CHRIST AND THE CROSS: ROMANS - GALATIANS

THE L.I.F.E. PLAN CHRIST AND THE CROSS: ROMANS - GALATIANS THEME 7 - THE GENTILE CHRISTIAN LETTERS LESSON 2 (98 of 216)

THEME 7: THE GENTILE CHRISTIAN LETTERS LESSON 2 (98 OF 216): CHRIST AND THE CROSS: ROMANS - GALATIANS LESSON AIM: The prevailing theme of these four letters is the cross and salvation through the death of Christ. SCRIPTURE: (Romans 1:16-17) 16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. 17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith. The book of Acts is the Biblical record of the church in the first century. It provides the historical backdrop for the letters to the believers which follow. There are twentytwo of these letters arranged into three groups: the Gentile-Christian letters, the pastoral letters, and the Hebrew-Christian letters. Of these twenty-two letters, the apostle Paul wrote more than half of them. And, he wrote all of the letters in the first two groups. The Acts should be studied to grasp the connection between the early churches and the letters of the New Testament. As we previously learned, two thirds of the book of Acts is taken up with the ministry of Paul. Paul was the apostle to the gentiles. His ministry involved two very important aspects not only for the early church but for the church of every generation. These are the planting of the new churches and the writing of the Scriptures. We should study the book of Acts, observing the time of the writing of the letters to the churches and pastors by Paul. As we study the letters of Paul, we will notice that they are not situated in the canon of the Bible in the order in which they were written. As we analyze the letters we see the work of the Holy Spirit not only in the inspiration of them, but also in their preservation, inclusion, and placement within the canon. It is worthy to note in the Gentile-Christian letters that 1 Thessalonians was the first of the letters to be written while Romans was among the last. Yet in the grouping of these letters, Romans appears first while the Thessalonian letters are last. When we study the letters, we can clearly see the genius of the Holy Spirit in guiding the arrangement of the letters as he did. They follow a logical order of presenting the truth. The Gentile-Christian letters also are arranged into three groups: four, three and two; that is, Romans through Galatians in group one, Ephesians through Colossians in group two, and the two letters to the Thessalonians in group three. This study will take a brief look at the first group, Romans through Galatians. The student of the Bible should study each Bible book on an individual basis. We should research and consider the historical background of the book, the author of the book, the audience to whom he wrote, the reason for writing the book, and the doctrinal presentations within each book. Volumes of books have been written on each one of these subjects. Obviously we do not have the time or the space to consider all of these subjects on each one of the books presently before us. Our purpose in these lessons is to present the core of the information within the books as

an encouragement to you to embark upon your own continual study of each book in the Bible. The Gentile-Christian letters begin with the doctrinal treatise of Paul s letter to the Romans. The letter begins where the gospels leave off, with the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead declaring him to be the Son of God that he claimed to be. The fact that Jesus died and arose from the dead is the gospel, or good news unto salvation to anyone who will believe it. Paul goes from the resurrection directly into why the death and resurrection of Christ was so necessary. Man had fallen into sin and had lost his relationship with God. Jesus came to do what man could not do for himself in restoring his relationship with God. When man was the enemy of God and without strength to help himself, Christ died for the ungodly. It is through faith in Christ that one is justified, or declared righteous, and made right with God. In Christ, man has been removed from underneath the condemnation of God and is adopted into the family of God. Absolutely nothing in the universe can now break this bond we have in Christ. In Christ, we are to take the story of his salvation to all the nations of the world. There are two letters in our Bible which Paul wrote to the believers at Corinth. These are not the only letters Paul wrote to them but they are the ones the Holy Spirit chose to include in the canon of the Scriptures. Corinth was a metropolitan city and a sort of cross-roads of the world. The church at Corinth was exposed to anything and everything coming through town from all over the world. This included the world s religions and philosophies. Paul began his first letter to them contrasting the wisdom of God with the foolish philosophies of man. He stressed the fact that it is the preaching of the cross which is the power of God unto salvation. Man s wisdom falls way short of producing this result. Christ died on the cross but came forth from the dead and is risen today. Paul shared with the Corinthians what it would mean to our salvation of Christ had not arisen from the dead. He is alive and in him, we live also. Paul s second letter to the Corinthians addressed the implications of the risen Christ in our daily lives. Man does not have to live his life controlled by sin any longer. Christ was made to be sin for us in order to give his righteousness to us. In Christ, we are a new creature altogether. The old life of sin has been done away with and the possibility of a life of holiness lies before us now. However, we have to make the choice as to which way of life we will live. As we chose holiness, the enemy will turn every gun upon us, attempting to defeat and destroy us. No matter what we may experience as we seek to live a holy life, the grace of God is sufficient to carry us through this life and ultimately to our home with Christ when this life is over. In the letter to the Galatians, Paul tells us to remember the cross and that in it is our hope of salvation. We are to guard against other gospels which come along claiming to provide salvation. There is no salvation apart from the cross of Christ. We are crucified with Christ, yet we live in the world and Christ lives in us to continue his work to the nations today. As we go about this work, we will continue to experience the war on the inside between the desire of the flesh to live by the law of sin and the desire of the spirit to walk in Christ. We will have to battle daily over these two ways of life. Some days we will win, some days we will lose. When we lose, we have to confess our sin and keep moving forward. We have to walk in the liberty we have been given in Christ and glory only in the cross of Christ whereby we have overcome sin, condemnation and the world. Take the time to read each one of the four letters in this group. Make note of the emphasis on the cross of Christ. Give thanks to God for the salvation he has provided through the death and resurrection of his Son, Jesus Christ.

