Psalm 18:6-24 Continuing our study of David's psalm celebrating his deliverance, we considered what happened when David cried out to God in his suffering. What was David trying to say about God's response with his very vivid description of an angry God flying down to deliver him? Is David saying that we always experience immediate deliverance when we cry out to God in our affliction? David makes some very bold claims about himself as to why God delighted in him. If we are reluctant to make such claims about ourselves, does that mean that we can take no comfort from this psalm? We know that David had a number of very significant moral lapses. How could he claim to have been "blameless" and to have kept the Lord before him? Can we have confidence in God's delighting in us? (49 min.)

Keywords Deliverance, Righteousness, David, Saul

Romans 10:11-13 In this lesson we are wrapping up our study of verses 5-13, in which Paul sets out how the righteousness of faith differs from the righteousness of the Law. How do we know that Paul is not intending to make a strong distinction between the faith of the heart and the confession of the mouth? When Moses speaks of the mouth and the heart, what is his point? How do we know that Paul does not intend us to see the acquiring of righteousness as distinct from salvation, or confession as distinct from believing? What is the underlying foundation to the assertion that whoever believes will be saved?. In what way is there no distinction between Jew and Greek (Gentile)? On what basis does Paul claim there is no such distinction? How did the Jews view the difference between themselves and the Gentiles? If the objective universal lordship of Jesus is the basis of Paul's argument about Jews and Gentiles, what else can we infer from it? (57 min.)

Keywords Lordship, Confession, Faith, Righteousness, Salvation, Jews, Gentiles

Romans 10:5-13 In this lesson we continued our consideration of what the righteousness based on faith says. What are some of the pitfalls we need to avoid in understanding what Paul is saying in this passage? What are the two themes that run parallel through this passage? What is significant about the confession that Jesus is Lord? What is the difference between subjective and objective lordship, and which one is Paul addressing here? What were the two other confessions with which the believers in Rome would have been familiar? How does this confession pertain to those other confessions? How is confessing Jesus is Lord related to calling on the name of the Lord? (55 min)

Keywords Faith, Righteousness, Confession, Lordship, Salvation

Romans 10:5-11 This lesson is the first in a look at this passage, in which Paul explains more of how and why Christ is the end of the Law for righteousness to those who believe. Paul demonstrates how Law righteousness and faith righteousness are different by showing how they say different things. What does he tell us that law righteousness says? What it the context of the passage from Leviticus to which he refers? How does Paul use that passage? When he tells us what faith righteousness says he uses passages from Deuteronomy. What is the context of those two passages? How does Paul's citation of those passages differ from the actual passages? What are some of the ways that Paul's use of these passages are viewed? Why does Paul use the idea of the abyss in the place of Deuteronomy's use of the idea of the sea? Having laid a foundation for understanding this passage, next week we will examine more fully what the righteousness based on faith says, which Paul says is the message he preaches. (55 min)

Keywords Righteousness, Law, Faith

Romans 10:1-4 Paul continues in this passage his explanation of what happened that caused Israel's failure to attain righteousness. He begins by renewing his emphasis on the love and burden he had for the salvation of the Jewish people. In view of what Paul had experienced at the hands of his Jewish opponents, how is this burden significant? How is Paul's own story a personification of the story of the nation of Israel. What is significant about Paul saying that in respect to the Law he had been a Pharisee? In spite of their zeal, what did Israel lack? What did Paul have to relinquish in order to gain Christ and the righteousness of God? What does Paul mean when he speaks of Christ being the end of the Law for righteousness to all who believe in Him? (54 min)

Keywords Law, Christ, Faith, Righteousness

Romans 6:12-16 In this passage Paul transitions from the idea of being dead to sin and alive to God to another way of looking at things, being a slave to sin or a slave to obedience. What is our "mortal body?" What two things does Paul's imperative about not letting sin reign imply? What are the "members" of our bodies? What does Paul mean by talking about presenting our members? What promise does Paul offer the believer? What is the question Paul confronts in this passage? What does it mean to be under the law or under grace? What common knowledge did the Roman believers possess that was rooted in ancient slavery practices? Why are there only two options open to us? (50 min)

