Biblical Literacy Podcast

Bib-lit Class October 5, 2025

Mark begins the lesson by addressing a question or concern that we all may have had after giving our life to Christ.  We may be worried that we have done something wrong. Everything seems to be going wrong with my life. I am not living that Christian Victory. I am not that success story that says I gave my life to Jesus and now everything is rainbows.

Mark dissects these feelings by traveling through the Book of Romans:

                                   Step 3: Practical implications (Rom. 6:8-10)

                Step 2: The certainty of our new life (Rom. 6:8-10)

Step 1: The certainty of our union with Christ (Rom. 6:5-7)

Mark address how these passages and how the word of Paul effects our transition into our new life as a Christian.   

He delves into Romans 6:8 and addresses the way Paul used the Past, Present and Future in one verse.

From these verses we can conclude that, we have died with Christ, so from the past experience, the future is one of living with Christ.

Romans 6:9 brings us to the realization and answer to many questions. “We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him".

So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. (Romans 6:11)

Christ’s death was terminal to sin’s claims; his life is permanent in God’s power...So logically where are we?

So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.(Romans 6:11)

Points for Home:

Know the truth: “We know that our old self was co-crucified with him”(Rom.6:6)

Process the implications: Live from your new nature, not your old habits! One who has died has been set free from sin(Rom. 6:7)

Learn to use the tools: You’re not fighting to become free–you’re learning to live free! consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God (Rom. 6:11)

9-28-25 Biblical-Lit

Mark continued teaching the book of Romans with a focus on Chapter 6:5-7. How do we live when

God forgives sins? We have been transformed.

3 verses

Verse 5. The Certainty of our union with Christ.

For If we have been United to Christ in death, then certainly we will have a resurrection like His.

Verse 6: The old self crucified. We have been co-crucified with Christ.

Knowledge vs. Feelings.

Verse 7: Deaths brings freedom

If you have died to sin, you’ve been set free from sin.

Points for home

 Know the truth

 Process the implications

 Learn to use the tools that God has given us.

Listen to Mark talk about the power of uniting with Christ through baptism. We are redeemed.The old

self has died. We are transformed a little more each day into the likeness of Christ

Mark discusses Romans 6 in great detail.

His initial focus is on WH Ouden who was a student at Christ Church College, at Oxford University. Mark discussed his life and family and his time at Gresham’s Boarding school. Religion was taught there. He made an observation, “People only love God when no one else will love them.

While at Oxford he was a non-believer, at least in a personal God. Mark continues with a discussion of Post Freudian psychology, Marxism, Liberalism and a discussion of whether people are naturally good. Then the in the 1930’s “classic Liberalism” was destroyed by a specific event, Hitler and the Third Reich.

After all the events associated with the above history and the and the history of Christ’s Death on the cross, the discussion transitions to God’s Grace and Forgiveness.

This is discussed as the effects of a pendulum of God’s Grace and forgiveness:

God’s Grace and Forgiveness

Legalism                                                                                Antinomianism

Human’s can do it                                                               Grace abounds;

And earn it                                                                            Sin doesn’t matter

Romans 6:1                                                                           Romans 6:2

Balance Romans 6:3-4

Points for Home:

• Find and live your new life

• We too might walk in the newness of life (Romans 6:4)

Pastor Jarrett Stephens taught from John 11 with the title of “It’s Okay to Ask Why.” The story of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. We all experience struggling events that shape our faith and we ask why.

It’s okay to ask “why?”

- God can handle our questions.

It’s okay not to understand “why”.

- Don’t trade what you know for what you don’t know.

Seven certainties in suffering:

• Universal and unavoidable

• Temporary

• Not judgement of sin

• God loves me and has not forgotten me

• God empathizes with me

• God uses it for my good and His glory

• God gives us His Spirit and His Church to help me

It’s not okay to lose hope.

Listen to Pastor Jarrett give us the cause, trials, and blessings of suffering as written in the Scriptures

Mark continued in the study of Romans Chapter 5:12-21 addressing the "so-what" question. For example, So what does it mean that Jesus died for me? Mark focuses on looking at the Literary context aspect of the passage reading it from three perspectives:

Reading through the ancient honor and shame culture: people avoided shame; determined social standing, economic opportunities, political influence, and family reputation or boasting rights. Paul turns the boasts upside down by declaring Christian's boast in their sufferings.

Old: death reignedNew: life reigned

Reading through ancient imperial warfare language:

Rome maintained peace through military superiority

Power lived by quick and brutal retaliation

Paul uses military language - the peace treaty was signed by the blood of Jesus

Reading through ancient Chiastic Jewish

Chiasm - language mirror. Emphasized what was in the middle. In this case grace.

Ancient ear was trained to listen for Chiasms

Consider our role as Christians to mean we are part of God’s cosmic to restore creation through Christ.

