Matt Christiansen Bible Study

Study session scripture: Romans 9:30-10:13What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith; but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness[d] did not succeed in reaching that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone, as it is written, “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.” Brothers,my heart's desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. For Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that the person who does the commandments shall live by them. But the righteousness based on faith says, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) “or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”Study session topics:Israel's Rejection of God's Promises Israel's Unbelief (9:30-10:4) As with last time, we begin with "What shall we say then?" Points back to Paul's discussion of God's promises to Israel What follows is Paul's summation of what he laid out in Ch. 9 Paul lays out a grand irony between the Jews and Gentiles: Gentiles, on the whole, neither possessed nor pursued God's law, but they have been given an opportunity to receive God's righteousness by faith Jews, on the whole, possessed and pursued God's law for generations, yet that pursuit has not yielded the righteousness that leads to life Why did Israel fail to obtain righteousness through the law? They failed to use the law for its intended purpose: as a mirror to reveal their wickedness and point to a savior Instead, they attempted to use the law to increase their own righteousness As a result, they stumbled over the purpose of the Messiah and His teachings Paul diagnoses the issue of the Jews as being zealous for God, but being wrong about what God requires -If the Jews understood the law and its purpose rightly, they would look to Christ, "the end of the law for righteousness." What does "end" mean? Fulfillment -Culmination -TerminationGod's Message of Salvation to All (10:5-13) Paul again contrasts righteousness based on the law with righteousness based on faith He quotes Leviticus 18:5, a verse he also uses in a similar way in Galatians 3:10-14 The way of the law and the way of faith are mutually exclusive Using several Old Testament references, Paul lays out 3 different types of religion: The religion of the law (10:5) This is the religion of legalism, which Paul refuted in Ch. 7 No one can perfectly keep the law all their life The law was never meant to be a means of salvation The religion of signs (10:6-7) Here Paul references Deuteronomy 30:11-14 and recontextualizes it to refer to Christ's work, laying out several different meanings for Israel and Christians: Neither Israel nor Christians need any further word from God Neither Israel nor Christians need to do anything to bring the Messiah to them Neither Israel nor Christians should look for miracles The religion of faith (10:8-10) -This is a religion of belief and confession Belief: not mere intellectual assent, but trust, resting your hope for the future on Christ's work -Confession: several elements here "Jesus is Lord"--placing oneself under the kingship of Christ Confession with one's mouth is done before others--publicly identifying oneself with ChristConfession with one's mouth is how we share our faith with others Paul ties this passage back into his greater point on Israel's unbelief and rejection of God's promises "Everyone who believes in Him will not be put to shame" refers back to 9:38 where Paul assembles several quotes from Isaiah, all of which refer to the Messiah and come together to show both the promise of salvation and Israel's rejection of itPaul continues to hammer downs the walls between Jew and Gentile by restating what he said in 3:29-30 and universalizing Joel 2:32Study session audio: S4 E25: Romans 9:30-10:13 Download

Study session scripture: Romans 5:1-11Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.Study session topics:Assurance of hope The completeness of salvation Therefore" - there's that word again Paul just described the faith of Abraham, how it was counted as righteousness, and how the same will be true of those who share his faith Romans 5:1 is entirely past tense, it is already a done deal We have been justified by faith We have peace with God Our salvation doesn't mean we can have peace with God, or even that we will eventually obtain peace with God--it means we already have peace with God We stand in grace and look forward to the glory of God The grace in which we stand refers to the secure position we have before God, grounded in His unmerited, undeserved favor Rejoicing in hope of the glory of God refers to what will happen at the end of God's plan of salvation We rejoice no only in our eventual end, but also in our present circumstances Suffering -> endurance -> character -> hope that will be vindicated 4 types of suffering with Godly purpose Corrective suffering -Suffering for the glory of God Suffering as part of cosmic warfare Constructive suffering Why will our hope be vindicated? Because the Holy Spirit pours God's love into our hearts The saving power of God's supreme love Paul grounds the subjective experience of the love of God in the objective expression of divine love Christ exhibited in His death Paul contrasts God's love with man's love using the ultimate expression of love--willingness to die Since that expression of God's love justifies us in the present time, it will also save us from God's wrath on judgment day; and since it has turned us from enemies of God to reconciled children, His resurrection will save us at the last day The Christian indeed goes beyond simply avoiding wrath and actually rejoices in the God who would, apart from the work of Christ, be our enemy Study session audio: S4 E13: Romans 5:1-11

Study session scripture: Romans 4:1-12What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works: “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.” Is this blessing then only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? For we say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness. How then was it counted to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after, but before he was circumcised. He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well, and to make him the father of the circumcised who are not merely circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.Study session topics:Abraham as Father of Jews and Gentiles Paul bolsters his presentation of the Gospel message by arguing that this was always God's plan of salvation, going all the way back to Abraham Abraham is a perfect example to use Father of the Jewish people, first to be chosen by God Lived before the Law was given Paul argues that Abraham gained righteousness from God by faith as the Christian does (Gen. 15:6) Misconceptions about Abraham's justification God justified Abraham due to his own goodness and piety God counted Abraham as righteous due to his faith as a substitute for his works Paul also briefly brings in the example of David Direct ancestor of Jesus King whose throne was promised forever by God Man after God's own heart Paul argues that Psalm 32:1-2 is David professing salvation by faith Scripture here and in Gen. 15:6 uses bookkeeping terminology to describe the process of justification Paul folds his Gentile audience back in by universalizing the promise of justification by faithThis promise is not bound to circumcision because it predates circumcision Circumcision as a sign and seal of righteousness by faith, not by the law Points back to Romans 2:28-29, circumcision is a matter of the heart How were the Old Testament saints saved before the life and death of Jesus? They believed the Gospel--they looked forward to it while we look back at it (Gal. 3:7-9, John 8:56) Abraham and the other OT saints anticipated a future savior who would rescue them from their sinsStudy session audio: S4 E11: Romans 4:1-12

