Christ -- The meaning of the difficult phrase, “in the likeness of sinful flesh” -- Christ’s humanity -- The meaning of the phrase, “… on account of sin…” -- Ways in which Christ, in his coming, dealt with the “sin problem” -- How Christ “condemned sin in the flesh” -- How many phrases in the NT apply both to “justification” and to “sanctification.” Romans 8:4-11 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Topics covered: What “living by the flesh” means -- The difficulty of not “living by the flesh” -- The progression in verses 4 through 8, as reflected in the NASB translation -- Paul’s use of the word “walk” -- The high stakes of “living by the Spirit” vs. “living by the flesh” -- The common misunderstanding about how to stop “living by the flesh” -- The true way to stop “living by the flesh”, and start “living by the Spirit” -- Support for the concept of “The Trinity” in this passage. Romans 8:10-17 - (YouTube link) / (Video) / (Audio) Topics covered: The work of the Holy Spirit -- The two aspects of “death” and “life” -- The Christian view of death -- The obligation of the Christian to live by the Spirit -- Various meanings of the phrase “putting to death the misdeeds of the body” -- Ways to “put to death the misdeeds of the body” -- Christians as “sons of God” -- The extent of our “sonship” -- Paul’s cry of “Abba, Father”. Romans 8:18-23, pt. 1 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Topics covered: Suffering inevitable in this world, even for Christians -- The suffering, even, of the Creation -- The correspondence between the physical health of the world, and the spiritual health of people -- The universe’s “subjection to frustration” and “bondage to decay” -- The beginning of the “bondage to decay” -- This passage’s expression of the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics -- Explanation of the 2nd Law -- Paul’s perfect summary of the 2nd Law: “bondage to decay” -- The act of creation, a countering of the 2nd Law -- The eventual liberation from the 2nd Law. Romans 8:18-23, pt. 2 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Topics covered: Suffering as part of the Christian life -- Endurance through hope -- The subjection of the Creation to “frustration” -- The groaning of the Christian -- The groaning of the Creation -- The positive side to the “pains of childbirth” -- The hope in which we were saved. Romans 8:24-28 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Topics covered: The importance and significance of hope -- Patient endurance -- The three parties involved in prayer -- “We do not know what we ought to pray for” -- The Holy Spirit’s intercession in prayer -- Principles for prayer -- The end result of prayer -- God working all together for good. Romans 8:28 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Topics covered: Romans 8:28 as a transition verse -- The original Greek phrase ordering -- The four phrases in the verse -- “All things work together for good” -- The scope of this phrase -- “And we know that” -- Do we “know” it? -- Why we should know it -- The phrases which each define/describe a Christian -- One phrase depicts human decision; one phrase depicts God’s election -- The literary construction of the verse, in its original phrase ordering -- How “those who love God” looks back to the previous chapters -- How “those called according to His purpose” looks forward to the next chapters. Romans 8:29-30, pt. 1 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Topics covered: Our salvation from God’s point of view -- A difficult concept: reconciling God’s sovereignty and human responsibility, with respect to salvation -- The testimony of the Bible: these concepts are not contradictory, but compatible -- This compatibility testified to by all the main authors of the New Testament -- The role of God’s foreknowledge on predestination -- Our inability to understand things from God’s point of view -- A strategy for making peace with these concepts: Let God be God, and humans be human -- The importance of teaching both God’s sovereignty and human responsibility -- The beauty of the truth of both of these concepts. Romans 8:29-30, pt. 2 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Topics covered: God’s involvement in His creation -- The link between foreknowledge and predestination -- The difficulty of reconciling election with free will -- A strategy for making peace with these concepts: Let God be God, and humans be human -- The many, many verses which affirm the role of our decisions in our salvation cannot be ignored -- The goal of our salvation: sanctification -- In verse 30, the entire process of the life of the Christian, from God’s point of view -- The Five Golden Links -- The “calling” spoken of in verse 30, an effectual calling -- The human steps of faith and sanctification omitted from verse 30 -- The implications of the word glorified being in the past tense: assurance. Romans 8:31-39 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Topics covered: The value of the question/answer format -- Proofs of God’s love for us -- The surety of justification for those in Christ -- Christ in the judgment seat, with the ability to condemn or save -- Why those in Christ will not be condemned -- The difference between how children of Israel face troubles, versus how Christians face troubles -- Paul, an example of a conqueror through adversity -- The courage of the Christian -- “More than conquerors”, or literally, hyper- conquerors -- The breadth of God’s love for us. Romans 9 - (back to top) Romans 9 Introduction - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Topics covered: Summary of Romans to this point -- Overview of Romans 9 to 11 -- A difficult concept: Reconciling “God’s sovereignty” with “human responsibility” -- The Bible presents these concepts as compatible -- “God’s sovereignty” in chapter 9 -- “Human responsibility” in chapter 10 -- God’s wisdom in all these things. Romans 9:1-9 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Topics covered: The importance of teaching both “God’s sovereignty” and “human responsibility” -- Summary of chapters 9 through 11 -- Paul’s concern for the children of Israel -- Paul’s love for the children of Israel -- The blessings of God, poured out over Israel -- God’s sovereign choice concerning Israel in the Christian era -- Distinguishing the fate of the nation of Israel, versus the fate of individual Jews -- Christian salvation is given on an individual basis -- Examples of God’s sovereignty over election -- Isaac, the child of the promise. Romans 9:10-18 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Topics covered: The example of the Jacob and Esau -- The difficult verses in this passage -- The references to “Jacob” and “Esau” as the nations that they became -- The purposes behind God’s elective choices -- Role of early Jewish Christians hindering the spread of the Gospel -- The wisdom, borne out in history, of God’s limiting the Christian Jews to a remnant -- The role of foreknowledge in God’s elective choices -- Our lack of standing to object to God’s elective choices. Romans 9:17-23 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Topics covered: Overview (once again) of chapters 9 through 11 -- The difficulty of verse 18 exceeds that of verse 15, because it deals with God hardening (rather than having mercy) -- God exercises His sovereignty based on carrying out His purposes -- God exercises His sovereignty, consistent with His character -- Review of Exodus 33, from which verse 15 comes -- The history of the hardening of Pharaoh -- God’s purposes in hardening Pharaoh -- It’s OK to wrestle with God; it’s not OK to impugn His character -- God’s “pride” in His righteous and just character -- God’s sovereignty does not eliminate our responsibility to make the correct choices. Romans 9:24-29 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Topics covered: God’s history of “calling ‘my people’, those who are not ‘my people’” -- Rejoicing when any sinner repents, even those whom we thought never would -- Preaching Christ to everyone, even those whom we think don’t deserve to be saved -- Jonah, an illustration of the wrong attitude to have -- Why the Jews reject the New Covenant salvation: the stumbling stone. Romans 10 - (back to top) Romans 9:30-10:4 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Topics covered: The reasons that many children of Israel have rejected their Messiah -- Christ as a “stumbling stone” -- Prophecy in Isaiah of the Messiah as a “stumbling stone” -- The attempt of the early Christian church in Jerusalem to make Christianity a sect of Judaism -- The conflict between Paul and the Jerusalem church in Acts 15 -- Paul’s desire for the salvation of Israel -- Misplaced zeal -- Five ways that “Christ is the end of the law”. Romans 10:5-8 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Topics covered: Contrasting two systems of gaining righteousness -- One way to righteousness: obey the law perfectly and completely -- The impossibility of this way to righteousness -- The impossibility of now gaining atonement via animal sacrifices -- The other way to righteousness: through Jesus Christ -- The difficulty of verse 6 -- The point of verse 6: no difficult feat is required by us to attain salvation through Christ -- The difficult feats for our salvation were achieved by Jesus -- The human desire to earn our salvation -- The illustration of this in the history of Naaman -- The difficulties of interpreting references in the New Testament to Old Testament passages -- The prophetic nature of Deuteronomy 30. Romans 10:8-13 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Topics covered: The accessibility of attaining righteousness through Christ -- The significance of verse 9 -- The meaning of “believing in one’s heart” -- The “heart” in the Bible -- The significance of believing that “God raised Christ from the dead” -- The literary qualities of this passage -- The parallelisms of the “heart” and “mouth” motifs -- Introduction to “chiastic structures” -- The chiastic structure in verses 8 to 13 -- For illustration, a simple chiastic structure in Matt. 6:24 -- How knowing the literary devices in the Bible can lead to proper interpretation. Romans 10:9-13 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Topics covered: Verse 9 looks like a “formula” for salvation, but is it? -- Christian salvation as an event, and a process -- The event: faith in an aspect of who Christ is -- The process of learning about Christ in all His fullness -- What is meant by “declaring that Jesus is Lord”? -- The declaration of Christ as Lord as part of the process of salvation -- The scope of the Lordship of Christ -- How the verbal and natural declaration of Christ as Lord strengthens our faith. Romans 10:14-21 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Topics covered: The questions in verses 14 and 15: Are they informational questions or questions of objection? -- Review of chiastic structures -- The chiastic structure of verses 14 to 21 -- The center, thus emphasis of the structure -- How the four questions are answered in their parallel passages in the chiastic structure -- The meaning of the citation of Psalm 19, in Romans 10:18 -- God’s natural revelation of Himself, and the Gospel. Romans 11 - (back to top) Romans 11:1-10 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Topics covered: Ways in which God has not rejected “His people” -- Paul, as an example -- The preserved remnant, as