Romans

Pastor David Bodanza

Check out our new series on the Epistle to the Romans! It has been said that Paul’s letter to the Romans is arguably the single most important piece of literature in the history of the world. John Piper rightly observes that Romans is “the most important theological, Christian work ever written.” Martin Luther said, “This epistle is really the chief part of the New Testament, and is truly the purest gospel. It is worthy not only that every Christian should know it word for word, by heart, but also that he should occupy himself with it every day, as the daily bread of the soul. We can never read it or ponder over it too much; for the more we deal with it, the more precious it becomes and the better it tastes.”

  1. 01/28/2024

    The Theology of Doxology

    Everyone has a theology or an understanding of God, but a Biblical one is the only one that is trustworthy and true. The goal of good theology is doxology. Doxology means "praise saying." Paul uses a praise saying or a doxology to bring his great epistle to a conclusion. The goal of sound doctrine is a heart that overflows with praise to God because that is the reality of things. Paul reminds us that the goal of the gospel is not only our happiness. Certainly, we should be forever happy that God has rescued us from judgment and showered on us every blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. Yet, the ultimate goal of the gospel is God's eternal glory. The goal of the gospel is that we would glorify God through Jesus Christ as we live in obedient faith and proclaim Him to everyone we can. The Westminster Shorter Catechism states, "The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever." To glorify God is to make God look as good as He truly is to the extent we are able. This is profoundly different thinking from the commonly held notion that the gospel is all about us. It even affects our view of suffering. If the gospel is all about us and our happiness, then how do you deal with suffering and death? But if the gospel is not ultimately about our happiness, but rather about God's glory, then you can even face martyrdom as Paul did, with the goal that "Christ will even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death." As John Piper observes, our happiness and God's glory are not at odds, because "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him."

    34 min
  2. 01/21/2024

    Watch Out

    Ever since the church of Jesus Christ was first established, she has been plagued by troublemakers. These are people who have desired to either see the church destroyed, or to see it shaped to their own will. This should come as no shock. After all, Jesus Himself predicted the rise of troublemakers in the church, "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves." After 2,000 years the troublemakers are still inside the church! That's right, there are still those within and without the church who work against the mission of God and seek to mold the church to their liking! Now, lest you become concerned, this message is designed as preventative maintenance. As far as I know, there are no troublemakers here. However, the best offense is a good defense! Therefore, it will be good to hear what the Bible says about how to handle troublemakers in the church. So that when trouble arises, we will be able to identify it and deal it a death blow before serious damage is done to the church of God! J. C. Ryle was a champion for the truth in the Church of England during the 19th century. In Warnings to the Churches, he wrote about how difficult yet necessary controversy in the church is. He explains, "But there is one thing which is even worse than controversy, and that is false doctrine tolerated, allowed, and permitted without protest or molestation." He wisely points out, "Three things there are which men never ought to trifle with—a little poison, a little false doctrine, and a little sin."

    41 min
  3. 01/14/2024

    Paul's Missionary Heart, Pt 2

    The apostle Paul was a caring man who loved people. He was not a mere academic nor a male chauvinist. His heart was on fire for the gospel, and he treasured his relationships. Relationships are a gift from God which should be treasured and nurtured. Paul's heart overflowed. If the long list of names and greetings in these verses teaches us anything, it is that Paul had a great love for people. The passage features 33 people, 24 of which were in Rome. What makes this list of those he knew in the church of Rome so amazing is the fact that he had never been there! Think of the energy and effort "keeping in touch" involved in such an ancient culture with no modern technology! There was no postal service for civilians, no cell phones, emails, texts or social media. Names were very important to Paul. Our own names are music to our ears. Certainly, Paul knew this. But it is also true that you learn the names of those for whom you really care. Some suggest that the reason Paul could so readily recite all these names in dictation was because of their frequent mention in his personal prayer list. Love people by learning their names and their stories. Put their names on your prayer list. Love your church. Be people persons. What a difference authentic Christian affection can make in a cold, indifferent world! "People don't care what you know until they know that you care." The church of Jesus Christ is meant to be one large and very caring family to help you onto heaven! And if you hurt your church, you hurt yourself.

    50 min
  4. 12/17/2023

    Why We Are Here

    What is the meaning of life? Why are we here? Ask ten people, get ten different answers. Most answers would probably fail to see life from God's perspective. There is more to life than meets the eye, more than the here and now. We are here "to glorify God and enjoy Him forever." But how do I glorify God? When I was a young Christian, I didn't know what that meant. You can save a lot of grief in your life if you use a telescope rather than a microscope! Magnify and glorify are very similar in their meaning biblically. Paul says, "My aim is to magnify Jesus Christ." That's the same as glorify Jesus Christ. Does it mean magnify God like a microscope magnifies or like a telescope magnifies? A microscope makes tiny things look bigger than they are, and a telescope makes gigantic things that to the naked eye look little, look more like what they really are. Now, which way are you called upon to magnify God? The answer is like a telescope, not like a microscope. It is blasphemy to magnify God like a microscope! "You are on planet Earth to put a telescope to the eye of the world." That's why you exist. By your behavior, your parenting, the way you do your job, the way you worship, and the way you handle your things in life, everyone should read off of your life, "God is great." That's why you exist. To glorify God is to advertise him. He is life's most significant reality, radically worthy of receiving glory, honor and power. We glorify God when we make it our goal to please him in all things. The beautiful irony is that in glorifying God we actually find true happiness.

    46 min
  5. 12/03/2023

    Christian Liberty, Part 1

    A few months ago, I was selecting a jury with a judge and opposing counsel. The time came for any person to say why they couldn't serve on the jury. Did they have an issue? Childcare? Job demands? Disability? One young man said he couldn't do it because "The Bible says, 'Judge not, lest ye be judged'"! If people would keep reading Matthew 7, they would see that in verse 6 Jesus tells us not to give what is holy to dogs and not to cast our pearls before swine. He isn't talking about animals, but about people. Obviously, we have to make some judgments to obey that command! And in verse 15 Jesus warns about false prophets, who come to us as wolves in sheep's clothing. Again, to spot a wolf in sheep's clothing, you have to make some careful judgments. So Jesus was not telling us that we should not make any judgments. Rather, we should judge ourselves by taking the log out of our own eye before we help our brother with his speck. But, having said that, there is still the danger that we wrongly judge one another, which can lead to all sorts of problems in the local church. A younger believer might come into the church and his appearance is very different than that of the older believers. If they judge him so that he feels unwelcome, he may never come back to the place where he should have felt loved and accepted, where he could grow in the things of God. In the church, we are to accept and not judge one another when we differ on matters where the Bible does not give specific commandments or applicable principles. "In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity."

    45 min

About

Check out our new series on the Epistle to the Romans! It has been said that Paul’s letter to the Romans is arguably the single most important piece of literature in the history of the world. John Piper rightly observes that Romans is “the most important theological, Christian work ever written.” Martin Luther said, “This epistle is really the chief part of the New Testament, and is truly the purest gospel. It is worthy not only that every Christian should know it word for word, by heart, but also that he should occupy himself with it every day, as the daily bread of the soul. We can never read it or ponder over it too much; for the more we deal with it, the more precious it becomes and the better it tastes.”