Sermons, Articles, and Other Things

How many kinds of people are there? Depending on the point of the question, one can give different answers. The answer that Paul gives here is two kinds – those dominated by the flesh and those controlled by the Holy Spirit. We could call the two groups the unconverted and the converted. Paul is concerned about the difference between the unrighteous and the righteous.   What does Paul mean when he speaks of the flesh? He is not referring only to one’s body, although it is true that he includes the body within its meaning. By the flesh he means the sinful power that controls and guides unregenerate people and dominates their outlook. The way that the flesh works in an unbeliever is parallel to how the Spirit works in a believer. Both affect the mind (their thinking) and then both have actions that follow.   We know that Paul is concerned about the fact that although he loves the law of God he still sins even although he does not want to do so. He finds those personal faili...

Sometimes we hear someone say something startling. When we look at them, we might think they are confused, even self-deceived. They may only say such a comment once. That is how some people reacted to Jesus, except in his case he continued to make unusual, indeed unheard off, claims about himself, which inevitably caused strong reactions. The ‘I am’ sayings are a set of unusual personal claims, except in his case they are true assertions that reveal who he is.   While these sayings may be startling, they are also simple statements in the sense that in most of them Jesus as the master communicator used straightforward illustrations and word pictures to say who he is and what he had come to do. When he said them, people could work out what he meant, although that did not mean that they believed him.   The important aspect of his teaching, whatever the topic, is that his words were spiritual. He taught about the things of the kingdom of God, including entering it as well as livin...

Two comments can be made about this well-known chapter from Romans. One is that it has been compared to a walk along the high places of the spiritual life, sometimes likened to a walk along the Alps or other mountain ranges; there are profound details mentioned in it by Paul, some of which extend into the period after the return of Jesus.   The other is that sometimes chapter 8 is contrasted with Romans 7 with the suggestion that Romans 8 is a truer Christian experience than Romans 7. I would say that a better explanation is to say that they are parallel experiences, and that it is normal Christian experience to have the descent of Romans 7 and the ascent of Romans 8.   Connection The word ‘therefore’ in verse 1 shows that we should look at what Romans 7 says. In that chapter, Paul had detailed his personal dilemma over the fact that, although he strongly loved the law of God, he could not keep it perfectly. He felt condemned by the law even although he wanted to keep it...