The Finished Word

The New Testament links Christ’s enthronement to his death and resurrection by using key messianic texts in the Hebrew Bible. He achieved the authority to rule because of his faithful obedience unto death, and God vindicated him by raising him from the dead.  And not only did the Father resurrect him, but He also seated him “ at His right hand ” where he now reigns supreme over all things.

In Romans, Paul stresses the “ righteousness of God ” revealed in the gospel. It is the “ power of God for salvation to everyone who believes ,” and a “ righteousness ” that is being proclaimed throughout the earth to “ Jews and Greeks ” alike. And by the “ righteousness of God ,” the apostle means  HIS  “ righteousness ” - God's  faithfulness  in providing salvation for His wayward creatures. And the genitive construction of the Greek clause, the “ righteousness of God ,” must be given its full weight.

When the subject of the Second Coming is raised, inevitably, the question of what “sign” or “signs” will precede it is asked. And invariably, wars, earthquakes, tsunamis, famines, and similar catastrophes are pointed to as harbingers of the end. But Jesus himself gave us the definitive answer - THE COMPLETION OF THE CHURCH'S MISSION .

The equality of Jews and Gentiles before God is a crucial theme in Romans . Members of either group stand or fall before Him on the same basis. Paul wrote the letter with two purposes in mind. First, to prepare the ground for his visit to the city. Second, to deal with conflicts between Jewish and Gentile believers. In its first half, he explains his gospel. In the second, he addresses the status of the Jewish people and the specific conflicts in the congregation.

Men are not set right before God from the works of the law but from the faith of Jesus Christ . In his letter to the Romans , Paul demonstrates that all men have sinned. Jews and Gentiles violate God’s revealed will, therefore, no one is justified before Him “ from the law .” Jews have the Law but fall short of its requirements. Gentiles have the witness of their conscience yet live and even revel in sin.

Is the Good News of the Kingdom of God a message of hope for only SOME nations, or for all? Often in church history, the gospel has been perverted into  good news  for some nations, but  bad news  for others. This occurs when representatives of the church of the same Jesus who gave his life for the world associate his name and message with certain nations, races, cultures, and ideologies.