Paul's readers and listeners may have been confused about the law and its purpose. Pharisees and other pious Jews were careful to do everything they thought the law required; believing that keeping the law would earn them God's favor. But Paul repeatedly...

Divine righteousness is . . .

• apart from the law (3:21) 
• affirmed by the OT Scriptures (3:21) 
• accepted by faith (3:22) 
• available to all who believe (3:22, 23) 
• acquired by justification (3:24) 
• awarded freely...

"In the Roman world of the first century AD, an adopted son was a son deliberately chosen by his adoptive father to perpetuate his name and inherit his estate; he was [in no way] inferior in status to a son born in the ordinary course of nature, and might well enjoy...

Many terms are used in Scripture to talk about suffering— among them, affliction, anguish, distress, grief, misery, pain, tribulation, and chastisement. Various metaphors also depict suffering, including refining fire (Isa. 48:10; 1 Pet. 1:6, 7),...

Next to John 3:16, Romans 8:28 may be the most well-known and oft-quoted verse in the Bible. And each section of this verse is important to our understanding of Paul's meaning.

This Is a Definite Promise (and We Know)

"We know" is used five...

The Greek root word for worship, gonu, means "to bend the knee." We get the word "genuflect" from it—bending the knees to bow before someone greater than ourselves. The early church, recognizing it as a gesture of humility, respect, and submission, incorporated the...

The title of "saint" for believers is one of Paul's favorite titles and it shows the deep commitment that Paul attached to a believer's life. This phrase demonstrates the value that God places on His people. They are His saints. When Paul asks...