    Study session scripture: Romans 3:21-26But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it—the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.Study session topics: The saving righteousness of God "But now," a huge turning point in Paul's presentation of the Gospel message Paul has exhaustively argued since stating his thesis for the letter that sin is a pernicious, persistent, and pressing problem that affects everyone without exception No one is righteous, Jew or Gentile The unrighteous will suffer wrath and fury when they are inevitably judged by God Now Paul begins to discuss the ultimate solution to sin Paul describes a new covenant that God has recently established through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ Apart from the Law -Without distinction between Jew and Gentile Received by faith as a gift, rather than by human efforts at obedience Upholds God's justice and wrath against sin (orge) while allowing Him to justify, or declare righteous, the one who trusts in Jesus Jesus as propitiation Propitiation: to appease or turn aside wrath, an atoning sacrifice to a deityMany people are uncomfortable with the idea of God's wrath needing to be satisfied God's wrath is not a fit of pique, but principled opposition to something that goes against His very nature God's wrath is well established in the Scriptures Paul uses severe terms to describe the unrighteousness of all men, and the Scriptures he references include wrathful responses to man's wickednessPropitiation in the Christian sense is distinct from other religions in that it is not man who appeases God, but God appeases Himself by providing sacrifices for sins Propitiation and reconciliation are two sides of the same coin God's provision of Christ's sacrifice shows His righteousness and justice, so that no one can accuse Him of being unjust in His forbearance toward sinStudy session audio: S4 E9: Romans 3:21-26

Study session scripture: Romans 3:1-8Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision? Much in every way. To begin with, the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God. What if some were unfaithful? Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God? By no means! Let God be true though every one were a liar, as it is written, “That you may be justified in your words, and prevail when you are judged.” But if our unrighteousness serves to show the righteousness of God, what shall we say? That God is unrighteous to inflict wrath on us? (I speak in a human way.) By no means! For then how could God judge the world? But if through my lie God's truth abounds to his glory, why am I still being condemned as a sinner? And why not do evil that good may come?—as some people slanderously charge us with saying. Their condemnation is just.Study session topics:The Unrighteousness of the Jews, concluded Paul now responds to some anticipated objections to the arguments he has been making regarding the unrighteousness of the Jews If the Jews are condemned by their sins just as the Gentiles are, and true Jews are Jews inwardly, what is the benefit of being an ethnic Jew? Paul immediately responds that there is much benefit to being an ethnic Jew, because they were given the very words of God The modern equivalent would be growing up in a Christian home and expecting to go to heaven on the basis of one's upbringing Simple possession of God's Word and external connection to a favored nation is not sufficient to save one's soul If God's covenant with Israel is unconditional, and many Jews live unfaithful lives and thus will not be saved, does this nullify God's promise to save Israel? Paul immediately rejects this question and states emphatically that God's faithfulness is inviolable even though man is unfaithful God's covenant with Abraham (Gen. 15:7-21) This question takes the promises God made to Israel as a nation and erroneously attempts to apply them to individuals who have not laid hold of God's promises through salvation in Christ The modern equivalent would be expecting to be saved on the basis of regular church attendance and belonging to a congregation because God promised to save His church If our sins and faithlessness serve to emphasize God's righteousness and faithfulness, how can God judge us for making Him look good? If this objection had any merit, God could not judge the world. Paul completely rejects the premise of the question because God will judge the world, so this accusation can be dispensed withPaul's accusers charge him with teaching "cheap grace," i.e. if God's glory is further emphasized by my sin, and His mercy is further emphasized when He forgives me, then I should sin freely that God's grace may abound all the more The Gospel does not promise forgiveness for premeditated sin. if we do not repent of our sin, but rather act as though God is forced to forgive us when we ask and thus we have God in a corner and can live as we please, we mock God and trivialize His holiness by overemphasizing His mercy, and we will meet a rude awakening at our judgmentStudy session audio: S4 E7: Romans 3:1-8

Study session scripture: Romans 2:1-11Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God's righteous judgment will be revealed. He will render to each one according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. For God shows no partiality.Study session topics:The unrighteousness of the JewsNone of us has room to judge the unrighteousness of anotherThis does not mean we must be silent in the face of sin, but that we must point to God’s judgment rather than our ownWe will all stand before God as righteous judgeGod’s current leniency is not an excuse to keep living as you do, but an opportunity to heed His call to repentance God will judge us all according to our worksStudy session audio: S4 E5: Romans 2:1-11

Study session scripture: Romans 1:8-17First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed in all the world. For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I mention you always in my prayers, asking that somehow by God's will I may now at last succeed in coming to you. For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you— that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith, both yours and mine. I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that I have often intended to come to you (but thus far have been prevented), in order that I may reap some harvest among you as well as among the rest of the Gentiles. I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome. For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”Study session topics:Thanksgiving and themePaul thanks God for all the members of the Roman churchHe again emphasizes unity between Jews and GentilesPaul expresses his desire to visit the Roman churchHe wants both to encourage and strengthen the church and to gain encouragement and strength from themWe know that Paul eventually succeeded in coming to RomeThe Gospel and the righteousness of GodPaul is not ashamed of the GospelThe Gospel reveals the righteousness of GodThe righteous shall live by faithStudy session audio: S4 E3: Romans 1:8-17