Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

Newer Entries »

God’s “Good News”

April 20, 2025

For my Resurrection Sunday sermon, I preached from the opening greeting of Paul’s letter to the Romans. The first seven verses of Romans comprise one long sentence. We will look at a few individually.

Rom 1:1  Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God, 

Paul says three things about himself. It’s interesting that he first refers to himself as a servant (doulos in the Greek which means a bondservant or slave). The Romans would readily understand this term because there were millions of slaves in the Roman empire. It was not something to be desired. The Jews might possibly think of Abraham, Moses, or David who were all called “servants” of the LORD. In any event, Paul saw himself as one indebted to Another who had paid a great price for his soul.

Next, he identified himself as an apostle. There were at least two qualifications for an apostle. An apostle had to have seen the risen Lord (I Cor 9:1). An apostle had to be directly called by the Lord to be an apostle (Acts 9:15, I Cor 15:8). Evidently, the apostles were endowed with the ability to do miraculous signs as well (2 Cor 12:12).

Finally, Paul identifies as one who is separated unto the gospel of God. Paul understood separation. As a Pharisee (the term literally means “separate”) he had been separated unto Judaism and the traditions of the elders. His life was consumed with it. He spent his younger years furiously persecuting the Church (Gal 1:13,14). But, one day he met the risen Lord. When he did, he was no longer separated as a Pharisee, he was separated unto the gospel!

Notice Paul refers to it as the “gospel of God.” The Greek word for gospel is euaggelion (pronounced yoo-ang-ghel’-ee-on). Outside of biblical usage, it was used to announce the victory of a sovereign or the arrival of a new king. The word literally means “good news.” But this is not any ordinary news… it’s God’s Good News!

Rom 1:2  (Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,) 

The next thing Paul discloses, is that the Gospel is not “new news”, it was all over the Old Testament scriptures. Psalm 2:7 and Proverbs 30:4 revealed that God has a Son. The coming of a redeemer was first disclosed in the Garden of Eden (Gen 3:15). God told Abraham that in him all the families of the earth would be blessed (Gen 12:3). David predicted that the Messiah would be crucified (Psa 22) and that the Messiah would rise from the dead (Psa 16:10). Isaiah predicted that the Messiah would suffer, die, be buried in a rich man’s tomb, and rise again! (Isa 52-53)

Rom 1:3  Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh;

Paul says that this “Good News” is all concerning, or about God’s Son, Jesus Christ our Lord! All of the Old Testament scriptures pointed to Jesus. Christ revealed this to His apostles after the resurrection (Luke 24:27). All of the types and shadows, the blood sacrifices, the feasts, they all pointed to the finished work of Christ.

Paul then speaks of Christ’s humanity. He was fully God and fully man. He was a descendant of King David. The New Testament opens with Jesus Christ’s connection to David (Matt 1:1) and it ends with the same (Rev 22:16). God had promised David that one of his descendants would be an Eternal Son who would reign forever (2 Sam 7:12-13). In His humanity, Jesus came in meekness and was crucified and buried. When He comes again to rule and reign, it will be much different!

Rom 1:4  And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:

Notice that Paul said Christ was “declared” to be the Son of God. He didn’t “become” the Son of God at the resurrection, but He was declared as such with power. Jesus had already revealed that no man had the power to take His life from Him.

John 10:17  Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. 
John 10:18  No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father. 

John records an event at the first Passover of Jesus’ ministry. In Jerusalem He cleansed the Temple, which had become a corrupt place of merchandise. The religious leaders were indignant and demanded that Jesus provide a sign to show His authority to do such things. He made a curious statement.

John 2:19  Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. 

As is typical in the Gospel of John, the people misunderstood spiritual things and confused them with natural. They thought He was talking about Herod’s Temple. But He was talking about His own body! So, when He rose from the grave that was a powerful declaration of His Deity. Evidently, the chief priests and Pharisees finally figured it out and took the issue seriously. This we read at the end of Matthew’s Gospel:

Mat 27:62  Now the next day, that followed the day of the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate, 
Mat 27:63  Saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again. 

They requested the tomb be made secure, sealed, and guarded with Roman soldiers. Even that wasn’t enough to stop the Son of God from coming out of that tomb victorious! Over 500 people saw Jesus in a resurrected body (I Cor 15:6). That kind of eyewitness testimony would stand in any legitimate court of law! All the religious leaders had to do was produce a corpse. That would have stopped the movement immediately, and Jesus of Nazareth would have vanished into history as an imposter. Instead, His followers would turn the world upside down…before most of them died a martyr’s death. His “Good News” would go into all the world as it is today. Have you received and believed God’s Good News? I’ll leave you with the words of the apostle.

