Romans 8:5-11 In this passage Paul develops in powerful detail the contrast between the believer and the unbeliever. What is the difference between this passage and Galatians 5 where he speaks about being led by the Spirit? What are some of the striking connections we find in this passage about Christ and about the Spirit? What is the key verse in this passage that clues us in to what Paul is discussing? What does it mean to "walk according to the flesh or Spirit?" What is the mind set of the unbeliever and the believer? What is the "flesh?" Though our bodies are still destined to die, due to sin, what is the promise to the believer? What is the difference between being in Christ and Christ being in us? (62 min)

Keywords Flesh, Spirit, Death, Life

Romans 8:1-4 In today's lesson we move from Paul's discovery of his miserable condition in chapter seven, to his explanation of what it is like to be one who lives the life of the Spirit in chapter eight. To what does the word "therefore" in verse one refer? Who does Paul have in mind when he speaks of those who are "in Christ?" What is the condemnation of which he speaks. What is the law of the Spirit of life in Christ? How are we set free from the law of sin which we learned ruled our lives in chapter seven? What had the Law failed to do that God did? How did God do that? What is the requirement of the law that is met in those who walk according to the Spirit? (49 min)

Keywords Law, Death, Life, Spirit, Flesh

Romans 7:21-25 Paul now reaches the conclusion of all that he's been saying in verses 14-25. Having spoken about the Mosaic law throughout the chapter, he now introduces us to other laws that have a bearing on his condition. What are these other laws, and how do they relate to the Mosaic law? What is the "different" law, and what does it do? Why does Paul not keep the law? Can a non-believer "delight" in God's law? To what is Paul driven by the realization of the war between the two laws within him? Is Paul's awareness of wretchedness something he encountered before or after conversion? What is the answer to his condition? What is the "inner man" to which Paul refers? What are some ways that this passage can relate to us whether we view it as speaking of a Christian or an non-believer? (63 min)

Keywords Sin, Law, Death, Christ, Flesh

Romans 7:17-20 We continue in this lesson following Paul's logical train through Romans 7 as he explains how it was that he came to understand the utter sinfulness of sin, and his own bondage to it. What does he mean when he says that he was not the one doing it (disobeying the Law) but sin in him? What are the two primary views in the Western world of what it means to be human? How does Paul reflect a dualism in his theology in this passage? What would be a serious error to conclude from this passage? How does the view that the Christian possesses two natures (an old sinful nature and a new nature) present difficulties with what Paul says in this passage? What are some other words that Paul uses to refer to the "I" in this chapter? What is the flesh of which Paul speaks here? (63 min)

Keywords Law, Sin, Death, Flesh

Romans 7:14-17 In this lesson we continue to explore one of the more challenging passages of the New Testament to interpret. Several things particularly notable about the passage have a bearing on our interpretation: the logical order of the passage, the absence of any mention of the Holy Spirit, and the prominence of the idea of bondage to sin and inability to do what is right. What are the two primary views of this passage that Christians hold? Why is it important how we understand this passage? What are two ways that the present tense can be used? How are we to determine which way Paul is using the present tense in these verses? Are there strong reasons to think that Paul is not using the present tense in a literal sense? Can an unbeliever want to obey God's law? What does Paul know as a result of the interplay of sin with the Law? How is it that Paul has come to know this? What is the dichotomy or dualism that Paul discovers about himself? A handout comparing the person in this passage with the believer in chapters 6 and 8 may be viewed or downloaded here. (57 min)

Keywords Sin, Law, Death

Romans 7:13 (14-20) We are now ready to tackle one of the more challenging passages in Scripture to interpret (7:14-25), and believers throughout church history have differed in their understanding of it. We often come with preset ideas that color our view of the passage. In this lesson we will lay the groundwork for properly interpreting the rest of the chapter by examining the importance of verse 13, and consider how it should set the direction of our interpretation of the following verses. How does Paul's own background bear on the meaning of this passage? How does the situation in the church in Rome relate to what Paul says? How do verses 14-20 demonstrate Paul's train of logic following on verse 13? What are the two chief ways this passage is understood? What is not an issue in these differing views? What things are at issue? How do verses 14-20 show how someone discovers the utter sinfulness of sin mentioned in verse 13? What does Paul mean when he says that he does "not understand" what is happening, and yet goes on to explain what was happening? A handout accompanied this lesson and can be viewed or downloaded here. (63 min)

Keywords Sin, Death, Law

Romans 7:7-12 Given what Paul has already said about the Law increasing transgression and arousing sinful passions, he now tackles the obvious question: "Is the law sin (or evil)?" He immediately denies that it is, but what are the reasons he provides? What are the two kinds of knowledge of sin which Paul discusses? How does sin take us from one kind of knowledge to the other? Why does Paul choose to use the tenth commandment prohibiting covetousness as his example of how the Law reveals sin? What does Paul mean that he was "alive" before the commandment and "dead" after the commandment? How was sin "dead" before the Law and "alive" after the Law? What are two ways that sin deceives us through the Law? What does the Law teach us about sin that we did not know before? (62 min)

Keywords Law, Sin, Death, Covetousness

Romans 7:7 In this lesson we begin our study of the main part of Romans 7. This is a very challenging chapter to interpret properly, and so this lesson is devoted to laying the groundwork and giving us the proper tools to understand what Paul is saying. What are some of the questions that arise as we read this chapter? Why is it important to properly interpret a passage before applying it to our lives? Of whom does Paul speak when he talks about "I" in this passage? What are the four chief views of the "I" in the chapter, and what are their strengths and challenges? What are the three principle issues that need to be decided before we can properly interpret this chapter? What are some things to be concerned about as we interpret this passage? (64 min)