Keywords Sin, Obedience, Righteousness, Sin, Law, Grace

Romans 4:22-25 Having seen Abraham's faith, God credits that faith to Abraham as righteousness. What is the content of Abraham's faith and what is the locus of his faith? For whom did the Holy Spirit record these things about Abraham? What is the locus of our faith and the content of our faith? How is this the same and now is it different from Abraham? Who delivered up Christ, and why? What does Paul mean when he says that Christ was "raised because of our justification?" (56 min)

Keywords Abraham, Faith, Righteousness, Justification

Romans 4:6-12 In order to demonstrate his point about righteousness from the life of Abraham, Paul uses an example from David in the Psalms. However, in David's case, it was not something that was credited to him, but something that was not credited to him. David says such a person is blessed. Paul then addresses the question of what kinds of people are blessed in this way. What is the importance of the timing of Abraham's circumcision to this issue? How long after he was credited with righteousness did God tell Abraham to be circumcised. Given what circumcision is a sign of, why did God wait so long? What does it mean that Abraham is the father of those who believe? (43 min.)

Keywords Faith, Works, Abraham, David, Forgiveness, Righteousness

Romans 3:28-4:5 We continue in this lesson the lesson begun last week about boasting, works, and faith. If the first reason is because all have sinned, what is the second reason why everyone must be justified by faith? Why was it necessary for Paul to prove his point by using the example of Abraham? When Paul says, "not before God," is he speaking of it being acceptable for Abraham to boast before men? What is the back story for the verse about Abraham that Paul quotes from the Old Testament? What is possible for the problem justified by believing in God to not do and and still be justified? (50 min.)

Keywords Righteousness, Faith, Works, Abraham

Romans 3:24, 25 Our passage in this lesson emphasizes the public display of Jesus as a "propitiation" What is propitiation? Why do some translators prefer the word "expiation?" How is the Greek word that is translated here used throughout the Greek version of the Old Testament? How is that significant to understanding this passage? What is the mercy seat? What actually happened those many years of High Priests offering sacrifices at the mercy seat? What does Paul mean by speaking of God "passing over" sins in the past? What is the problem with God declaring sinners to be righteous? How is the public display of Christ on the cross different from the mercy seat in the Old Testament? Why is this so important? (54 min)

Keywords Righteousness, Justification, Mercy Seat

Romans 3:21-24 Today's passage begins with two of the most wonderful words in Scripture: “but now." How does Paul intend us to understand these words, logically or temporally? What is the righteousness of God of which Paul speaks here and back in Romans 1:17? What do justification and righteousness have in common? How does the righteousness of God differ from what Paul calls "his righteousness" in verses 25 and 26? Why does Paul refer twice in one sentence to receiving the righteousness of God by faith? Is he arguing in a circle? What is the standard or mark that we have all missed when we sinned? How do Adam and Eve demonstrate this to us? How does God provide justification for us, and how does this contrast with his wrath at our sin? (51 min)

Keywords Righteousness, Law, Sin, Faith

Romans 3:1-8 Backed into a corner by Paul's arguments concerning the Law and Circumcision, Paul's imaginary challenger attempts to show that Paul's message leads to unacceptable conclusions about God. By this point in Paul's "diatribe,” who might Paul actually be envisioning as his opponent? What are the four questions presented against Paul's Gospel? What are the four things about God that Paul is accused of undermining? Does Paul believe that there is any real advantage to being Jewish? How are we today sometimes guilty of the same errors that Paul exposes in the thinking of his Jewish opponent? How does Paul successfully defend the character of God while maintaining his position regarding the Law and Circumcision? (58 min)

Keywords Jews, Law, Circumcision, Righteousness, Faithfulness, Justice

Romans 1:16, 17 In this lesson Rick discusses why Paul is not ashamed of the Gospel. It is the power of God to salvation. What does Paul mean by "salvation" in this passage? Who are the beneficiaries of this remarkable power? What is it that makes the Gospel powerful? Why was verse seventeen such a troublesome verse to Martin Luther? What did Paul mean by the "righteousness of God?" How is that righteousness revealed in the Gospel? What does Paul mean by the phrase "from faith to faith?" What is the significance of Paul's quotation from the prophet Habakuk? (62 min)

Keywords Righteousness, Salvation, Faith, Jews, Gentiles