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PHall | September 23, 2009
I believe the glory of God in this text is equivalent to His righteousness. When we are sinless, our righteousness, as being defined by purity and sinlessness is equivalent to His – in that sense only. And when we are forgiven and justified, we have again attained to His righteousness. That is how powerful Jesus’ […]
PHall | September 23, 2009
It was very fitting for both Jews and Gentiles to have had a hand in Jesus’ death. The Jews delivered and accused Him. The Jews blackmailed Jesus’ judge. The Gentilic Romans condemned and crucified Him. The reason it is very fitting is that as there was no distinction in His death – He was murdered […]
PHall | September 23, 2009
3:21-31 – Characteristics of Righteousness (Jim McGuiggan, The Book of Romans, p.127.) It is a “manifested” righteousness: 3:21 It is an “Of God” righteousness: 3:21-28 It is a “witnessed by the law and the prophets” righteousness: 3:21 It is an “apart from the law” righteousness: 3:21,28 It is a “by faith” righteousness: 3:22,25,26,28,30 It is […]
PHall | September 23, 2009
The Jews (who might have been blushing in embarrassment at the depravity of the Gentiles as Paul lifted the garbage-can lid on their sins in Romans 1) now come under Paul’s stinging indictment in Romans 2:1-3:8. This passage contains some very surprising, and discomforting insights into the nature of sin. A. Sin inflicts on us […]
PHall | September 23, 2009
A. Sin is the choice to do wrong (Rom.1:18-20) 1. We have exercised our right to ignore, suppress, or postpone dealing with the evidence of God in nature (“godlessness”) in order to practice “unrighteousness.” That has been our choice and we are “without excuse.” B. Sin is the refusal to glorify and thank God (Rom.1:21) […]
PHall | September 22, 2009
The major interpretations are: 1) the water and blood which poured from Jesus’ side at His death (Jn.19:34) – Augustine; 2) the ordinances of baptism and communion – Calvin, Luther; 3) purification and redemption; 4) the water of Jesus’ baptism and the blood shed in His death. Remember, whichever interpretation is correct; it must be […]
PHall | September 22, 2009
1 Whoever [Lit., everyone that] believes that Jesus [emphasis on Humanity] is the Christ [emphasis on Deity – “The Cerinthian antichrist denies the identity of Jesus and Christ – 2:22] is born [perfect; or begotten; “The Divine Begetting is the antecedent, not the consequent of the believing” – Law] of God; and whoever loves the […]
PHall | September 22, 2009
Here is an example of where we let familiar words in the verse itself define the more unfamiliar words. Testing the spirits is testing the prophets. Also through this method we learn what a prophet is – one who speaks directly by the Spirit (or claimed spirits) through the prophet. Since John was dealing with […]
PHall | September 22, 2009
1 Beloved [three times in this chapter (vv.1,7,11)], do not believe [negative present imperative; “Credulity means gullibility and some believers fall easy victims to the latest fads in spiritualistic humbuggery” – Robertson] every spirit [i.e. prophet], but test [present imperative] the spirits [i.e. prophets] to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets […]
PHall | September 22, 2009
1 See [aorist imperative; lit. See you (plural)] how [lit., what kind of love] great [potapos – primarily, from what country, then, of what sort, as in wonderment] a love [“Within this section there are forty-six occurrences of some form of the root word for love.” (J.W. Roberts, The Letters of John, p.76)] the Father […]