an example -- The remnant, as illustrated through the history of Elijah -- Elijah on Mt. Carmel -- Elijah, fleeing from Jezebel -- The “still small voice” of God -- The absurdity of thinking that God needs us -- A look at Psalm 69 -- The dangers of prosperity -- Contentment over prosperity. Romans 11:11-32 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Topics covered: The remnant of the children of Israel throughout history -- The three stage process leading to the salvation of Israel -- Paul’s reiteration of the three stages, throughout this passage -- The literary device of parallelism in the Bible -- Paul’s seven parallel passages, each laying out the three stage process of Israel’s salvation -- The first passage: the cause-and-effect nature of the stages in the process. Romans 11:12-24 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Topics covered: Review of the three steps leading to the salvation of Israel -- The cause and effect nature of the three steps -- The benefits to the world flowing from the salvation of Israel -- What “full inclusion” means in vs. 12 -- A prophecy in Zechariah regarding the salvation of Israel -- The existence of the nation of Israel makes this prophecy more understandable -- What Paul means by “life from the dead”, in verse 15 -- The Olive Tree analogy -- The necessary humility of the Gentiles expressed in the analogy. Romans 11:25-36 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Topics covered: Review of the three steps leading to the salvation of Israel, and Paul’s repetition of these steps -- The directness of Paul’s prophecy about the salvation of Israel in verse 26 -- A speculation about how Israel’s salvation will occur -- What “fullness of the Gentiles” means -- The salvation of Israel, as prophesied in the Old Testament -- What the phrase “ bound everyone over to disobedience means” -- The literary and thematic beauty of the doxology in verses 33-36. Romans 12 - (back to top) Romans 12:1-2 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Topics covered: A significant instruction: “… offer your bodies…” -- The “why” of the instruction: “… in view of God’s mercy…” -- To what extent: “… as a sacrifice…” -- In what manner: “… living, holy, and pleasing to God.” -- By what motivation: “… This is your true and proper worship.” -- How to achieve it: -- “Do not be conformed… but be transformed.” Romans 12:2-8 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Topics covered: A benefit to “offering your body as a sacrifice”: ability to “test and approve” what God’s will is -- God’s “good, pleasing, and perfect” will -- How to serve God -- Who is to serve?: “… every one of you…” -- Self-reflection and “sober judgement” in deciding how to serve -- The analogy of the church as a body, and it’s application to service -- “Gifts” to serve -- We have “different” gifts -- Some representative works of service -- Prophesying -- Serving, or “ministering” -- Teaching -- Encouragement, on a macro and micro level -- Giving, generously and simply -- Leadership, on a macro and micro level -- Showing mercy. Romans 12:9-14 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Topics covered: The sparse style of writing in this passage -- A translation of the passage which reflects the original style of writing -- The continuation of the parse style suggests that verses 9-14 are closely tied to verses 6-8 -- In general, literary style can give us clues to interpretation, so translations should reflect the original literary style -- The instructions: “Unhypocritical love” -- How does one cultivate a sincere love? -- “Hate evil / cling to good”: deceptively obvious statements -- Fervency in service, serving “the Lord” -- The gift of “hope” -- The gift of “patience” in affliction - The gift of “prayer” -- The gift of “hospitality” -- Verse 14, reflecting the teachings of Christ -- Praying for enemies. Romans 12:15-21 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Topics covered: Rejoicing/mourning with enemies -- The church somewhat unique, in that it contains people of all stripes -- Not avenging / Keeping peace: following in Christ’s steps -- Do right in the eyes of everyone: Don’t be “an ugly American” -- Ways to keep peace -- Leaving “revenge” up to God -- Faith and patience in this -- The effect of kindness on our enemies -- Good, as the most powerful weapon against evil. Romans 13 - (back to top) Romans 13:1-7 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Topics covered: The Christian’s relationship to governing authorities: obey them, honor them, pray for them -- What it means to “submit to authorities” -- Exception to the requirement of Christians to submit to authorities -- God’s active role in establishing all authorities here on earth -- Advancing the Gospel is not a role of government -- The corrupting influence of power -- The separation of church and state in the Bible -- Because of their divisive nature, politics needs to be kept out of the church -- The teaching of history is that God does not establish Christian governments -- The primary purposes of government: keep order; maintain justice. Romans 13:8-14 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Topics covered: The never-ending debt to love one another -- Who is the creditor for this debt? -- Love as the fulfillment of the law -- The two greatest commandments -- Applying the fact that these are the two greatest commandments to solving ethical dilemmas -- Examples of solving ethical dilemmas in this way -- The four “colors” of lies -- Justifying some white and gray lies, given that the laws of love are the greatest commandments -- The example of the Hebrew midwives -- The ethical dilemmas of smuggling Bibles, and holding Bible studies in countries where