Romans | Lecture 2 : BC303-Rom-20260811

No. Yes. Welcome back after break. Any questions that you have what was explained in the first hour? Any questions? Any doubts? Anything you didn't understand? Anything you want me to explain again? Silence. >> [gasps] >> No, nothing? Online students? Renita, Sonia. >> All great, ma'am. Enjoying the class. >> Okay. Thank you, Sonia. Renita, any doubts? Okay, nothing. Soubhagya? Samuel? Julian? Nice to have all of you back in the class. Shubham? Boaz is also there, right? >> Yes, ma'am. >> Yes. All the people. Boaz, Dine- Dine- Oh, Dinesh and Sukesh are here. Jeevan? Yes. Rajesh? Sarmistha? Shivram? Shri Raj? Sugat? Vinay? Nice. Nice to have you all in-person students, you know, faithfully joining the last um this is the fifth semester, no? Four semesters. Really good job. I appreciate all of you, you know, really going at it, not giving up. It's amazing. Yeah, it's God's grace. But also it's you you are in partnership with that, right? It's God's grace, but you're also doing your job and really admire all of you. Yes, good. Okay. So, let's uh continue. >> Let me Pastor ask a question. >> Yes. >> I have been seeing on some of your your information elsewhere that the course we do is 4 years. I I don't understand. I see 4 years, I hear 3 years when you come to class. I don't know which is which. >> Yes, actually now this semester we uh I am also not too uh sure of it. It was just informed to us by the principal that they're going to have a 4-year uh course, bachelor's in honors course. So, I think uh I'll I'll ask Pastor Nancy and then Pastor Nancy can write to all the students and explain in detail. Okay? >> Thank you. So, we are not very sure that we are in the final year. >> [laughter] >> That's a good question. >> [gasps] >> If you want to do your honors, then maybe you have now an option of doing the fourth year. So, I'll I'll ask her to uh you know, write to all of you and let you know. It's something that we are also not uh aware of or we don't have much details ourselves. But I think we can just ask her to um you know, inform all of us so we know. Yeah. >> I looked at to uh that program to uh Pastor Serina. It was on the website. It said honors program. So, that will be the fourth year program. So, I was also considering to do it. >> Yeah, I think it's an option that you have. You can be in your uh final year in our diploma, you can get, right? So, what you get, right now, after your 3 years? Your bachelor's or Oh, your bachelor's. The diploma you get Uh that is honors. This is bachelor's. Okay. So, you get your bachelor certificate anyway. But if you still want to do an honors, you can do another additional year. Yeah. So, you can consider this as your final year in your bachelor's. But if you still want to do an honors, you can still do another additional year. Yeah. So, we can ask her to actually let us all know right to you all and inform you. Or like Renita said, it's on the website, maybe, so you can just check it out. Pastor Nancy explained? Oh, she explained in the orientation? Yes. Friday Friday orientation. In the student guidelines as well. Okay. Yeah. So, it's a choice that you can do. You can You can graduate now from your diploma. Uh sorry, in your bachelor's. You can uh graduate in your bachelor's now in your third year after you finish this semester and the next semester. But if you want to still do another honors bachelor's of honors, you can you can do an additional 1 year. Yeah. I'm not I will not be honored to teach in the honors. >> [laughter] [gasps] >> No, I don't think I'll be there. Yes. Okay. So, let's look at some things to keep in mind. Okay. I hope I answered your question, Samuel. >> Yes. Yes. Yeah, sure. Thank you. >> Yeah. Welcome. Thank you. Some things to keep in mind when we are studying the book or reading the book of Ephesus. Okay? Like I said, all scriptures inspired by God. So, everything that Paul writes here is through the revelation inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Revelation from the Lord Jesus from the Lord Jesus what he was teaching and he was preaching, which is also written to us in this and the other epistles that Paul writes. However, in writing the revelation down, there's always the style and the presentation of the author himself, right? So, it's not that the Holy Spirit is um saying things and everything is written, you know, it Yeah, it is written as the Holy Spirit says it, but it's the way it's presented in the style it's presented is all depends on the author, right? So, the author has a lot to do with the style and the presentation of what the Holy Spirit reveals or inspires the author to write. So, what do we mean that you know, Paul writes in his own style and presentation is we see that Paul was a scholar, right? He was highly educated man. He studied under one of some of the