The Problem with Living Sacrifices

Today’s Bible reading presents a difficult visual. Paul appeals to believers to present their bodies as living sacrifices. (Romans 12:1-2) Look carefully at what Paul says. He appeals to believers to present their bodies as living sacrifices in the light of God’s mercies. He doesn’t give the appeal in a vacuum. It’s in the context…

What He Does, He Does Very Well

While Romans is one of my favorite books of the Bible, today’s Bible reading is from my favorite chapter of Romans. Paul has built his argument for the gospel through the first seven chapters of this book. And today’s reading is the climax of the message. One of the last things Jesus said to His…

Alive and Free

Yesterday, I said that grace overcomes sin and there is no sin that God’s grace cannot cover. Where sin multiplied, grace multiplied even more. (Romans 5:20) In today’s Bible reading, Paul asks the natural follow-up question: If that’s true, then, can’t we just sin it up, knowing that God’s grace is sufficient to cover it?…

Faith Credited as Righteousness

Paul continues to develop his argument for salvation by grace through faith in today’s Bible reading from Romans 4. If you aren’t familiar with the Jewish Patriarch Abraham, let me briefly bring you up to speed. Abram and Sarai were an aged couple who had never had children. God established a relationship with Abram and…