Bible studies are forbidden -- Obedience to God is pre-eminent -- “Understanding the present time” -- The uniqueness of the knowledge about when Christ will return -- What the Holy Spirit wants us to know about when Christ will return. Romans 13:11-14:4 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Topics covered: The imagery of light/day and darkness/night in the Bible -- The value of daylight in ancient times -- The day/night image, as it applies to the coming end-times -- The imagery of putting on and taking off attire -- The odd image of “armor of light” -- The harm of “deeds of darkness” -- The historical importance of Romans 13:13-14: the conversion of Augustine -- The meaning of the phrase “clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ” -- The “dissension and jealousy” in the Roman church at the time -- The pioneering nature of the Christian church -- Normally, religion was tied to culture -- The Christian church: a religion for all cultures -- Romans 14 teaches that those who come to Christ can maintain their cultural identity. Romans 14 - (back to top) Romans 14:1-12, pt. 1 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Topics covered: Paul addresses a dispute in the Roman church -- Peter learns that the food laws are not part of the New Covenant -- One purpose for the food laws in the Old Covenant: to keep the children of Israel unified, and separated from the pagan cultures -- This illustrated in the history of Daniel -- In the Christian era, the people of God are not to be isolated from other cultures, but rather to preach the Gospel to all cultures and nations, thus no need for the separating aspect of the food laws -- The Sabbath in the Christian era -- The Sabbath fulfilled by the rest we find in Christ. Romans 14:1-12, pt. 2 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Topics covered: Cross-cultural unity in Christ -- The evidence of a chiastic structure in this passage -- How to work out the chiastic structure in the passage -- The purpose of analyzing the chiastic structure: to better understand the passage -- The emphasis of the passage, according to the structure -- Deriving the main points of the passage from the chiastic structure -- Some points in this passage: don’t judge, don’t show contempt, based on the style of worship of others -- The validity of worshiping God according to cultural traditions -- The Lord as ultimate judge of proper worship -- The small chiastic structure of verses 10 to 12. Romans 14:13-15:2 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Topics covered: The six-level chiastic structure of this passage -- The emphasis in the passage (the center of the chiastic structure) in verse 17: What the kingdom of God is not, and what the kingdom of God is, under the New Covenant -- How other levels of the structure support this main point -- In our behavior, we need to take the weaknesses of others into account -- How this passage applies to Christian life today -- The Holy Spirit deals with Christians individually, concerning the weaknesses of each person -- Based on our weaknesses, we may have prohibitions specific to us, that aren’t prohibitions to others -- Prophecy in Jeremiah, that the Holy Spirit would “write the Law on our hearts”. Romans 15 - (back to top) Romans 15:3-15 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Topics covered: Working out the chiastic structure of this passage -- The center of the structure, giving the emphasis of the passage: The Jews and Gentiles praising God together -- The anchor of the structure in verses 5 and 6, parallel with verse 13 -- The parallel blessings in these parallel statements -- The description of God in both passages -- The specific blessing in each -- The end result in each -- The tie to the emphasis of the chiastic structure -- The mention of the Trinity -- The C level of the structure: Jesus bringing about the praise of the Gentiles -- The message of the outer level of the structure: Paul’s writing is on par with the writings of the Old Testament. Romans 15:16-33 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Topics covered: The elements of Paul’s service to God -- The chiastic structure in verses 16-21 -- The distinction between the teaching about Christ, and preaching the Gospel -- The Christian sacrifice: a living sacrifice -- Paul’s desire to go to Rome -- The hindrances of Paul carrying out his plans -- God’s sovereignty over our plans -- How Paul’s plans worked out in real life, as documented in Acts 21 -- God’s possible purpose in thwarting Paul’s plans -- Paul’s plan to help the church in Jerusalem, despite the tension of their relationship -- Paul’s prayer for his journey -- How the three elements of his prayer were answered: not as Paul planned -- So with us, many of our plans are answered differently than how we foresee them answered -- The purpose of prayer: seeking to carry out God’s will. Romans 16 - (back to top) Romans 16 - (YouTube link) / (Video File) / (Audio) Topics covered: The wide variety of people that Paul greets -- Phoebe -- Priscilla and Aquila, and their long partnership with Paul -- Hints about the church of Rome found in these greetings -- The church as an equalizer, bringing together into fellowship those of varied cultures and backgrounds, each greeting each other “with a holy kiss” -- A warning against false teaching -- Characteristics of false teachers -- How to detect false teachers -- “Be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil” -- The crushing of Satan -- A prayer of grace -- The doxology which concludes the book of Romans. (Stay tuned for more studies in Romans, coming soon!) Topical Excerpts - (back to top) Mathematical Argument That God Created Life - (YouTube) / (Video File) / (Audio)