best Hebrew teachers and one of them during his time was Gamaliel and we know that Paul was very well taught and read uh the Old Testament Torah, the Old Testament he knew it very well because he was taught by really good uh teachers. Um So, when you read the book of Romans and also if you read other books, I don't know if you notice not only Paul's revelation that the Holy Spirit reveals to him, but also or the divine inspiration that is there, but also we see the way he presents it, right? This logical reasoning and present The way he present presents it there is logical reasoning. It's not like, okay, the Holy Spirit says something you write it and people will say, "Oh, this is God. We can't understand what God is saying." So, it's it's God inspiring him, but the way he writes it is very well it's in human logical terms. He's arguing, he's reasoning, he's presenting, and so we see all that comes through his writing. So, when you read Romans, you will see how well actually Paul is reasoning, thinking, understanding, and how he presents it so beautifully, so smartly actually. Like when when I was I teach Romans all these years like I always stand amazed and say, "Wow, you know, how he presents what the Holy Spirit has revealed to him." So, yes, Roman is the book of Romans is very scholarly, you know, it's like we are chewing or eating on something that is scholarly and there's a lot of a logic means logic means you know, you know what is logic, right? It's not abstract that you can't understand. Something that you can reason, you can think. And actually, he's thinking and reasoning along with the Jews and the Gentiles and along with the the believers, the saints, the human as a human being he's reasoning and the sun. So, you like, "Wow, he's really presented it so well." Okay? So, that is something that we need to keep in mind even as you read the book of Romans. The other thing is there's a lot of reference to the Old Testament scriptures or you know, or the concepts that he presents in the book of Romans. This is because Paul is very scholarly um in the Old Testament scriptures. So, here he's writing by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit is bringing out things both from the Old Testament, okay, and few things from the New Testament, but mostly from the Old Testament, and helping us New Testament believers who are people on the other side of the cross, okay, to understand, you know, the meaning of all the things that was written in the Old Testament. So, Paul is presenting a lot of Old Testament scripture and he's saying, "See this. See this. See this." And this is all presented to people who, you know, who are on the other side of the cross, the New Testament believers, to say, "Hey, this is what it meant. This is what God was saying. See that is in fulfillment now. This is what God was intending to do. This is what in God was intending or meaning to say." And he's trying to get them to understand because he's mainly writing to Jews and he's helping them to reason because they know the Old Testament very, very well. So, he's bringing out things that the Old Testament is inspiring him by revelation from the Old Testament and helping us New Testament believers who are people on the other side of the cross, helping us understand all the meanings of those the the why what why it was what it was intended for, you know, what is God trying to say. And so, you will find a lot of reference to Old Testament scriptures. And I think he uses the Old Testament scriptures also to consolidate his reason, his argument, his presentation. Because without that, then Jews will not believe, right? They will not give in to his argument. They will not give in to his reasoning. They will not give in to his presentation. So, he very beautifully brings out the Old Testament and gets them to understand, okay? So, also we see that when you read the book of Ephesus, something that you need to keep in mind is in the church at Rome there were many Jews and Gentile believers, okay? The Jewish believers were thinking that, "Hey, we embraced Christianity. Now, what about Judaism? What will happen to Judaism? They're Jews, right? So, they think about their own people or their own religion. What about Judaism? We become Christians now, what about Judaism? And what about Israel? Now, the church is God is looking at the church, they're talking about the church. The church is now taking over the place of Israel that was, you know, majorly talked about in the Old Testament. So, what about Judaism and what about Israel? And the Gentile believers are saying or thinking, you know, "Hey, we have embraced Jesus Christ. But what about Jewish brothers? Am I also becoming part of Judaism? What am I part of? Am I a part of Jews, Judaism, Christianity, Jesus? So, what is the whole relationship, okay? So, Paul is addressing both the