What Makes a Person Righteous?
Today’s reading is Romans 2. Being good does not make a person righteous, yet that is exactly how we often live. We weigh out our actions, dividing them into categories of “good” and “bad,” concluding that, because our good actions outweigh the bad, we are essentially good people. Further, we justify our bad actions, claiming that our motivations were right, even if our actions weren’t. Paul cuts through that self-righteousness, reminding his Jewish readers that, even if they are devout, religious, law-abiding Jews, people are not righteous because of their outward works,… Read More
The Book of Romans
The apostle Paul wrote at least 13 of the 27 books in the New Testament, including the book of Romans. Paul is believed to have written this letter while he was in the city of Corinth, receiving financial gifts from the believers which he would then take to those in need in Jerusalem. Once he delivered the gifts and ministered to those in Jerusalem, his plan was to visit Rome, a city to which he had not yet visited, but had heard much of the faith of the believers there. Our church… Read More
Your Past is Robbing You of Your Future
Focusing on your past robs you of the joy of today and the hope of tomorrow. Many people never let go of the past. For some, the shame and regret of former sins keeps them chained to condemnation. For others, the good ole days (or their own glory days) keeps them looking back. Either way, many people can’t enjoy their lives because they are not fully “present.” There is a reason that your vehicle’s windshield is so much larger than its rear view mirror. Seeing where you are and where you are going is… Read More
When a Decision is Required
The Apostle Paul had some of the strangest life experiences of any one person in the Scriptures. A culturally diverse and highly educated man, “Saul” (his original name) took his religion so seriously that he sought to annihilate this new sect called “The Way” (the early church’s original name). So zealous was Saul that he was named as being there and consenting to Stephen’s death – the church’s first martyr. One day Saul had a life-altering encounter with Jesus Christ. Traveling down the road with a team of men, Saul was struck… Read More
Why Does Jesus Confront Me With Sin and Make Me Feel Guilty?
The persecutor had become the persecuted. Saul, a vehement enemy of the “Way” (as early believers in Christ were called), was defending the very cause he once opposed. Saul had changed – his life, his words, even his name! What prompted such a turnaround? Paul’s conversion story is told more than once in Luke’s detailed, historical account of the early church (the book of Acts). Back then, he was known as Saul. He was a respected, educated, and cultured man, whose zealous desire to defend the Law of God compelled him to… Read More
Pastor Dale Jenkins 