Exploring the Bible with Scott & Ken

Scott Allen leads today's lesson from Romans 12:1-13. Do you know what God wants from you? What if I said "everything?" Jesus gave everything for us when He died on the cross. God also expects us to die, but figuratively. God wants us to live for His purposes as "living sacrifices." He equips us for service as part of the body of Christ through spiritual gifts. Last of all, love is the key to living a life that reflects a hears changed by the gospel. Love clings to what is good in God's sight, never what is evil, and validates our identity as Christ's disciples.

Scott Allen leads today's lesson from Romans 11:11-24. Paul was distraught that so many of his fellow Jews had turned away after hearing about Jesus. In spite of so much information and education, they had rejected their long-promised Messiah. Meanwhile in city after city, crowds of non-Jews (Gentiles) had responded to the gospel with joy. So, was there no hope for the Jewish people? Not so fast. Whether a descendant of Israel or not, each person is accepted on the basis of a personal faith in Jesus. Neither the Jew nor the Greek has any advantage in seeking entry to God's family. For today's predominantly non-Jewish church, we shouldn't boast in our gracious standing before God or look down on those who have yet to believe. While we live, God holds the door open for individuals to place faith in Jesus, which is the only way to enter God's kindness and avoid a stern and eternal punishment for our sins.

Scott Allen leads today's lesson from Romans 9:30-10:3, 10:9-17. What does a man need to do to become right with God? It's a bit of a trick question because Jesus is the only man who could ever fully satisfy God's holy expectations. Still, there is a path to a right standing with God. We must believe that Jesus rose from the grave and confess that He is our Lord. Nothing else will improve our standing with God, and nothing more will improve our standing with God. We must accept righteousness by faith. We can only obtain redemption through faith. Isn't there more? Only this: those who believe in Jesus now hold a responsibility to share the gospel with others. Special honor is reserved for those who bring the message to salvation to others, near and far.

Scott Allen leads today's lesson from Romans 8:14-27. Believers face a daily struggle to crucify the old nature and fully obey God's commands as they desire to do. Along with temptation, we all deal with the problems of a broken world. Work is hard and tedious. Money may be in short supply. Our health may be a concern at times. We face disappointment and heartbreak and persecution. Is all this trouble really worth it? The answer is a resounding "yes!". God has not left us alone. Every believer in Jesus is indwelt with God's Holy Spirit at conversion. God has adopted us into His family, and the Holy Spirit assures us of our new identity as God's children, who now have intimate access to a Heavenly Father we can just call "Abba" or "Daddy." We have a sure hope of a glorious future that outweighs the troubles and frustrations of our earthly lives. We also have the Holy Spirit as our constant helper who communicates urgent prayers, even when we can't put our needs and requests into words. We have assurance and identity and victory and hope through the Holy Spirit. Through our faith in God and the assistance of His Spirit, we can persevere until we receive our full inheritance and bask in God's amazing glory and all He has prepared for us.

Scott Allen leads today's lesson from Romans 7:4-6, 14-25. If believers are forgiven in Christ, why do we still struggle with sin? We've been set free from sin's consequences and have higher expectations of living for God, but we must also contend with sinful desires that don't just go away when we believe in Jesus. So long as we live in these mortal bodies, we live in the conflict between two natures: our sinful human nature and the leading of the Holy Spirit. This battle between sin and holiness faces all believers. Our remaining desire to sin doesn't mean we don't belong to Christ. Rather, our desire to cast off sin and our regret about it demonstrate that we do belong to Jesus. We will contend with sin and temptation so long as we live. Negotiation with the sinful nature is impossible, so we must daily choose to crucify our old self and yield to God's will instead. Such victory is not possible without the help of the Holy Spirit.

Scott Allen leads today's lesson from Romans 6:1-14. Are you free? Are you living out your freedom? If not, what's keeping you from experiencing the liberation that Christ purchased for you? Believers are dead to sin, so leave your old life behind. Believers are risen with Christ, so live for the God who saved you. Believer are pronounced free, so claim your liberation and serve as God intends. If your bonds have been broken, what's stopping you? It may be that the only thing stopping you is you. Next week we'll further discuss the inner struggle of believers against sin.

Scott Allen leads today's lesson from Romans 5:1-11,18-21. Believers are saved by grace through faith. Unmerited forgiveness is provided once and for all by Christ's perfect sacrifice. This means that a believer's standing before God is not performative. Yes, we are forever changed by the love of God, but it is not up to us to strive to keep that which Christ freely gave. We stand with free access to God, firm assurance of acceptance, and having the answer to a problem everyone must face. Either we are in Christ or under condemnation. Believers can rejoice that Jesus, who died on our behalf even though we were sinful enemies of God, will never reject those He has adopted into God's family.

Scott Allen leads today's lesson from Romans 3:21-4:5. Can we earn eternal life? Only a perfect life could merit God's rewards. That's why we needed Jesus, the only perfect man, to die on our behalf. He paid the debt we could never pay. Do any of us deserve to have our sins washed away and to call heaven our home? No. Believers receive unmerited forgiveness through grace, sometimes spelled out as God's Riches At Christ's Expense. All we are asked to do is acknowledge our sin and believe in Jesus Christ as the sufficient payment for our guilt. Only believers receive the promised credit, so our faith is as crucial as God's grace. Then we are justified freely, fairly, fully, and forever by the finished redemptive work of Jesus on the cross.

Scott Allen leads today's lesson from Romans 2:1-13. All will appear before the judge. Excuses will not be accepted. We can't talk our way out of our guilt. We cannot bribe the Creator of All. We might claim to compare favorably to the crimes of others, but the judgment is individual. We don't measure up to the standard of God's marvelous law. There is hope, but not in stubborn opposition. Our only hope is to fall on God's kindness. He demands repentance and offers forgiveness. Paul clearly shows us that faith in Jesus' finished work on the cross is the only way to escape God's rightful and wrathful judgment on sin. We cannot solve sin on our own. God demands our unconditional surrender. Those who surrender and acknowledge God's righteousness become people of righteousness by faith. Those who refuse to respond to God's kindness are left facing eternal judgment. Which group do you belong to? Have you responded to God's kindness in repentance, trusted in Jesus for salvation, and realigned your life towards His expectations?

Scott Allen leads today's lesson from Romans 1:13-27. Only the gospel ("good news") of Jesus Christ has true power to set people of all nations free from sin. To accept the good news is to also acknowledge the bad news: in our human sinfulness, we all begin excluded from God's holy presence. To reconcile with God, we must admit He exists and that we are accountable to Him. Unwilling to submit to God, man's only alternative is to travel a dark road of willful ignorance that leads away from truth into layers of falsehood. Idolatry, the promotion of false ideas and worship, and depraved sexual sin mark the trail of a desperate search for meaning and fulfillment. These are symptoms of rebellion against God which can only be resolved by turning back to the true and living God and the only Savior, Jesus, by faith.