people and helping them by addressing the Christian faith and helping them to grow in the Christian faith, the Christian doctrines, and in the Christian church. Another thing that we need to keep in mind as we read this letter that it is a letter. Right? And it's not And it's a When you write a letter, it's a con- tinuous Yes or no? A letter is something that is continuous. And the the breakup of chapter and verse is just for our convenience, for our reference. But when Paul writes it, he doesn't write it as a book, but he writes it as a letter, okay? So, a letter is a continuous developmental development of thought and revelation. Yes or no? You know, a thought that comes, you're building on that thought, and then you bring in some other thought, then you continue with the thought. You're trying to explain this thought, so you're bringing in something else, and then you continue with the thought, okay? So, we need to understand that when we're reading the book of Romans that it is a letter, okay? And we need to keep in mind something called a forward and a backward look, okay? So, what is introduced initially in say chapter 1 will actually be built up or explained further in the later chapters, okay? Not only in the book of Romans, but also in other books when you study, it's important to have a forward and a backward look, because something that the author says in chapter 1 or chapter 5, he would clarify that, speak on it, build on it later in some other chapters, or he would have spoken about that in the previous chapter, so you have the forward and the backward look. So, something in that we study initially in chapter 1 would be further explained or built on later. So, while interpreting something in an earlier chapter, we need to also have a forward look. That means we have to go ahead, look at few chapters, and you know, understand what he's trying to say in the fullness or the wholeness and not just taking that verse in isolation and interpreting it. That's when we have make a wrong or misinterpretation of what the writer is saying, okay? So, while we are interpreting something in the earlier chapters, we do so with a forward look, okay? And what is developed later on, so that it stays aligned to the whole truth of what is being presented by the author. Similarly, when you're interpreting something later on, say in chapter 6 or 7 or chapter 12 or 13, you have to maintain a backward look. That means you look back on what the author has written in the previous chapters or in the introduction chapters that will help us to understand on what he has talked about that specific doctrine or subject previously. And when we do this consistently, you know, it's we will be able to interpret scripture in the right way. You know, we'll be able to understand everything the author has intended to tell us, everything the Holy Spirit is trying to reveal to us through the inspiration of, you know, how he's inspired the writers to write. So, it's important that we have this forward and the backward look. Okay? Now, what to expect through the study of Romans? Okay, when you're studying Romans, it you'll have a clear understanding of the gospel of Jesus Christ, like I already said. We will grasp what the gospel truly is and we will understand the significance of the gospel in our own lives. That we are sinners, that Christ died for us, that he rose up again, and whoever believes in him will receive forgiveness of sins. Another thing to expect in the study of Romans is a revelation of life-transforming truths. Right? So, even as we dive into the book of Romans, we will study some profound truths that has the power to transform our lives. So, are you ready for that? Right? Right? Okay. We will learn what it means to be a recipients of his abundant grace and righteousness. And this will transform our relationship with God. We will learn how to walk free from sin, so that sin will no longer have dominion over us. We will learn how to walk in the spirit and keep our flesh in subject. We will also learn about the immeasurable love of God and that nothing can separate us from the love of God. Amen. And we will also live out learn how we can live our everyday life as believers and how all our relationships are affected by our personal transformation that we have received through Jesus Christ. So, in this book there is doctrine, there is teaching but this teaching which Paul gives us in Romans is going to be life transforming or life changing. So, the whole purpose is to bring about change, transformation in our lives and it will happen even as you allow the Holy Spirit to work in your lives and you are open to listening and being attentive to as even as we study the book of Romans, okay? Also, it's a personal transformation by the power of the Holy Spirit, okay? So, here what we're reading is not the intellect of a human