GRAVE TO GOSPEL
GRAVE TO GOSPEL narrates the continuous story of Christ from Genesis to Revelation. Every action we take is driven by this life-giving message, reminding us that faith in Christ goes beyond mere knowledge, rituals, numbers, or programs. Expanding upon this foundational principle involves sharing and deepening our experience of Christ’s love through the Gospel, making each new endeavor a powerful echo of the Good News. Without the gospel, ministry loses its pulse; with it, every heartbeat carries the life of Christ into the world.
Let's move His gospel forward with every beat, because Christianity is not about Christians, it’s about Christ.
GRAVE TO GOSPEL
Open Your Bibles to Romans 16 17-27
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive. For your obedience is known to all, so that I rejoice over you, but I want you to be wise as to what is good and innocent as to what is evil. The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Timothy, my fellow worker, greets you; so do Lucius and Jason and Sosipater, my kinsmen.
Romans 16: 17-21
In this week's episode, we ask the ultimate covenantal question: Who crushes evil?
As we close the book of Romans, Paul shows us that true, God-honoring unity is fiercely defensive of the truth. As Reformed believers, we recognize that the church is always under threat of false doctrine, but our ultimate confidence rests in the sovereign victory of our covenant-keeping God.
In this episode, we talk about:
- The Warning Against Divisions: Why Paul commands us to "watch out" and "avoid" those who twist doctrine. We discuss how true Christian charity does not tolerate error, but guards the flock through the standard of Sola Scriptura.
- The Depravity of Deceivers: A look at verse 18. Paul exposes the true masters of false teachers—not Christ, but "their own appetites" (literally, their bellies). We discuss how "smooth talk and flattery" exploit the naive when we neglect theological depth.
- Wise and Innocent Sanctification: What it means to be "wise as to what is good and innocent as to what is evil." We talk about how the Holy Spirit renews our minds so that we can discern the counterfeit from the true Gospel of grace.
- The Promise: A deep dive into the glorious promise of verse 20. We connect Paul's words back to Genesis 3:15, exploring how the "God of peace" is the one who sovereignly and decisively crushes Satan under the feet of His elect church.
We don't guard the truth out of fear, but out of a secure faith in the Sovereign King who has already won the war. We will be taking a short break for the Fourth of July holidays, but will return as we open our Bibles into the Old Testament.
Grace and Peace.