In his Letter to the Romans, Paul presents his most detailed explanation of the Gospel. His purpose was to deal with conflicts between Gentile and Jewish members of the Assembly and prepare the ground for taking the Gospel to the western provinces of the Empire. In doing so, he touched on key topics, including death, redemption, the Law, resurrection, and New Creation. Believers are justified through his death and saved by his resurrection life.
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Resurrection and Creation
Central to the apostolic doctrine of salvation is the promise of REDEMPTION. God will not abandon what He has created. Both the term and the concept of “redemption” mean the recovery of that which was lost, in this case, the creation itself that has been enslaved by sin and condemned to decay and death, especially humanity. In God’s redemptive plan, the end state of redeemed things and persons will be vastly superior even to their original created state, and this is epitomized in the promise of bodily resurrection.
Continue readingCoheirs with Jesus
In his Letter to the Romans, Paul presents Abraham as the great exemplar of the faith, the model for all men to emulate who choose to live from the “faith of Jesus.” God counted the Patriarch’s faith as “righteousness” while he was yet uncircumcised, and thus He justified him apart from the “works of the Law.” Consequently, he became the father of everyone who is “from faith” whether Jew or Gentile, moreover, he is the “heir of the WORLD” or Kosmos.
Continue readingSpirit, Covenant and Creation
The history of Israel includes national sins that resulted in her expulsion from the Promised Land of Canaan. But God foresaw her failures and determined beforehand to institute a New Covenant that would be energized and characterized by His Spirit, and a people, singular, that would include the Gentiles. Moreover, the promised New Covenant would culminate in the resurrection of the righteous dead and the “New Heavens and the New Earth.”
Continue readingThe Era of the Spirit
The history of Israel includes national sins that caused her expulsion from the Land of Canaan. However, God foresaw her failures and determined to institute a new covenant, one energized and characterized by His Spirit. This covenant included the salvation of the nations and would culminate in the New Creation at the end of the age. With the outpouring of the Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, the Age of the Spirit commenced.
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