being, not the knowledge of a human being who is well educated but it is somebody who's writing it under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, okay? So, the Spirit of God who has revealed these truths will also reveal these truths to us and bring us to a place of personal transformation and growth, okay? So, in essence we see that Romans is serves not only as a theological masterpiece okay, but it's also guide for spiritual growth. It's also something that can fuel our personal life transformation in us, okay? And it encourages believers to embrace the grace, the love of God and submit to his lordship and live out of the implications of the gospel in their daily lives. So, even as we go through this study, just soak in it apply it and it will be life transforming, okay? So, with that we will begin studying chapter 1. Before that, any questions? Any questions? No, online students, any questions? We can turn to Romans chapter 1 in our Bibles. No questions? Okay. Please keep in mind all that I have explained to you in the introduction. It's very, very important, okay? Because we're studying as we study this book. Okay. Uh what would you like? You'd like to read the whole chapter through once and then we study it verse by verse or we just start beginning to study it verse by verse? Just start studying it verse by verse? Okay, no one want to read the whole chapter. Okay, fine. Okay. Okay. So, um chapter 1 verse 1. Okay, can somebody read that, please? I think online students have to read because our in-person students, the mic is not ready. Oh, it's ready? Okay, read, dear. Romans chapter 1 verse 1. >> Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God. >> Amen. So, like almost all or every other New Testament letter, we see an open introduction. And the introduction is basically from whom is the letter and who is the audience that the letter is being addressed to or whom the letter is written to and then an introduction of the subject of the letter or reason for why this letter is being written is mentioned in almost, you know, every other epistle or every other letter in the New Testament. So, here again Paul starts by saying, "Paul and he calls himself as a bond servant of Jesus Christ. And what does he say? Called to be an apostle and separated by separated of the gospel of to the gospel of God. So, look at how Paul is introducing himself. Okay? Now, most believers at Rome have been met uh Paul, except that they would have heard something about Paul from Aquila and Priscilla and maybe others. But, he says, "Paul, a bond servant." So, why does he use this word bond servant? It's a word? Okay, when it's a bond servant is something when a servant or a slave willingly wants to serve their master. Very good. Bond servant, where do we read bond servant? Where else do we read the about bond servant? >> In the Old Testament, in Leviticus. >> Yes, you read about a bond servant. Thank you, Julian. In the Old Testament, right? So, he's borrowing from the Old Testament. And what do we understand of bond servant from the Old Testament? You know, a bond servant is someone, you know, who is subject to their master for work for the rest of their lives. Okay? Now, every seventh year in the life of the Israelites or the Jews or in the year of Jubilee, which is a 50th year, a bond servant or a slave was free to go. The owners had to release them, set them free. Every 7 years or the 50th as Jubilee, they were free to go. But if some of the bond servants or the slaves, sorry, some of the servants or the slaves, they say no, you know, I love my master. You know, he's taking care of me. Well, he's taking care of my family. I have a family now and I feel part of their family and he has not treated me like a servant or like a slave and he has treated me well and he's taking care of my family. You know, I want to be their servant or slave for the rest of my life and they're willing to say stay there, then, you know, they're they're saying that they're willingly subject subjecting themselves to their master and they decided to stay with their master, then the master will put a ring on their ear to show that they are a bond servant for the rest of their life for their master. So, they have a ring that will put on their ears and that shows that they are a bond servant. That means they have willingly chosen to serve their master for the rest of their life. They willingly chosen to submit themselves to their master for the rest of their life and they choose to take the mark of the bond servant in their life. So, a bond servant is something that Paul has chosen for him self. Yes or no? Has God made him a bond servant? No, it is something that Paul chooses by saying that there's something, you know, that I want to do to God, that I'm willingly submitting myself, yielding myself to be a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ for the rest of my life to serve him the rest of my life. But, there is something else that God has called him to be, right? Paul has chosen for himself to be a bond servant, but there is something that God has called Paul to be. And what is that? What does he call him to be? An apostle. And what does an apostle mean? A sent one. So, Paul is saying that he's sent to represent whom? Represent the gospel, represent Jesus Christ. So, he's saying, Paul is saying that Christ is sending me to represent his kingdom, okay? And then look at what he says. He says he's separated to the gospel of God. Verse one, the latter part of verse one, separated to the gospel of God. Now, in Paul's writing, you will find these three words which are very, very important. What is the first word? Bond servant. What else? Apostle, of being called, and being separated. So, these three things, bond servant, being called, and being separated. So, Paul really saw himself as somebody who was separated or set apart for the gospel of God, okay? Now, we must understand this word separated in the context of what Paul is writing. For Paul, to be separated was something a big thing. You might think, you know, I'm also separated for the gospel, right? I'm also separated myself and, you know, set myself apart for God. So, what is a big thing? But, for Paul, when he writes this, he's writing it in a specific understanding in a specific context. For Paul, being separated was a very, very big thing. Why? Because the first 30 years of his life, he was a very, very zealous Jew, right? He was very zealous for his Jewish faith. That is why he was going around persecuting all the believers in of Jesus Christ, right? And he was trained in Judaism, right? And we read in Philippians chapter 3, he says, "I was a Pharisee of Pharisee." Why does he say I was a Pharisee of Pharisee? Which means that he was a most eminent student and an upcoming Pharisee. That means he's saying I've studied so much. Now I'm going to be an upcoming Pharisee. Like to be a Pharisee is something really really big, okay? So his whole life and his identity was that that I'm a Jew. You know, I'm a Pharisee. I'm well educated. Now I'm going to become this eminent Pharisee, okay? So his whole life and identity was in that anything that was strengthening that identity, he was willing to even kill or put away or destroy. That is why he was going around, you know, persecuting, putting believers in prison, even some of them even being, you know, put to death. Right? So he he says, "I gave up all of that." See, 30 years of giving up all of that, and he's saying I've come out to proclaim a different message, totally different message. Something that I did not believe in, something that I was not taught. Totally different message. I have left out everything and I've come to proclaim a different message. And for that for him that was a really big thing. Right? So if you talk to some unbelievers, they will be so zealous about, you know, preaching and teaching the word of God compared to me who was born and raised up in a Christian family. Why? Because they said they didn't know this truth. You know, they were believing other things for so many other so many years and they don't want others to live in the same blindness. They want people to know the truth and they are so passionate. They are so zealous. The way they read God's word is like, you know, "My gosh, this is like real treasure. This is like real richness." You know, compared to when some of us read God's word, we are so acquainted with the Bible, right? So, for Paul, that was something that was a big thing. So, in Philippians chapter 3, he says, "Everything I gained, I consider as loss." That means everything that he's taught, read, his identity, his upbringing, and who he thought he was, everything he says he considered is at loss. You know, he considers his as rubbish for one reason and what is that? To gain Christ. So, he's saying, "I have gained something that is yes, bigger, but I had to also leave some things." And for him, being separated was something really, really uh big and something that he could really identify with uh compared to some of us who were born and raised up in um, you know, in in in a family that are full of believers. So, uh the word separated for him was really great, okay? Now, look at what he says. He says, "Separated to what?" You're separated to what? The gospel of God. So, look at how he refers to the gospel. Okay? Or how he shares it in in in different contexts. If you read Romans chapter 1, he says, "The gospel of verse 1, gospel of God." If you look at Romans chapter 15 verse 16, he also says, "Gospel of God." If you look at Romans chapter 1 verse 9, what does he say? "The gospel Look at Romans chapter 1 verse 9. Gospel of his son." Look at verse 16 of the same chapter. Gospel of