February 24 (Reading for February 20-26: Romans 7). After revealing the supremacy of God’s grace over the penalty of sin, Paul ended chapter 6 with the definitive statement: “For the wages of sin is death, but the gracious gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (v. 23). From sin comes death,…

February 17 (Reading for February 13-19: Romans 6). For last year’s reading plan, I posted on December 8 a commentary on Romans 6, so for this week, I will comment only on verses 3-4. When I was in Guadeloupe, I discovered a book in French by Ralph Shallis. He pointed out five immediate and simultaneous…

February 11 (Romans 5. Commentary, part 2, verses 12-21) Paul began this section of chapter 5 as he did the first, with the word, “therefore,” meaning that what follows flows out of what he had written in verses 1-11. Paul had concluded the first section: “we celebrate in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through…

February 10 (Reading for February 6-12: Romans 5. This commentary will be done in two posts: verses 1-11 today, and verses 12-21, tomorrow. (Today’s discussion is a preview of the Sunday, Feb. 13, sermon at ICF). Verse 1 begins with “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith” (NIV). The words “therefore” and “since” lead…

February 3 (Reading for January 30-February 5: Romans 4) We have seen in the first three chapters of Romans that the righteous will live by faith. Their righteousness “is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe” (Rom. 3:22). Chapter 4 provides an illustration in the person of Abraham, so that we can…

January 27 (Reading for January 23-29: Romans 3) We sometimes say, speaking of God, “It’s not about us, it’s about Him.” This insight is clearly expressed in Romans 3: “What then? If some did not believe, their unbelief will not nullify the faithfulness of God, will it?” (v. 3). People call themselves agnostic and/or atheistic,…

January 20 (Reading for January 16-22: Romans 2) Monday morning, I read Romans 2, scratched my head, and prayed for Aaron, that God would give him just the right message for this Sunday. Then I reread the first few verses and recorded on my iPhone: “It’s not what you do that is most important, but…

January 13 (Reading for January 9-15: Romans 1; quotes are from the NIV) This is a “trailer” for the Sunday sermon, January 16, at the ICF. This weekend, the National Football League playoffs begin, culminating in the Super Bowl, when the last two teams standing will compete. In Romans 1, Paul described the ultimate conflict…

Dear friends of the ICF, This is written especially to those who followed our 2021 Bible reading plan, and who also received my devotionals by email. We will be reading in 2022 through some designated books, going slowly, and hopefully deeply, reading approximately one chapter per week. I will post a commentary to the ICF…