In the previous installment of this series, we discovered that the rejection of Christ’s authority was the central issue that sparked the entire Great Controversy. It was the root cause of Lucifer’s rebellion with one-third of the angels and it has bled into our world’s history. Our individual destinies will be determined by our attitude and relati
“OH YEAH! That’s right! I’m going to college for FREE!” I came into the living room of our home in time to see my son gleefully dancing as if he’d won the lottery. Before I even had a chance to ask why he was so ecstatic, he blurted out, “Daddy, did you know that Mama is part Jewish?!” I am Puerto Rican, so by definition I—and he and his sister, by
In much of modern-day Western culture, there is a pervasive sentiment that any authority is bad authority—or it’s at least something to be questioned. Law enforcement in all its forms are suspect, governments are corrupt, parents are ignorant, and organized religions are duplicitous. The highest virtue of the day is individualistic independence—the
In the previous lesson commentary, we focused on some of the hermeneutical problems we face when attempting to make sense of the first section of Romans 7. This will come in handy when we explore next week's lesson. This week, we are studying Romans 8, which is a response to the second part of chapter 7; thus, we will need to briefly look at that f
When I was around 13 years old, I decided to sit down and read through the book of Romans. Somewhere along the way, I picked up on the fact that the book was somewhat important. I recall cringing all the way through chapters 3, 4, and 5, but breathing a sigh of relief when I finally arrived at chapter 6. Adventists were right, after all; we can't j
Romans 5 can be broken down into three sections: (1) The first five verses complete Paul’s exposition of righteousness by faith which began in chapter 3, (2) verses 6-11 explore the fact that it was God who took the initiative in our salvation, and (3) verses 12-21 address the issue of our sinful inheritance. Therefore, since we have been justified
This week's Sabbath School lesson continues with a study of the fourth chapter of Romans. This chapter is intriguing because it functions as a sort of interlude between chapters 3 and 5—both of which take more of a theological approach to justification and related topics. Chapter 4, by contrast, is more of a case study of justification in practice.
Impression #1 I’ve enjoyed it so far. Overall at this point I think it is in line with what I believe, and the way I try to live my life. I agree with the concepts of it. It’s just been a few things that I feel like people need to be careful with. The way they touch on the subject, giving it importance, but not going overboard. Like in regards to t
We have come to the first of this quarter’s lessons which actually takes up the study of the text itself. This week, we will be examining the first two chapters of Romans. The previous two weeks were introductory in nature, discussing context and historical background. As we begin a more direct study of the Word, let’s put on our seat belts and go
If there was anyone in the world who knew how to be saved, and was confident in his own salvation, it was Saul—that is, until he met Jesus. Not much is known about Paul’s life before his conversion, but the world has never been quite the same since his conversion. It has been said that, after Christ, Paul has had the greatest impact on Christian th