Christ. If you look at Romans 15 verses 19 and 29, again he talks about the gospel of Christ. What does he say in verse chapter 2 verse 16? My gospel. Romans chapter 16 verse 25, he also says my gospel. Why does Paul refer to the gospel as my gospel? Think what we just said in in the first hour. Why does he say my gospel? Is it his gospel? Why does he say my gospel? Very good. He received it directly by revelation from God himself. He was taught by God himself, the Holy Spirit himself. And look at what he says in Romans chapter 10 verse 15. Gospel of peace. So, for us, what is the meaning of gospel? Gospel means good news, right? Gospel means good news. But for Paul, his understanding of the gospel was not just that it's good news. It was very the very comprehensive way. In our minds, when we say, you know, the gospel is what we share with sinners, and it's another you know, and it's through which, you know, others receive salvation. But for Paul, it wasn't just not a good news. It was the message where everything started for him in his life. Everything started there. Right? It's a gospel or the message of God that he received. It's a gospel or the message of Jesus Christ that he received on the road to Damascus. And it's a gospel or message which he is preaching. And it's a gospel or message that brings peace into the lives of people. So, for him, you see, gospel is not just like what we mean, like just good news that we share with unbelievers or sinners, and they receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. For him, the gospel is everything. It is something that started there, and it continues for him. So, it's a big thing, okay? So, if you look at your notes, also listed in your notes are other titles, you know, the gospel of the kingdom, Matthew 4:23, gospel of Jesus Christ, Mark chapter 1 verse 1, gospel of the grace of God, Acts chapter 20 verse 24, the gospel of the glory of Christ, 2 Corinthians chapter 4 verse 4, and the gospel for the uncircumcised, the gospel for the circumcised, Galatians chapter 2 verse 7. So, why does he say about this gospel? Or what does he say about this gospel? Sorry, what does he say about this gospel? >> [clears throat] >> What does he say about the gospel? Come on, look at verse 1. What does he say? What does he say about the gospel? Yeah, he says it was for the gospel for which he was separated. Which he is preaching, you know, which is the gospel of his son, and is the and he's preaching the gospel of peace which was promised through the prophets, okay? So, um let's go on to verse two. Can somebody read verse two, please? >> Which he promised before through his >> you can read, sorry, verse 1 and 2 together. Yeah. Okay. >> Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separate to the gospel of God, which he promised before through his prophet in in the in the holy holy scriptures. >> Amen. So, what is he saying? He's talking about what here in verse two. Read properly. Read. It's a continuation. It's a letter. Don't separate verse one and two. What is he talking about in verse two? >> He is continuing to talk about the gospel and >> Yes. Very good. >> that it had been promised through the prophets in the scriptures. He's talking He's going back to the Old Testament. >> Yes, very good. So, he's actually talking about the gospel. And he's saying the gospel was there where? In the Old Testament. And it was proclaimed by whom? Prophets where? In the Old Testament. Okay, that is the holy scriptures in the Old Testament. So, the message Paul is preaching is a message of the good news which was promised through the prophets. It was proclaimed through the prophets when? Right in the Old Testament. It was not only promised, but also proclaimed in the Old Testament by the prophets, right? So, when we think about the gospel, we think gospel was proclaimed when? New in the New Testament, right? When Jesus came. But here, Paul is saying the gospel was promised in the and proclaimed and pro- promised in the Old Testament through the prophets. And notice how he mentions about the Old Testament. What does he say about the Old Testament? How does he mention the holy about the Old Testament? Holy scriptures, right? When he's referring to the Old Testament, he's referring it to as holy scriptures. So, we see the regard Paul has for the Old Testament. He's saying the Old Testament is holy scriptures. Some of us regard the Old Testament as old and the New Testament as holy scriptures, but he's saying, "Hey, the Old Testament is holy scriptures." And in the Old Testament, the prophets were promising of the good news that was coming. That is the coming of whom? Jesus, right. So, we see in verse two Paul's understanding that the gospel he was preaching or the gospel we are preaching is not today is not something new. It's something spoken of in the Old Testament, and we