The book of Romans is one of the most theologically rich books in our Bible. A study of Romans reveals amazing truths concerning the work of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit. While containing great depths into which we can dive to learn more about God and our salvation, Romans also contains some of the clearest yet challenging applications for us as Christians to live by such as instruction concerning our love, dealings with evil, submission to government, and dealing with matters of opinion (Rom. 12-14).             As a whole, Romans is about the gospel of Christ Jesus. The thesis for the book can be found in Romans 1:16-17 – “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, ‘The just shall live by faith’” (NKJV). Through this book, Paul seeks to help his brethren better understand God’s plan for the justification of man through the gospel (Rom. 1-11) and what a transformed life of faith in the gospel ought to look like (Rom. 12-16).             I am excited to begin our study of Romans together during our evening classes. I look forward to growing in my faith and my understanding of God’s will as we dig deep into this inspired book to learn the truths …

Confidence matters. To go through life and have confidence in your ability to carry out daily tasks at home or work is one thing, but to have confidence in your spiritual life is far more important. This confidence is not an overconfidence that believes one can never be wrong or that he or she already has everything figured out. Rather, this spiritual confidence is a sense of peace and surety, knowing that there is an eternal home waiting thanks to what has been supplied by “our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Pet. 1:11, NKJV). Confidence comes about through consistent effort. As it relates to the level of surety we as Christians ought to have, Peter says we are to give “all diligence” to “add to [our] faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love” (2 Pet. 1:5-7). When we are diligently working to grow in all of these areas, the result will be confidence! By adding all of these to our lives, we “will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ,” and we will not forget that have been “cleansed from [our] old sins.” (2 Pet. 1:8-9). Knowing that we can have the confidence to face life without worrying about our eternal home ought to motivate us to “be even more diligent to make [our] call and election sure” (2 Pet. 1:10). God has provided us with all …

              God has provided us with everything we need for both life and godliness (2 Pet. 1:3, NKJV). More than that, God has provided us with the hope of eternal life (2 Pet. 1:4). Believing that God has provided us with the means to live a pleasing life on this earth and to someday receive our eternal reward is merely just the beginning. “Giving all diligence,” Peter says we as believers are to “add to [our] faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love” (2 Pet. 1:5-7). As we develop and mature in our faith, it will be evidenced through our morality, understanding, the way we act, our ability to endure, our desire to look more like God, the way we treat one another, and ultimately through the way we love. Love is a small word as far as letters are concerned, but it is a big word where meaning is concerned. Love is more than just a word. Love is a choice, it is continual action, and it is enduring. Biblically speaking, the specific word used by Peter in this context for love is agape. This type of love is a love that cares about and takes a real interest in others. This love is more than the brotherly love required of the family of God in “brotherly kindness” (2 Pet. 1:7). This is the love that God has shown to us through the …

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is known as the “city of brotherly love.” The reason the city is known this way has less to do with the kindness or love shown by its citizens, but because of the meaning of the city’s name. The name of the city comes from the Greek word philadelphia which means the love of a brother or a sister (BDAG). Citizens of Philadelphia should not be the only individuals known for brotherly love. Citizens of the kingdom of our God should be known as a people of brotherly love (2 Pet. 1:7, NKJV).  Those who wish to take part in “the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” will give “all diligence” to ensure that they are showing and growing in “brotherly kindness” (2 Pet. 1:5-11). To have “brotherly kindness” is to have brotherly love. As Christians, it makes sense that we ought to have brotherly love. As members of the Lord’s body, we are all brethren. We are all children of our heavenly Father. We all should have a love for one another as brothers and sisters in Christ. Brotherly love should not be a problem for Christians, but expressing brotherly love can be a challenge. We are all different people with different personalities and different qualities. This reality can make getting along a challenge. Despite the challenge, if we know what God has provided for us through His Son, we should do all that we can to rise to the challenge (2 Pet. 1:3-4). …