In Romans chapter three, Paul made his great claim of justification by faith in Christ alone. To make his case to his Jewish readers, he then calls forward two witnesses to support his claim that no man-made set of rituals or rules can take away our sins. His two witnesses are Abraham, the father of […]

The last time someone accused you of wrongdoing, what was your reaction? Denial, argument, or defensiveness? Scripture says that, at the final judgment, the entire world will be silent before God. No excuses or arguments will remain. Have you reached the point with God where you are ready to hang up your defenses? Admit your […]

Today, we are going to visit the Great Physician’s office, and Paul is going to give us the results of our spiritual exam. Contrary to the Humanist Manifesto and the New Age movement, people are not inherently good. Whether you are a Jew or a Gentile, we are all born under sin and unrighteous by […]

In Romans chapter two, Paul said some things that probably shocked his Jewish readers. Therefore, in anticipation of their objections, Paul then set out to address and answer their concerns. Please open your Bible to Romans chapter three, and listen as Pastor Ray Viola begins his discussion of this chapter.

Self-righteousness is thinking that one can be found accpetable in God’s eyes by being a good person, even trying to obey God’s laws. Such an attitude is, in fact, idolatry, because only God can make us acceptable in His eyes through the blood of Jesus, His only begotten Son, and by His grace. Please open […]

The Gospel is literally good news, and it is God’s goodness that draws people to repentance. However, people that repeatedly reject the Gospel message are storing up wrath against themselves in the day of judgment. That is, God will hold people accountable for their response to the Gospel. Submit to God’s goodness today, so that […]

In chapter one of Romans, Paul described the abominable characteristics of lives lived by pagans. He then shocked his Jewish readers that condemned their pagan neighbors for doing such things by telling them that that they were without excuse, because they were guilty of many of the the same things! By doing so, Paul was […]

If people do not worship the living God, inevitably, they will end up worshiping something else. Often these idols will resemble bird’s, beasts, or people. People will also worship power, wealth, sensual pleasures, or some combination of the above. If someone persists in their rebellion against God, then He will eventually give them over to […]

God’s wrath is something to be feared. To avoid His wrath, we must be in right standing with Him, that is, we must be righteous. The good news is, that God is willing to impute His righteousness to anyone that is willing to receive this gift by repenting of their sins and putting one’s faith […]

At the time that Paul wrote the letter to the Roman Christians, he had not been to Rome yet, because Satan had hindered him. Satan is our enemy, so we should anticipate opposition when we are doing the Lord’s work. Like Paul, we must pray and ask the Lord to help us perservere in the […]