see Paul's heart for the Old Testament when he says that it is holy scripture. Amen. Right? Okay. So, let's continue. When we look at the scriptures, how do we consider the scriptures? Do we consider it as holy? It's a question that we need to ask ourselves. Sometimes we are so familiar with the scriptures that we don't even consider it as holy, set apart. That means it's His God's word. Is it truth? Sometimes we doubt it. Sometimes the word of God corrects us, rebukes us, teaches us, trains us, encourages us, helps us, and guides us, but we're not willing to see that as something that is holy scripture, that is spoken by God, something real. Hold on to it, speak it, stand on it, and it has to come through in our lives. But look at how Paul looks at it as holy scriptures, right? Okay, let's any doubt so far? Yes, Alita. >> Ma'am, is there Holy Spirit in the Old Testament? >> The mention of the Holy Spirit? >> Uh >> Holy Spirit is present >> in the Old Testament? >> Yes, you read you study the whole course on Holy Spirit, right? You've seen the work of the Holy Holy Spirit in the Old Testament. How the Holy Spirit came on certain people, certain for specific time when they were had God appointed roles, you know, and when they fulfill that role like kings and judges and rulers and all that how it the Holy Spirit empowered them, how the Holy Spirit empowered Bezalel to even build the tabernacle and do all the furniture, you know, it was all through the power of the Holy Spirit. Yes. How the Holy Spirit spoke to them, led them, guided them, enabled them. So, work of the Holy Spirit. Is that your question? >> Yes, ma'am. >> Okay. So, I think you go back to you have your own notes on Holy the Holy Spirit. You go back and read this. A whole I think a whole chapter on the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament, right? Yes. Yeah. Also, the Holy we see that in Genesis, you know, chapter one, God said, "Let us make Let us" and the us is in capital U, "make man in our own image." God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. Yes. Yeah. Okay. Can somebody read verses three and four? >> Concerning his son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to this flesh, according to the flesh, and declared to be the son of God with power according to the spirit of holiness by the resurrection from the dead. Amen. So, the gospel is about whom? Yes, the gospel is about Jesus Christ. So, in relation to Jesus Christ, Paul mentions two things. What are the two things that he mentions here in relation to Jesus Christ? Look at the What are the two things? Verse three. He was born >> the first. >> Yes. He was born in the seed of David >> [clears throat] >> according to the >> flesh >> flesh. That means he's talking about his the natural man. Okay? And then? Okay, so he was in the natural according to the flesh, he came as a descendant of David. Okay? And why is he mentioning this here? Why do you think Paul is mentioning this here? Why should he mention that he was born the seed of David according to the flesh? Look at the previous verse. >> Jews the good spell. >> Sorry, Julian. Can you say that again, please? >> I am saying for the sake of the Jews. >> Okay, because he's writing to the Jews for the sake of the Jews. Smart answer, okay? >> He was talking about like the promise. >> Yes, he was talking about the promises, all the prophets, and what they prophesied. So, he's he's saying that because this is important because it was in fulfillment of all the scriptures, the Old Testament prophecies and the promises that were made in the Holy Scriptures, that is the Old Testament. So, the Old Testament prophecies were talking about the Messiah or Jesus who would come in the root of David or root of David means what? Line of David, the the offspring of David, generations of David. So, they were pointing to some son coming in the line of David. And so, Paul is saying that this Jesus is is that person that they were prophesying about, prophesying about, okay, and promising about that he would come in the seed of David, okay? Then what does it say? But who was he truly? In the natural, he was the seed of David, but who was he truly? The son of God, okay? And how do we know that he's a son of God? Look at that same verse, verse four. How do we know he's a son of God? He came, yes, because he came with the power in the spirit of holiness and he was raised from the dead. Amen. Now, the how is the Holy Spirit referred here? Verse four, how is the Holy Spirit referred to us? >> This video look at it. >> Spirit of holiness. >> Yes, the spirit of holiness. The Holy Spirit is referred to as the spirit of holiness. So, we need to think of the Holy Spirit as the spirit of holiness. You know, we uh use the phrase holy a Holy Spirit like it's just like some other person's name. Right? Holy Spirit is not just