Points for home

Not honor-shame but grace-security

Not warfare but peace

From individual to cosmic

Listen to Mark show how Paul used honor, shame, boasting in our relationship with the Lord, and the power of military language to show that Christ’s death translates to God loves us. We are part of God’s winning side of grace with hope, power, purpose, and security.

8-31-25 Biblical-Literacy

Mark continued in the study of Romans with a focus on Chapter 5:12-15. He began by sharing that

Paul who had a pastoral heart wrote to help us understand Jesus’ teachings and the inspiration of

the Scriptures. With shovel in hand, Mark proceeded to dig deep in the few verses:

1. Sin's universal entry & reign (verse 12)

Through one man, sin came into the world

Sin is outside of God

Paul personifies sin for our understanding

Death entered the world through sin

2. Reign of death before the Law (verse 13 -14)

Ignorance is no excuse

Still outside the nature of God

3. Greater grace (verse 15)

Where grace is greater than the trespass - the cross

In Christ we can live

Points for home

 Understand reality

 Marvel at grace

 Reject despair and pride

Listen to Mark teach the origin of sin as a universal contamination. One sin led to death, and one

death led to life

8-24-25 Biblical-Literacy

Mark Lanier taught from Romans 5:6-11 asking two questions: what is your “why” for experiencing the class,

and what is God’s “why” we are here? He then divided the passage into three sections to answer the “why” questions

covering the text, a related song and application.

1. Do we find our “why" in Romans 5:6-9?

Text: Christ died for weak sinners, not good people. Christ died in our place, a demonstration and

manifestation of God’s love and who He is.

Song: Elvina Hall wrote, “Jesus Paid it All”

Points for home: God’s love triumphs over human failure

2. Do we find our “why" in Romans 5:9-10?

Text: We shall be saved.

Song: Amy Grant sang, "The Now and Not Yet"

Points for Home: God’s not finished with you yet

3. Is God’s “why” in Romans 5:11?

Text: Rejoice in God through Jesus.

Song: Joseph M. Scriven wrote, "What a Friend We have in Jesus"

Points for home: Lean into your friend

Listen to Mark explain the context of Romans 5:6-11. In Christ we are not yet what we will be.

What is your why? Jesus is always your answer.

8-17-25 Biblical-Literacy

Mark returned to class to relaunch our study on the book of Romans. The class began with a review

then centered on the first verses in Romans 5 followed by application.

1. Let’s remember where we were

Review of past 11 classes.

Paul’s reason for writing the letter to the Romans.

The letter based on Paul’s 4 points in Romans 1:16-17.

2. Look at Roman’s 5:1-5

Putting the community of Roman church believers back together.

Justified by faith in the past with Jesus’s death, burial, and resurrection.

We have peace with God today: we are no longer enemies.

Access to God that we have already obtained.

Rejoice in our sufferings and why.

We have hope.

3. Points for home

We have peace with God.

Access to God.

Joy in suffering.

Listen to Mark highlight the previous classes with a historical accounting of the church in Rome.

Gospel is a Pauline word: the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. Listen to Mark share how our

present relationship with God is based on the past work of Jesus. We have a past, today, and a

future that shape us

8-10-25 Biblical-Literacy

Brent Johnson taught on the 1 Chapter book of 3 John with a focus on being a good ambassador for

Christ. He started with some background:

Author: the elder (John)

Location: Ephesus

Date: A.D. 85-95, end of John’s life (50 years after resurrection)

Purpose: Commendation and Condemnation

Recipient: Gaius

Brent divided the lesson from John’s letter using three areas of focus:

Gaius

John loved Gaius in truth. Encouraged him to continue living and walking in the truth.

Diotrephes

Correct. Rebuke. Restore. Selfish. Ignores church leadership. All about me.

Demetrius

Imitates good. Encouragement in truth and love.

Points for home / Homework

Write notes to someone needing encouragement sharing Truth, Love & Peace.

Listen to Brent’s in-depth teaching on living as citizens in the kingdom with truth and what it means

to walk out truth in our lives

Brent Johnson taught on the 1 Chapter book of 3 John with a focus on being a good ambassador for Christ. He started with some background:

Author: the elder (John)

Location: Ephesus

Date: A.D. 85-95, end of John’s life (50 years after resurrection)

Purpose: Commendation and Condemnation

Recipient: Gaius

Brent divided the lesson from John’s letter using three areas of focus:

Gaius

John loved Gaius in truth. Encouraged him to continue living and walking in the truth.

Diotrephes

Correct. Rebuke. Restore. Selfish. Ignores church leadership. All about me.

Demetrius

Imitates good. Encouragement in truth and love.

Points for home / Homework

Write notes to someone needing encouragement sharing Truth, Love & Peace.

Listen to Brent’s in-depth teaching on living as citizens in the kingdom with truth and what it means to walk out truth in our lives.