The death of Christ is reason number one we don’t have to be discouraged over our sin. The resurrection is reason number two. The apostle Paul continues, he says “…more than that, who was raised…” One reason we despair over our sin is because we doubt the efficacy of Christ’s death on the cross. When you move beyond godly sorrow over sin into ungodly despair or self-pity, when you begin to look at your sin and say to yourself, “I’m just don’t know if Christ could have possibly dealt with this…” it’s as if you are looking at the cross … Continue reading Who is there to condemn? part 3

There are some who are not concerned about their sin because they think they are good people. Not Paul. He was a man who was the self-proclaimed chief of sinners. And the hope Paul offers those who feel their own unrighteousness is not some sort of positive feel good self-esteem type message. If you take the time to read the beginning of Romans you will find in fact just the opposite. He makes it clear that we are much worse than we actually think we are. “There is none good, no not one.” There are others who are not concerned … Continue reading Who is there to condemn? part 2

Do you feel righteous? I guess that is kind of a silly question really, in that probably the only people who feel very righteous are the self-righteous and most of us don’t want to be that. The truth is for many of us, as we study God’s Word and we hear good preaching, we look at our own live and it seems sometimes like we are constantly failing. We’ve got the out and out sins in our lives that is for sure, but and I think this might be worse, even when we try to do the right thing, if … Continue reading Who is there to condemn? part 1

1.  This doctrine is for people who take their sin seriously.  People who are either hiding from God or blaming God are going to have a very hard time understanding or appreciating it.  If a person has not been deeply convicted of their sins, they are not really the kind of people you can learn much about justification from. 2.  The reason we talk about justification is to answer the question, “How does God forgive our sins, receive us into his favor, declare us righteous, acquit us from guilt, remove our curse, turn his wrath away from us, and give … Continue reading John Owen on Debating Justification