another name we use almost commonly. Okay? But, you know, when we use that name very commonly, it loses all reverence. All meaning is lost. For us, Holy Spirit can mean the name of the spirit of God. It can mean another person in the Trinity, the third person in the Trinity. It can mean the name of God, okay? Or one of the uh uh the persons in the Godhead, okay? So, that title can come very easily for us. But when we turn it around and say Spirit of Holiness, it actually causes us to pause. Right? So, when I talk of Holy Spirit, I'm talking about whom? The spirit of holiness, right? Not only is he holy, but his presence is holiness because he's a spirit of holiness, right? So, when we do that as a church, you know, when we have the sense of holiness, you know, when we have the sense of the awe of God, you know, uh we would also have greater reverence for him. You know, when we do church, what do we do? There is no sense of holiness, right? Or there is no sense of awe of God because we're so used to God. We're so used to say Holy Spirit, come, you know, just fill this room. It's like I have to say we're commanding somebody, you know, to just come, fill the room, do his work. Of course, some of us, you know, inviting him, doing it uh you know, can also do it as a ritual, can say things. But we speak so much of the Holy Spirit, we welcome him, but do we do it sometimes, you know, with a with a sense of reverence? Or do we sometimes do it with the least sense of holiness and reverence that we have for the person of the Holy Spirit, okay? There has to be a sense of consecration, a sense of holiness when we you know, when we talk about the Holy Spirit, um um a sense of holiness we walk in because we're saying, "Spirit of holiness, come." You know, "Spirit of holiness, move among us. Spirit of holiness, work among us." See? That's when we have a greater reverence for the Holy Spirit. So, you see how Paul has reverence for the Old Testament Scripture by calling it holy scripture, and the reverence he has for the Holy Spirit by calling it the spirit of holiness. He could have just used Holy Spirit, right? He's saying the spirit of holiness. That everything about the God is holiness, right? You you you learned that course on holiness, right? Holiness is the deep core aspect of the nature of God. And out of that flows his goodness. Out of that flows his righteousness. Out of that flows his love. So, his love is holy, his goodness is holy, his faithfulness is holy, his righteousness is holy, his faithfulness is holy. Everything that he does stems of flows out of that core attribute of who he is, that is holiness. Right? So, when you think about the goodness of God, you just don't think, "Okay, God is being good." But you need to think even in that goodness there is holiness. Even in that faithfulness of God, there is holiness. That means it's perfect. God's goodness in your life is what? Just perfect, right? Because it stems from that core attribute of who he is of holiness. So, when we do church there is no sense of holiness, there is no sense of all of God. You know, we speak so much of the holiness speak so much of the Holy Spirit. We welcome him, but we do that sometimes with the least sense of reverence or holiness for him. Okay? So, there has to be some sense of consecration, a sense of holiness we walk in because we're saying spirit of holiness come. Spirit of holiness move among us. Spirit of holiness work amongst us. So, when we say spirit of holiness there's a greater meaning, right? We're not just saying Holy Spirit come like somebody come do your work. You're saying spirit of holiness, the holy God. Okay? So, this is just a side thought about the Holy Spirit. But, the main thought is that Jesus Christ was proclaimed, announced, and revealed as whom? Son of God and with power according to the spirit of holiness by the resurrection from the dead. So, there are two things here. Okay? The Son of God with power and the Son of God by the resurrection from the dead. Okay? And both point to whom? Jesus as the Son of God. So, he's talking about Jesus in the natural, the seed of David, but he's also saying, "Hey, the same Jesus is not just somebody who's a man, you know, but he's also the Son of God." Why? Because the Son of God who came in power, the Son of God who was resurrected by the from the dead by the spirit of holiness. Any questions so far? We'll stop at verse five four. Any questions? So, think about what we learned today. You know, how we regard scripture and how we regard the spirit of holiness. Hold them or hold the Bible with reverence and awe and also the Holy Spirit. Okay? Any questions? No? Okay, we'll end class and I'll see you next week. Till then have a good week. And I'll see you next Tuesday. Thank you everyone. >> Thank you, Pastor. It was a beautiful class. >> Thank you. >> Mhm. >> Thank you.