Saved by Chad Hudson
The Power of the Gospel
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.
R.C. Sproul • The Power of the Gospel
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.
R.C. Sproul • The Power of the Gospel
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.
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.”
R.C. Sproul • The Power of the Gospel
In Old Testament times, the Jews greeted one another the same way they do today: Shalom aleichem, “Peace be unto you.” The response to the greeting was Aleichem shalom, “Peace also to you.”
R.C. Sproul • The Power of the Gospel
Sigmund Freud asked why it is that people are so incurably religious. He claimed that we have invented God to deal with things in nature that we find frightening. This is where Freud missed the point. If people are going to invent religion to protect them from the fear of nature, why would they invent a god who is more terrifying than nature
... See moreR.C. Sproul • The Power of the Gospel
What truth is being suppressed? Paul tells us: because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them (v. 19). The truth that every human being suppresses is the truth of God, what God reveals of Himself in nature to the whole human race.
R.C. Sproul • The Power of the Gospel
God gives pastors a remarkable responsibility: to keep watch over our souls. And for this, they must give an account (Heb. 13:17). One of the ways that you can encourage your pastor is by listening to him, not only when he encourages you from God’s Word but also when he does the hard work of calling you to repentance from God’s Word.
R.C. Sproul • The Power of the Gospel
Let us walk in humble reliance on the Spirit every day as faithful servants in our freedom from sin.
R.C. Sproul • The Power of the Gospel
God has given you specific gifts for the work of ministry in the church. Paul was compelled to serve Christ with all his life. We are called to do the same. Feeling this eager compulsion to serve our Lord is one of the signs that the Spirit is at work in us. Pray that God would only strengthen this desire in you, even if it is already strong but
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