Notes from the Summer Messiah Series Week Six

Written By Redemption Arcadia

We’re excited for you to join us for this midweek summer series, as we journey through Messiah; the NLT version of the New Testament without any chapter or verse numbers. Here are Pastoral Resident Zachary’s highlights from night six covering Galatians & Romans 1-8.

Key Passages

Galatians 2:15-16; 5:16-25; 6:15

Romans 1:16-17; 3:21-26; 5:8; 6:23; 8:1, 37-39

 

From Galatians

“We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.”

Galatians 2:15–16

 

From Romans 1-8

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, ‘The righteous shall live by faith.’” 

Romans 1:16–17

“But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”

Romans 3:21–26

 

Galatians

Context

  • AD 48-55

    • Speculation on dating depending on which missionary journey Paul was on. Most scholars prefer earlier dating of AD 48-49

    • Written to the churches in the region of Galatia (modern day Turkey)

Outline of Galatians

    • The true Gospel as opposed to the false Gospel (Ch. 1-2) & Paul’s defense of his ministry.

      • Not Jesus + _________

        • ex. of Peter acting hypocritically amongst the Gentiles & Jews

      • Only Jesus

        • Gal. 2:19-20

    • The Gospel creates a new family (Ch. 3-4)

      • Blessing to Abraham (Gen. 12, 15)

        • Promise of nations being blessed

      • The Law is good, but is temporary

        • Jesus fulfills the law

      • Cannot be Jesus + ________

        • Nullifies the work of the Cross, payment for sins

        • Undermines freedom in Christ

    • The Spirit transforms (5-6)

      • The Laws are good

        • Love God and neighbor

      • Old Humanity

        • Fruit of the flesh

      • New humanity by the power of the Spirit

        • The Fruit of the Spirit

          • Love, Joy, Peace

          • Patience, Kindness, Goodness

          • Faithfulness, Gentleness, Self-control

        • "If we live by the Spirit..." (5:25)

          • Cultivate and grow

            • This is our labor in our faith. We must work to grow in the fruit of the Spirit

What matters: 

For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation (6:15)

  • We are a new creation in Christ

  • Jesus + nothing = everything

 

Romans 1-8

Context

AD 57

  • Where written: Third Missionary Journey

    • Most likely Corinth (Acts 20:3; 2 Cor. 13:1, 10; cf. Rom. 16:1–2, 23; 1 Cor. 1:14)

  • Literature: Formal Treatise (most formal of his letters, due to his systematic arguing)

Outline of Romans 1-8

Introduction (1:1–17)

  • Thesis Statement (1:16-17)

    • God's power to save

  • “The glorious message of Paul’s letter to the Romans is that the gospel reveals how God is righteously righteousing unrighteous individuals—both Jews and Gentiles—at this stage in the history of salvation.” - Andrew Naselli

  • The Universal Need for God’s Righteousness (1:18–3:20)

    • Nations are trapped by sin (1:18-32)

      • Without excuse to see God

    • Israel is trapped as well (2:1-3:8)

      • More guilty, because they had the Law

    • Good News (3:9-26)

      • Jesus became man, so we could be made like Him

      • Justification

        • New Status

        • New Family

        • New Future

      • "... in Christ"

  • The Means of Obtaining God’s Righteousness (3:21–4:25)

    • The greatest paragraph (3:21-26)

    • Covenantal Family through Abraham (Ch. 4)

      • Faith counted to Abraham as righteousness

  • The Benefits of Obtaining God’s Righteousness (5:1–8:39)

    • Roman 5

      • Justification by faith → new humanity

        • Original guilt & original sin

        • Adam

          • Natural Headship

            • Fatherly

          • Federal Headship

            • Covenantal

        • Jesus is the new, better Adam

    • Romans 6

      • Old Humanity vs. New Humanity

    • Romans 7

      • What is the point of the law?

        • The laws are good

        • The law is necessary to reveal our need for redemption

    • Romans 8

      • The Solution is Jesus and His Spirit

        • foreknew → predestined → called → justified → glorified

          • God planned to save his people—he foreknew and predestined us.

          • God accomplished his plan through Christ’s life, death, and resurrection.

          • God applied his plan—he effectually called and justified us. And God will finish what he started—he will glorify us

WHat Matters

“This chapter begins with ‘no condemnation’ (8:1) and ends with no separation.”

 

Resources

Naselli, Andrew D. Romans: A Concise Guide to the Greatest Letter Ever Written. Wheaton: Crossway, 2022.

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