God's Good News
Romans 1-8
18 December 2022
More than Conquerors through Christ
Romans 8:26-39
by Joel Sim
In our irreducible weakness, the apostle Paul assures us that we are more than conquerors through Christ. We have the assurance of the Spirit's intercession, salvation in Christ, and security in the loving hands of our heavenly Father. Indeed, nothing in all of creation can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
11 December 2022
Living by the Spirit
Romans 8:14-25
by Aaron Akins
The Holy Spirit gives assurance to believers by reminding us of who we are as adopted children in Christ. Though we are still living in a creation subjected to futility, yet there is the hope of glory that awaits us when Jesus Christ comes again. Believers, along with the rest of creation, shall become free from sin and corruption when we see Christ face to face in His glorious return.
4 December 2022
No Condemnation for Those in Christ
Romans 8:1-13
by Joseph Tern
The apostle Paul turns in chapter 8 to look at what serving in the new way of the Spirit looks like in the believer. As Christians, we are no longer condemned on account of what Christ has done for us. Instead, the Spirit frees us from the flesh so that we may obey God. He also empowers us so that we may bear spiritual fruit in the lifelong process of sanctification.
27 November 2022
The Law of God
Romans 7:7-25
by Tan Huai Tze
Even though God’s law is not a system by which we can obtain acceptance with God, God’s law is still good and relevant to followers of Jesus. It makes us know our sin, makes us reckon with the state of our souls, and drives us to Jesus our Saviour.
20 November 2022
Freedom as Slaves to Righteousness
Romans 6:15-7:6
by Joel Sim
In this passage, the apostle Paul answers the objection that being under grace means obtaining a free license to sin. When we are united to Christ, we are not only slaves to righteousness, but we are also freed from the law in our marriage to Christ. True freedom is not the absence of constraints. Rather, true freedom lies in having the power to do what pleases God, which is only possible when the Spirit changes our hearts and makes us willing to live for Him.
13 November 2022
Union with Christ
Romans 6:1-14
by Tan Huai Tze
Why shouldn't Christians continue in sin if grace is so free? We cannot because our lives have been so intertwined with Christ that his death to sin becomes our death to sin. Sin is no longer our master. We do not need to obey sin. Because of this great truth, we can grow in holiness by God's grace.
6 November 2022
A Tale of Two Adams
Romans 5:12-21
by Joel Sim
In this remarkable text, the apostle Paul gives us a panoramic view of God's history of redemption. He helps us to see that all people are either united to Adam or Jesus Christ. Depending on the representatives that we belong to, we will either have death (in Adam) or life (in Christ), which is far better.
30 October 2022
The Justified Life
Romans 5:1-11
by Tan Huai Tze
Those who have been justified by faith in Christ, have the blessing of being reconciled to God, free access to his grace, and have an unshakeable hope of restoration to beauty and splendour. We also need not fear the coming judgement of God. The way we can be sure that we have this life is because the Holy Spirit pours God's love into our hearts, and because God has shown us his love through the death of his Son for us.
23 October 2022
Counted As Righteous
Romans 4:1-25
by Tan Huai Tze
In this passage, Paul further clarifies that to receive the righteousness of God by faith in Christ means that God counts those who have faith in Jesus, as righteous in his eyes. It is a change of status. Using the example of the Jewish patriarch Abraham, Paul shows us that this new status cannot be earned through good works, rituals or obeying God's law. It is received as a free gift by trusting in the promise and power of God as shown to us most clearly in Jesus.
16 October 2022
The Righteousness of God
Romans 3:21-31
by Tan Huai Tze
God's answer to our damnable unrighteousness and self-righteousness is to give us his own righteousness. This righteousness is received by a faith that is not a work, and that is in the Cross-work of Christ. We know we have received this righteousness if we are humble, united with other Christians, and obedient to God.
9 October 2022
Closing Arguments
Romans 3:1-20
by Aaron Akins
As the apostle Paul concludes his indictment against sin, he speaks about the benefits that the Jew has with respect to the law despite his faithlessness. The law functions as a mirror of our sins, which shows us our fundamental need for the saving grace of Jesus Christ.
2 October 2022
The Idolatry of Religion
Romans 2:17-29
by Tan Huai Tze
Even the Christian religion can be an idol that keeps us from God. Idolatrous religion is marked by pride, hypocrisy and superficiality. So, even religious people need the gospel.
25 September 2022
Religious People Need the Gospel Too
Romans 2:1-16
by Joel Sim
In Romans 2, Paul shifts his gaze to address the religious Jew, who is guilty of the very wrongdoings that he judges others for. This leaves him condemned before the impartial judgment of God, which leaves no room for presumption and pretension. Yet, without God's judgment, there is no Gospel for the salvation of sinners through Jesus Christ.
18 September 2022
Why We Really Need the Gospel
Romans 1:18-32
by Tan Huai Tze
Paul begins to explain the darkness of human sin, which tells us why we all need the Gospel. God is angry at human sin. We are idolatrous, immoral and unjust. And yet, God makes a way to save us through Christ.
11 September 2022
The Glorious Gospel of God
Romans 1:1-17
by Joel Sim
In the introduction to his letter to the Romans, the apostle Paul helps us to see that everyone needs the Gospel. The message of the Gospel is centered on the person and work of Jesus Christ. The Gospel, which is the power of God for salvation, transforms the lives of people from the inside out. The way we receive this divine power is through faith. When we trust in Jesus, we are no longer condemned, but we stand righteous before God.