LESSON OUTLINE THEME 7: THE GENTILE CHRISTIAN LETTERS LESSON 2 (98 OF 216): CHRIST AND THE CROSS: ROMANS - GALATIANS The first group in the Gentile-Christian letters: I ROMANS A. The gospel B. Man s sin C. Justified by faith D. No condemnation E. Nothing can separate us from the love of God F. Take the gospel to the nations II 1 CORINTHIANS A. Contrast the wisdom of God and the foolishness of man B. Preach the cross C. If Christ be not risen III 2 CORINTHIANS A. Sin brings suffering B. Christ was made sin in order to give us his righteousness C. We are a new creation in Christ D. We are to walk in holiness E. God s grace is sufficient IV GALATIANS A. Guard against other gospels B. We are crucified with Christ C. The battle between the flesh and the spirit D. Walk in liberty E. Glory in the cross of Christ SCRIPTURES TO BROADEN YOUR UNDERSTANDING 1. Read the four letters in this group of the Gentile-Christian letters. Romans 1 Corinthians 2 Corinthians Galatians

LINES OF THEOLOGICAL CONNECTION 1. THE DOCTRINE OF SIN The fall The works of the flesh 2. CHRISTOLOGY The death of Christ The resurrection of Christ The righteousness of Christ 3. SOTERIOLOGY Justification Grace Mercy QUESTIONS ANSWER KEY 1. Why are these letters called Gentile-Christian letters? They were written to Christians who were non-jews 2. What was Paul said to be in the New Testament? The apostle to the gentiles 3. What does the book of Acts provide for us? The history of the church in the first century 4. What two things should we consider as we read the Acts? The planting of the churches; the writing of the letters 5. How are the Gentile-Christian letters arranged? 4-3 - 2 6. What is the major emphasis in the first group of four letters? The cross of Christ 7. What must a person do in receiving God s salvation through Christ? Believe on Jesus in his heart 8. What does it mean to you that God s grace is sufficient for every experience in life? Student response

THEME 7: THE GENTILE CHRISTIAN LETTERS LESSON 2 (98 OF 216): CHRIST AND THE CROSS: ROMANS - GALATIANS QUESTIONS TO INSPIRE THOUGHT 1. Why are these letters called Gentile-Christian letters? 2. What was Paul said to be in the New Testament? 3. What does the book of Acts provide for us? 4. What two things should we consider as we read the Acts? 5. How are the Gentile-Christian letters arranged? 6. What is the major emphasis in the first group of four letters? 7. What must a person do in receiving God s salvation through Christ? 8. What does it mean to you that God s grace is sufficient for every experience in life?