1Co 15:1  Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; 
1Co 15:2  By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. 
1Co 15:3  For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 
1Co 15:4  And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: 

Tags:, , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »

Separated Unto the Gospel

April 15, 2025

Rom 1:1 Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,

This is Paul’s initial greeting to the Church at Rome. He identifies himself as a servant of Jesus Christ before his calling as an apostle. There is much that could be said about both roles. Instead, I want to direct your attention to his separation. I think we often associate separation with being separated “from” something. This is most common when speaking of relationships. It can also be true in a religious sense. There are many who view separation in negative terms. To be honest, there are times when we need to separate ourselves from those who are not leading us closer to Christ. There are times when churches (or whole denominations) depart from biblical truth, and we must separate to maintain doctrinal purity.

There is also an unhealthy separation. This is a separation that leads to isolation. Paul would be keenly aware of such a separation. He was a part of a religious group called the Pharisees (Phil 3:5). If you look up “Pharisee” in the dictionary, you will discover the etymology of the word literally means “separated.” Their beginnings in the intertestamental period may have been noble, but by the time of Christ they had become corrupt. Their traditions had taken priority over God’s Word. They were disgusted by Jesus’ grace and mercy extended to “sinners.” This often happens when we forget our humble beginnings. If we are not careful, we will begin to identify ourselves by “what we don’t do” (or “what we do”) instead of acknowledging God’s grace in our own lives. Spiritual pride leads to elitism and isolationism.

Paul wasn’t just separated “from” his former life. He was separated “unto” something much greater. In his case, it was the gospel of God. The Greek word for separated is aphorizō and it’s where we get our English word “horizon.” When Paul was apprehended by Christ, he gained a whole new horizon! At one time, he lived to persecute the Church. Now, he lived to share God’s “Good News” (that’s what gospel means). Almost all Bible commentators take note of three great “separations” in Paul’s life. They are as follows:

  1. From his mother’s womb (Gal 1:15)
  2. From the world (Acts 9:15)
  3. For the work the Holy Spirit called him to (Acts 13:2)

Paul was uniquely chosen before birth for a special task. He met the Lord on the Damascus Road and gained new life. In Antioch, he was separated by the Holy Spirit to begin missionary work.

You and I aren’t apostles. Our conversion likely wasn’t as dramatic as Paul’s. We may never hear audible words of the Spirit guiding us into ministry. But let us never forget that we have been separated from an old life of sin and death. We have also been separated unto a brand-new horizon! We too, are carriers of God’s Good News!

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »

Grace or Debt? (Romans 4:4-8)

March 26, 2025

We continue to look at Paul’s exposition of justification by faith in today’s post. Paul has already cited the example of Abraham as one who was justified apart from works. Abraham is revered as the “father of faith” and now we will look at David as “Israel’s greatest king.” The one is famous for his faith and righteousness, the other infamous for a few great sins. It’s interesting that Paul chooses David’s failures rather than his great victories to make his point. Let’s see if we can follow Paul’s logic.

Rom 4:4  Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. 

We see again Paul’s use of the word logizomai (translated as “reckoned” in the KJV). This is pretty straightforward. When one works and receives their wages, no grace is involved. After a 40-hour week you receive your paycheck. You may be thankful and love your job, but this is hardly considered a gracious act by your employer. You simply receive what you’ve earned. You were given what was owed to you. Grace is something altogether different.

Rom 4:5  But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.

Here is the language of grace. Abraham didn’t work for his righteousness, he simply believed in the LORD. On that basis, righteousness was “counted” (again “logizomai” in Greek) or credited to Abraham’s account. What may seem shocking at first glance is that we discover those who are justified. It’s not the godly, but rather, the ungodly! Those familiar with the Old Testament may immediately recall such scriptures as these:

Exo 23:7  Keep thee far from a false matter; and the innocent and righteous slay thou not: for I will not justify the wicked. 

Deu 25:1  If there be a controversy between men, and they come unto judgment, that the judges may judge them; then they shall justify the righteous, and condemn the wicked. 

The great expositor Warren Wiersbe remarked that “God justifies the ungodly-because there are no godly for Him to justify!”. Paul has already resolved this dilemma for us back in chapter 3 when he declared that God “set forth” Christ to be a propitiation for the remission of sins (Rom 3:25). Because Christ bore our sins on the Cross, God can now apply His righteousness to our account when we believe.

Rom 4:6  Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works,

Now Paul turns to David to strengthen the argument. Using the biblical principle of two witnesses, we now have an example from the law and the prophets/writings. Abraham’s faith was reckoned as righteousness by grace. Now we are going to see grace given to David apart from works. To make his point, Paul is going to quote from Psalm 32:1-2.

