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 7:1-6 In this passage Paul continues to explore the subject he introduced in chapter six. Note the three times beginning in chapter six where he asks the question, "Do you not know?" These provide a sort of outline of Paul's discussion of the believer's relationship to sin. What question is Paul addressing in these verses in chapter seven? What is the point of the illustration Paul uses? How do we need to be careful in interpreting illustrations in the Bible? What is Paul referring to by the "law" in this passage? What does Paul associate with the law in Romans? What is the believer's relationship to the law? How did this happen? What is the purpose for which this happened? What subject does Paul introduce in this passage that he will expound more fully in chapter eight? (51 min)

Keywords Law, Grace, Sin

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 6:12-16 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 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 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 5:12-14 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

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

Genesis 50:15-18 After Jacob's death, the brothers of Joseph fear that he harbors a grudge which he will now feel free to express. Why, after all that has happened and Joseph's care for the family for seventeen years, do the brothers have such fears? What had they left undone when they were first reconciled to Joseph that left room for such suspicions? Were the brothers telling the truth about what they said Jacob had said to them. What lessons are we to learn about experiencing God's forgiveness from this narrative? How were the brothers trying to leverage forgiveness from Joseph? What was wrong with this? Why did Joseph weep when he received the message from his brothers? What did Joseph mean by saying he was not in God's place? What is forgiveness? What is the relationship between forgiveness and retribution? (62 min)

Keywords Jacob, Joseph, Forgiveness, Sin

Genesis 3:16-24 The Seed of the Serpent and the Seed of the Woman. Mandates for mankind. The woman’s desire and the man’s mastery. The hardship of dominion over creation. The triumph of Grace in the consequences of sin. Adam’s transformation.

Keywords Adam, Eve, Seed, Serpent, Fall, Sin, Grace

Genesis 4:16-26 Cain’s outrage at God and God’s warning. The problem is not circumstances but a failure to do well. The slippery slope of sin. Loosing a sense of God’s presence. A land of wandering.

Keywords Cain, Abel, Sin, Genealogies, Consequences