In a gloomy and dark world, Jesus Christ is the Promise of hope for salvation. While this was true in the days before Jesus’ birth, it’s true of our time and culture as well. Our world looks to many different things for hope - comfort, technology, or even politics. But the message of the gospel is that true hope is found not in a place or idea, but in a person. Jesus is our promised hope.
The act of baptism is an important symbol of our identity in Christ, but it can be easy to put it off or ignore its significance. Baptism is a central theme in Jesus’ and the Apostles’ teaching and should be a priority for everyone who has been transformed by the saving grace of Jesus Christ. Is it time for you to be baptized?
In the Christian life, nothing is as important as loving God first and above all else. Without a love for God anchoring our lives, our human nature will start to put other things like work, success, pleasure, or relationships in God’s place. Our lives get out of order and things can go off the rails. So how do we make sure our love for God takes priority?
Our study of Romans comes to a close as the Apostle Paul leaves the church with one final encouragement. The gospel is good news revealed by God through Jesus Christ for everyone who believes, and it represents a hope unlike anything our world can offer: a message of grace, truth and the promise of eternal life in Christ. “To the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen.”
Would you know false teaching about Jesus if you heard it? The Apostle Paul warns the church to be on the lookout for people who claim to be teaching about Christ, but who are actually seeking to cause division or lead people astray for their own personal gain. This highlights the importance of knowing God’s Word: spending time studying and reflecting on it daily in order to carefully evaluate the things we hear in our media-saturated world.
God designed His church to be a community of people that supports, encourages and builds one another up as we strive together to make disciples. As Paul’s letter to the Romans nears its end, he gives us a beautiful picture of what it looks like to be joined together in ministry with others who share the same love of the gospel.
The Christian life was never meant to be lived in isolation from the world. The Apostle Paul reminds us of the Great Commission given by Jesus - that we would go out into the world to share the good news of the gospel. As we go about our lives of school, work, hobbies and family, we should always be on the lookout for ways we can bring the hope of the gospel to those who have never heard.
The family of God includes believers of every nation, race and background, all unified by the belief that Jesus Christ is Lord. Part of our witness to the world about the goodness of God is our unity in the midst of diversity. It’s a call to love one another sacrificially - putting personal preferences aside - for the sake of building one another up in Christ.
Christians enjoy a great amount of freedom in the choices we can make, but the Apostle Paul reminds us that our love for others should take priority over our own preferences. If doing something we’re free to do causes another person to be drawn toward sin, then we’re called to give up that freedom for the good of the other person. Walking in love means putting others first.
Is it okay for Christians to _________? That question is usually followed by various opinions and even disagreement or conflict. While the Bible is very specific in matters of sin and salvation, there are other aspects of life that Christians have freedom to decide for themselves. So how do we navigate these differences of opinion - from eating and drinking to the entertainment we watch to how we vote - without breaking the unity to which Jesus calls us?
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