
Saved by Chad Hudson
The Power of the Gospel
Saved by Chad Hudson
Paul: For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ (v. 16a). If we think our culture is hostile to the gospel, the first-century culture Paul lived in was much more so.
Before Paul develops the theme of the gospel, he says that the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men (v. 18a). It is perfectly appropriate for a holy and righteous God to be moved to anger against evil. A judge with no distaste for evil would not be a good judge. God is angry with two distinct
... See moreThis is a helpful quote for my Psalms 79 and 109 teaching for the imprecatory Psalms.
Paul moves quickly from his own call as an Apostle to the call shared by every Christian in the church at Rome and by every Christian in every church in every age. The Bible calls them elect, “the called-out ones.”
Many times, if not most times, the sin we commit is a punishment for sin. When we sin, we are actually working out God’s punishment for our sin. God gives us over to our sinful impulses. We become slaves to the things that we want to do.
This is a different perspective I haven’t considered previously. When we sin, yes we sin against God, but against nature also. Sinning is also the punishment of sin. When we sin or act outside of the will of God, there are always consequences and they are never good. Think, for example, of going out partying. It is such a good time in the moment, but over indulgence leads to a following tough day, if not more severe immediate outcomes like results of drunk driving. This is one of many possible examples. We live in a broken world as a result of the original sin, the result is sinning which is a punishment from the original sin because of existing in the broken reality. I hadn’t considered sin as the punishment for sin before, but it makes so much sense. We cannot live perfect, sin-free lives which is why we need Jesus - the reversal and redemption of sin.
Salvation is by faith alone. But even our faith isn’t ground for boasting. Our faith is in someone else’s righteousness: Christ’s righteousness. His righteousness is given to us as a gift, and our entire salvation rests on it from first to last. If you are trusting in Christ and in Christ alone, you stand, right now and forever, justified before
... See moreThere is yet a middle usage of the term kurios in the New Testament. It is used to describe a slave owner, which is an apt description of Jesus, and it is from this that Paul describes himself. He is not just a servant but a slave.
Obviously, Freud was not on the Sea of Galilee when Jesus rebuked the wind and the waves (see Mark 4:35–41). Instead of experiencing the same calm that overcame the sea, the disciples experienced an escalation of fear because the holiness of Christ was made manifest. But it’s precisely the holiness of Christ that we need to stand before a holy God
... See moreLuther was an expert in the law of God, and every day he was in terror as he looked in the mirror of the law and examined his life against God’s righteousness. We are not in terror, because we have blocked out the view of God’s righteousness. We judge ourselves on a curve, measuring ourselves against others. We never judge ourselves according to
... See moreIn what ways have you seen the gospel attacked in the church or in society? Is the objective or subjective dimension of the gospel attacked more frequently? Now consider your role in the kingdom to defend the gospel and take some time to reflect on these two dimensions. Rehearse a succinct gospel presentation that incorporates both aspects and
... See moreCrazy: Stat(s) I Found Fascinating [Or Alarming] This WeekThese stats are worth repeating as we make are way into 2025…In 1900, 18% of the world's Christians lived in Asia, Africa, Latin America and Oceania...Today that figure is 67%, and by 2050, it is projected to be 77%.Africa is home to 27% of the world's Christians, the largest share in the world, and by 2050, that figure will likely be 39%.For comparison, the United States and Canada were home to just 11% of all Christians in the world in 2020 and will likely drop to 8% by 2050.If these projections play out, and many believe they will, we have a problem.Source: Gina Zurlo, Center for the Study of Global Christianity, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary https://charper.substack.com/p/the-week-in-review-f93?publication_id=1235283&utm_campaign=email-post-title&r=1w28vw&utm_medium=email The Gospel is attacked in many ways in America now. To say we are a post-Christian nation seems to be an understatement. This especially poignant as I studied Psalms 1 and 2 this morning. It is amazing how big and puffed up we get as humans. We are such ignorant sheep for being as intelligent as we are.