Romans

In 1952, Pastor Norman Vincent Peale wrote the bestselling book The Power of Positive Thinking: The book promises you that, if you drown out negative thoughts and replace them with positive thoughts about how great you are and how successful you will be, then good things will happen. Although the message was wrong, the method was biblical. In these verses, the Apostle Paul will teach us the importance of lining up our thinking with the truth that we are dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. Listen as Pastor Josh teaches on the power of gospel thinking.

Speaker: Pastor Josh Tong
Passage: Romans 6:8-11
Series: Romans

Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin” (John 8:34). What did he mean? Is there a way out of this slavery from sin? If so, how does that affect our lives? Listen as Pastor Josh explains the Apostle Paul’s answer in these verses.

Speaker: Pastor Josh Tong
Passage: Romans 6:5-7
Series: Romans

John Newton wrote “Amazing Grace” over 250 years ago. It remains a timeless hymn because of how beautifully it captures the grace of God revealed and expressed in the gospel. In this text, the Apostle Paul writes his own reasons for why we should be amazed by grace. It has to do with how Christ’s gift was so much greater than Adam’s trespass. Listen as Pastor Josh explains.

Speaker: Pastor Josh Tong
Passage: Romans 5:15-17
Series: Romans

Why does death exist in the world? Scientific explanations can only go so far. Only theology can provide an existentially satisfying answer as well as a life-giving solution. According to this passage in Romans, any understanding of death must begin with an understanding of our relationship to the first man, Adam. Listen as Pastor Josh explains.

Speaker: Pastor Josh Tong
Passage: Romans 5:12-14
Series: Romans

John Stott once wrote that “the major hallmark of justified believers is joy, especially joy in God himself.” What are some of the gospel realities that create and cultivate this joy? What are some practical ways that we can remind ourselves of these realities and introduce them to those around us? Listen as Pastor Josh explains these verses and applies them to our lives for the sake of our joy in God.

Speaker: Pastor Josh Tong
Passage: Romans 5:9-11
Series: Romans

How do we know that God loves us? These days, the emphasis lies on God’s nearness, or God’s protection, or God’s care. But the biblical emphasis lies on the cross. The cross is both the fullest manifestation of God’s wrath against sin and the most beautiful expression of God’s love for sinners. Listen as Pastor Josh explains how contemplating the cross is meant to lead to a deeper experience of God’s love.

Speaker: Pastor Josh Tong
Passage: Romans 5:6-8
Series: Romans

Christians will suffer just like anyone else in this world. We get sick. We grieve broken relationships. We ultimately die. What should be distinct about Christians is not whether we suffer. It should be how we suffer. Listen as Pastor Josh explains how it can be that Christians suffer with joy, hope, and love.

Speaker: Pastor Josh Tong
Passage: Romans 5:3-5
Series: Romans

Fanny Crosby’s classic hymn “Blessed Assurance” expresses the confidence that Christians are meant to have in the gospel benefits that Christ has won for us. It was her attempt to capture the assurance that God intends to communicate to us in verses like Romans 5:1-2. Listen as Pastor Josh unfolds the blessed assurances in this wonderful text.

Speaker: Pastor Josh Tong
Passage: Romans 5:1-2
Series: Romans

What are the essential elements of faith? The Reformers identified three: knowledge, belief, and trust. But what does that look like in day-to-day life? In this text, the Apostle Paul gives us a powerful illustration of faith in the life of Abraham and calls us to imitate his faith as we trust God’s promise of salvation. Listen as Pastor Josh explains.

Speaker: Pastor Josh Tong
Passage: Romans 4:18-25
Series: Romans