Keywords Law, Sin, Death

Romans 6:17-23 As Paul continues to discuss the subject of our relationship with sin, he makes it clear that he knows that the Romans to whom he writes are believers. What is characteristic of every person who comes to Christ? What is the "form of teaching" of which Paul speaks? What does Paul mean by saying the Romans were committed to that teaching? How long did you obey from the heart after you were saved? What happened to that heartfelt obedience? What is the outcome of being a slave of sin or a slave of righteousness? How is sin dynamic rather than static? How is Romans 6:23 particularly relevant to our Christian lives on a daily basis? (57 min)

Keywords Sin, Obedience, Death, Life

Romans 6:5-11 If we as believers have died to sin, as Paul has said earlier in chapter six, then why don't we have a greater experience of that death to sin in our every day lives? This lesson addresses that question. The concept of being dead to sin was a foundational one to the early believers, yet this is often not the case for us today. Why? What is Paul talking about when he speaks of the "old self" and our "body of sin?" What does he mean when he says it has been done away with? For what purpose has the old self been crucified in Christ? If we are united in the likeness of Christ's resurrection, what exactly is life for Christ like after His resurrection? How can our lives today be like Christ's resurrection life? How is the truth of being united with Christ's resurrection life connected to the our experience of being dead to sin? (54 min)

Keywords Sin, Resurrection, Slavery, Death, Life

Romans 6:1-4 Paul's comments at the end of chapter five about grace being abundantly greater than the increase of sin raises an important question in chapter six: What is the believer's relationship to sin? He puts the question quite starkly in verse one as to whether the believer should continue to sin in order that grace would increase. What are the two kinds of errors that Paul may be representing in this question? Why does Paul not bother to demonstrate that the question actually distorts what he said in chapter five? How does Paul's answer elevate the significance of the discussion? Does Paul suggest that it is impossible for the Christian to sin? How is the believer dead to sin? Why does Paul raise the issue of baptism? Is Paul speaking of water baptism here? How do we know? What are two important things to know about baptism in the New Testament church? How did Paul know that the Roman Christians knew that they had died to sin? For what purpose have we died to sin? (57 min)

Keywords Sin, Death, Baptism, Resurrection

Romans 5:15-21 In this lesson we back away a bit from our passage in order to make sure we can see the whole forest, rather than only the trees. What is a protasis and an apodisis? How is that important in understanding this passage? What are the three ways in which Paul illustrates the difference between Christ and Adam? Many people understand that Paul teaches that Adam is a "type" of Christ. However, two chief questions remain: How is Adam a type of Christ? And why is it important that Adam is a type of Christ? Who are the two all important characters in Paul's grand panoply of human history? Who is missing from Paul's grand story, and why is that significant? How do Paul's remarks about the coming of the Law tie in to His point about Adam as a type of Christ? (58 min)

Keywords Types, Adam, Christ, Death, Grace, Law

Romans 5:15 In showing the exceeding greatness of Christ's death as the basis of the certainty of our hope, Paul continues his comparison of Christ's death to Adam's one act of transgression. First he introduces the concept of Adam as a type of Christ. What does this mean? Having introduced such an idea, Paul seems almost to back away from it in the following verses. Why? What are the three ways in which Christ's death is different from Adam's sin? Why is Paul contrasting Christ's act of atonement with Adam's transgression? What was the extent of the consequences of Adam's sin? What is the key word revealing the contrast between Adam and Christ? Who are "the many?” How should we understand the second use of "the many" in this verse? Why? Why does the idea of the atonement being intended for all who sinned, even those who will not believe, not degrade the glory of Christ's death? How would the view that the intent of the atonement was limited only to those who would ultimately be saved eviscerate Paul's very argument? How can the truth of the abundance of grace in Christ's atonement bring comfort to us? (42 min)

Keywords Death, Christ, Atonement, Adam

Romans 5:12-14 The passage we are beginning in this lesson is critically important to understanding the Christian faith, yet it can also be difficult to understand. We will take our time to be certain we understand it fully. What is a protasis and an apodosis? In this passage what is Paul's protasis? Where do we find the apodosis? What is Paul setting out to establish in this section? Why is sin not the chief theme of these verses? Why is what Paul says about sin so important to grasp? What is original sin? How did we become sinners? What did Paul mean by saying that sin is not imputed where there is no Law? How do we know that men were sinners between the time of Adam and Moses? (62 min)

Keywords Sin, Death, Adam, Law

Genesis 50:1-14 In this study the narrator of Genesis tells us the striking story of the mourning and burial of Jacob. In all of Scripture there is no other account of someone's burial that goes into such detail. What important points is the Lord wanting to impress upon us with this account? What does God want to leave in our minds concerning the man Jacob? What is the importance of this story at the end of the patriarchal era? Why does a person of faith, like Joseph, grieve so much over the death of his beloved father? How is Joseph's arrival back in Mamre similar to his departure from Canaan as a slave many years before? What are we to learn from the fact that the family returned to Egypt following the burial of their father in their land of promise? (48 min)

Keywords Jacob, Death, Egypt, Joseph

Genesis 47:27-31 In this passage a dramatic contrast is shown between the condition of the Egyptians and that of the family of Israel. Why did God bless Israel in contrast to the Egyptians? Why does God bless us? We also encounter in this section the first of three experiences in Jacob's life as he nears death. Each of these incidents reveal a man who has moved from fatalism to faith. What is the significance of Jacobs age? What are the two aspects to Jacob's request of Joseph? What is the meaning of the gesture of Joseph placing his hand under Jacob's thigh? Why was it important to Jacob that he be buried in the cave of Machpelah with his ancestors? How does this story about Jacob serve as an instruction to us? (56 min)

Keywords Jacob, Joseph, Faith, Death