Rom 4:7  Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. 
Rom 4:8  Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin. 

To fully appreciate this, you must be familiar with the Old Testament and David’s story in particular. Most scholars believe that David penned this Psalm after his encounter with Nathan the prophet in 2 Samuel chapter 12. David had committed adultery with Bathsheba. She became pregnant, and David conspired to have her husband Uriah killed (Uriah is memorialized in Matthew’s genealogy of Christ in Matt 1:6). At least nine months later, God sent Nathan the prophet to confront David concerning his sins. I would encourage you to read the whole story in 2 Samuel 11 and 12, but for sake of time I will only cite this one reference here.

2Sa 12:13  And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD. And Nathan said unto David, The LORD also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die.

David had committed at least two capital crimes (adultery and murder). Under the Law of Moses, there were no sacrifices for such willful sins. One could only expect the penalty of death. All David could do was cast himself upon the mercies of God. And look what happened…not only did God forgive David’s sin, He pardoned him from the death penalty! No wonder David’s heart erupted with praise to God in Psalm 32!

Paul has now given two great examples from the Old Testament showing righteousness apart from works. Abraham received what he did not deserve, and David didn’t get what he truly did deserve! You can either ask the LORD for a fair trial (bad idea!), or you can plead guilty and ask God for mercy. Because of what Christ did at Calvary, you and I can be righteous apart from works. I like to call that the “Great Exchange.”

2Co 5:21  For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him

Tags:, , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »

Where is Boasting? (Romans 4:1-3)

March 25, 2025

In Romans 4, Paul is making the case for justification by faith. He will use two Old Testament examples to solidify his argument. He begins with Abraham.

Rom 4:1  What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? 
Rom 4:2  For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. 

In Judaism, Abraham is held in the highest regard. As a matter of fact, three of the world’s largest religions trace their roots to Abraham. God promised in Genesis 12:2 that He would make Abraham’s name great, and history has vindicated this. The rabbis have such a high view of Abraham that some had the impression that he was justified by his good works. We can look back at Abraham’s offering of Isaac as the supreme example of obedience and he is known as “the friend of God.” (2 Chron 20:7, James 2:23).

But this is not what Paul chooses to focus on. Let’s follow his train of thought.

Rom 4:3  For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.

The first question is of the utmost importance. It doesn’t matter what our opinions are, or even the opinions of those held in high esteem. But what do the scriptures say about the subject? That’s what matters! So, Paul directs us to Genesis 15 for the answer.

Gen 15:6  And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.

This is the first mention of “belief” in the scriptures. This is not by accident; this is by design. People often wonder how folks were saved under the Old Covenant. My answer is, “the same way they are in the New Covenant.” People are saved by grace, through faith! Paul uses Abraham (the “father of faith”) to make this point. Abraham was not righteous because of his good deeds. He was declared to be righteous because he believed in the LORD!

The major theme of Romans is “the righteousness of God.” This is a righteousness that is bestowed upon us, apart from any goodness in us. Paul spends the first three chapters of Romans proving that the whole world is guilty before God and there are none righteous…no not one! The key word in Romans chapter 4 is the Greek word logizomai. The word is used 11 times in chapter 4. The KJV translators chose to translate this in a myriad of ways. They translated logizomai using the words, “counted”, “reckoned”, and “impute(d).” Those are all accurate ways to translate the word, but in my humble opinion, they obscure the argument Paul is trying to make. The NASB (New American Standard Bible) sought to alleviate this issue by the consistent translation of logizomai as “credited.”

Abraham believed God, and on that basis, righteousness was credited to him. “Credited” has more of a financial connotation whereas “imputed” carries more of a legal connotation, but both are accurate. Righteousness was “credited” to Abraham’s account. The reason Abraham can’t boast of his good works as a means of justification is because the righteousness was not his own! This righteousness was placed on his account, not because of works but because of faith! We will develop this further in our next post. Thanks for reading!

Tags:, , , , , , ,
Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »

Welcome!

March 21, 2025

I’m starting this blog in hopes that it will be a blessing to all who enjoy studying the Bible. My name is Henry, and I’m the pastor of Deep Springs Baptist Church in beautiful Peachland, NC. I hope to add content on a regular basis. I’m the author of “From Babylon to Beyond”, which is a study of the 70 Weeks prophecy found in the book of Daniel (chapter 9). Be on the lookout for other books which are currently in process. Thanks for taking the time to visit and I hope you will find this to be a great resource.

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

Newer Entries »