The BIG Picture (Shorts)

Gal.4:19 My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you, Paul’s heart ached for the Galatians. He had laboured to bring them the gospel of grace, yet now he found them drifting—attempting to serve Christ through their own efforts, clinging to the law as a means of righteousness. With deep sorrow, he likened his anguish to the pains of childbirth, longing for Christ to be formed in them—not by works, but by the Spirit. The Galatians had fallen into the trap of self-reliance, believing that obedience to the law could perfect what had begun in the Spirit. But Paul knew the truth: righteousness is not achieved by human willpower or fleshly striving. It is received by faith, through the Spirit, as the Word of God renews the mind and transforms the heart. Today, we face the same temptation—to measure our spiritual growth by effort rather than surrender. Yet Paul’s plea remains: Christ is formed in us not by our own strength, but by the Spirit working throu...

The blood shed by Jesus Christ on the cross was the pinnacle of sacrifice and love and accomplished our redemption through the forgiveness of sins. Romans 4:25 confirms this absolute fact, Rom 4:25  Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.  But there is more to that verse than being delivered from our offenses by the propitiation (appeasement, satisfaction) of His blood. There is also the power of God which raised up Christ from the dead for our justification. Not only did His resurrection justify us, declaring or making us righteous in the sight of God, but that same power also became the source for our ability to walk in newness of life, Rom 6:4  Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.   Many believers think of the death and resurrection of Christ as the work done by God's grace to sa...

In 2Tim.3:16, Paul encourages Timothy to use the scriptures as a powerful tool in his ministry. Teaching (what you need to know): Impartation of knowledge and understanding of God's Word. Teaching guides one in the principles and doctrines of the truth, enabling learning and growth in the faith. Reproof (behaviour; does it match the doctrine?): The act of correcting or pointing out errors in belief or behaviour according to the Word. It's about moral and spiritual discipline aiming to bring one back to the right path when one has strayed. Correction (amendment to match doctrine): It implies rectifying mistakes or misconceptions. It is associated with adjustment to align with one's doctrine. Training in Righteousness (conduct and discipline): Instruction that develops a character that's in accordance with God's standards of righteousness. It involves the pursuit of virtue as defined by the Word. These 4 elements together comprehensively equip believers for every ...

QUESTION:  How can we keep the law to please God? ANSWER: We can't! People have tried for millennia and failed. Contrariwise, Paul tells us that the law was giving to increase sin and expose our wretchedness, Rom.7:10-13; 7:24. The commandments of God, which are holy, are actually death unto me because all they can do is condemn me, Rom. 6:23. However, in 1Tim.1:9, Paul declares that there are righteous men. So, how did they become righteous if God's commandments condemn them? Well, it's because righteousness (no condemnation, Rom.8:1) comes through the faith of Jesus Christ, not our adherence to the law, Rom.3:22. Once we are righteous, we grow in godliness by obedience to the knowledge of the written Word, Rom.6:16; 2Co.10:5. By obedience we start to walk by the Spirit, mortifying the flesh, Rom.8:13, and we come to produce the fruit of the Spirit, which, as Paul says, “… against such there is no law”, Gal.5:23. Thus, we keep the law by obedience to the Word, through a...

Rom.4:8 Blessed is the man [the person] to whom the Lord will not impute sin. Paul employs the term "impute" for addressing both sin and righteousness. God does not "impute" sin to our account before Him. Our sins will never be held against us when we believe in the gospel message that Christ died for our sins and rose for our justification. ‘The man’, is a description of anyone to whom God does not reckon a sinner. This holds for anyone who believes that God justifies through faith. The principle is that God has declared that sin will not be held against the man who has chosen to believe in the redeeming work of His Son, because through that work, sin is nailed to the cross and the righteousness of Christ is imputed in its place. This is the blessedness that David proclaims upon such fortunate ‘men’. ______________ Join my WhatsApp channel to receive these quick Bible lessons on your phone: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaGag8iJP212QPSMmx2W

The difference is clear to see in these verses: POSITIONAL:  God’s righteousness imputed to us through faith in Christ and received the instant we are saved. Rom_3:22  Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: Rom_4:5  But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Rom_8:10  And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. See also: Rom_5:17-18; Rom_5:21; Rom_8:10. PRACTICAL:  Righteousness produced out of us by obedience to the Word (See Rom_8:13). Rom_6:13  ...but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. Rom_8:4  That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. See also: Rom_6:16; Rom_6:18...

In Romans, Paul tells of the "abundance of grace" and "the gift of righteousness" (Rom.5:17) bestowed by God to those who believe in His Son for salvation. The Bible tells us that no one is blameless before God without this gift of grace. Paul writes, "There is none righteous, not even one," showing his empathy for those trying to establish their own righteousness (Rom.10:3), which is futile without saving grace. He points to Abraham, who "believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness" (Rom.4:3). This foreshadowed Christ's atoning death, through which righteousness is now declared and offered to all. "While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Rom.5:8), and "God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him" (2Cor.5:21). This righteousness, however, is a gift accessed through faith, for "the one who does not work but believes in Him w...

Are there consequences to my sins if I am saved? (Part 2) As believers, the consequences of our sins are the results of our actions on earth, such as imprisonment for breaking the law or suffering physically if we abuse substances. These consequences are a result of our own actions and not God judging us for disobedience. God is not counting sins against us today, 2Cor.5:19. He has already freed us from sin's eternal penalty, but the temporary consequences of our fleshly behaviours are of our own doing and part of the law of reaping what we sow. Rom 6:16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?  Though we have God's grace, our connection to God and our spiritual well-being is harmed each time we obey sin. God would prefer that we obey righteousness and grow spiritually. To overcome sin, we should renew our minds with the Word and obey its internal influence...

REACTION: You claim: “The only thing that removes God’s wrath and allows Him to justify us is to believe in the cross of Jesus.” Let's test it! If it's true then Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Noah, etc are all gonna burn in hell because they failed to believe in the cross of Jesus. REPLY: They do not belong to this dispensation. How could they believe in the cross when it was not yet made known. The gospel for Noah was to believe God and build the ark. Because he did, he and his family were saved, Heb 11:7. Similarly, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, etc… all obtained righteousness for believing the words that God spoke to them. Read Heb.11. In our dispensation, the gospel is to believe in the death and resurrection of Jesus. By this we are imputed the righteousness of Christ, and we have peace with God. Any other way to obtain righteousness will fail because that is not what God instructed. Thus the ‘claim’ I wrote above stands, not because I say so, but because it is recorded as such i...