Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey, welcome back to Beyond Sunday.
I'm Pastor Nick and I amthrilled to guide you through an
in-depth exploration of theApostles Paul's letters to the
Romans.
That is what we're diving in atchurch on Sundays, and I will
spend some time on the podcastthroughout this year talking
through Romans probably notevery week, hitting everything
that we talk about, but I dowanna highlight some things as
(00:20):
we go.
Currently I'm sitting it'sseven o'clock at night.
I'm sitting it's seven o'clockat night.
I'm sitting at my daughter'ssoccer practice in my car and it
is 62 degrees outside.
So I told my daughter you areon your own, I'm going to record
a podcast.
You guys get to hang out withme tonight Now, when we talk
about Romans.
This book isn't just atheological treatise.
It's a revolutionary call tolife in Christ that challenges
(00:41):
believers to think deeply abouttheir faith.
This isn't easy reading.
This isn't the light and fluffystories that you might get in
other places.
This is some deep, just momentsof Paul pouring out his heart
about the gospel, and one of thethings I love about this is
that Paul actually didn't writeit.
He is the author of Romans, buthe had a scribe writing and
(01:03):
Paul is able to just think outloud and passionately, talk
about what's going on, and Ilove that, because sometimes
that gives us a more raw filterof what he's wanting and passion
, rather than the edited words,and I love that.
I want you to keep that in yourmind as we study this year.
But today we're also going tonot only look at the
introduction to the rich themesof Romans, but also offer a
(01:31):
primer on how to effectivelystudy any book of the Bible.
Plus, we'll explore how we cantruly rely on the Bible as the
infallible Word of God, a topicwe're tackling in this week's
theology email.
If you don't get that email, Isend it out Monday.
You can go to nick-williamscomand subscribe to the newsletter.
I send those out almost everyMonday.
That's nic-williamscom.
Would love for you to join meon this journey as we dive into
(01:51):
theology through the newsletter.
But we'll do a little bit ofeverything on here on the
podcast.
Whether you're looking torefresh your faith or deepen
your understanding, today'sepisode will equip and inspire
you.
So let me first start with justthat introduction to Romans.
Romans is often considered thecornerstone of Christian
theology.
It's written by Paul to addressboth the Jewish and Gentile
(02:15):
believers in Rome.
That's important to remember aswell, because when he's writing
to two extremely differentgroups of people the Jewish
people were the rule followers,the ones that were counting
steps, the Gentiles they didn'tknow any of the rules.
Hence he's got some divisionamongst churches in general
because of that.
Now, the interesting thing andI'll talk about this on Sunday
(02:37):
is Paul, at this point in hisministry, hadn't been to Rome.
He's writing to the church inRome, but he had never actually
been there.
He had just heard about whatwas happening there, which is
interesting because oftentimeswhen he writes, he's writing to
churches that he planted placeshe had already visited, but this
one, and he says it in theopening chapter of Romans that
(02:58):
he had heard of all that washappening.
This letter unpacks thecomprehensive nature of the
gospel.
It addresses sin and salvationand the transformative power of
faith.
Paul constructs a meticulousargument on why both Jews and
Gentiles need the gospel forsalvation, emphasizing that
righteousness comes from God,through faith, not by human
(03:20):
effort.
Moreover, romans discusses howthis newfound righteousness
should influence our behavior.
Paul challenges his readers tolive out their faith
authentically and ethically in adiverse and often divided
community.
In today's world, where ethicaldilemmas and cultural divisions
abound.
Romans offers profound insightsinto living a life that mirrors
(03:43):
the teachings of Christ, makingit a critical study for anyone
seeking to navigate fate in acomplex world.
Let me say that in another way.
What's happening in Rome inthis day and age of the Bible is
very similar to what'shappening in our culture.
There's such division amongstpolitics, amongst Christianity,
(04:04):
amongst religions, and it wascomplex.
The ethical and culturaldivisions around the church were
massive, and even in the church, and so Paul is addressing that
.
So it makes it really a greatbook for you and I to study, to
realize how can we live out ourfaith in that same culture.
The second thing I want toaddress on this podcast is how
(04:28):
to study a book of the Bible.
Studying a book like Romansrequires a systematic approach
to fully grasp its depth.
So if you want to do that,whether it's the book of Romans
or another, you begin with acomplete read-through to
understand the overarchingmessage and structure.
If you just read the firstchapter, you may find something
later that contradicts what youthought the first chapter said,
(04:51):
because you didn't fullyunderstand the message of the
entire book.
So we always start with acomplete read-through to
understand this message andstructure the overarching theme.
This initial overview helps yousee how individual themes
interlink and build upon eachother, providing a roadmap for
deeper exploration.
Now, after you grasp the bigpicture, focus on individual
(05:13):
sections, analyze keywords andphrases.
In fact, in that firstread-through, if you see a word
or a phrase that keeps appearing, start underlining it, start
highlighting it, write it downon a notepad, explore
cross-references that illuminatethe text and consider the
historical and cultural contextthat shaped Paul's writing.
That means that sometimes, whenyou're reading a book of the
(05:35):
Bible, you need to go back andstudy what's happening in
history at that time.
Get out Google and startresearching what is happening in
this time frame.
So about AD 57, in Rome, whatwas the culture like?
What were the big issues?
If you're really going to graspthe Bible, you've got to study
more than just the words youread.
(05:55):
These are great tools to divein and see more word you read.
These are great tools to divein and see more.
Tools such as reliablecommentaries and Bible study
software can provide invaluableinsights into the historical
background, the literarystructures, the theological
implications.
I use a software called Logos.
I've had it ever since I was inseminary and have upgraded over
(06:16):
the years, but it is a great.
They have a free version of itjust a great study software to
help you have extra resources asyou study the Word of God.
Now, engaging with the text alsomeans applying it to your life.
Let me say that again when youread the Word of God, you're
also looking for application.
You're also searching yourheart on how are you gonna live
(06:38):
out these verses and thesetheological insights that you're
learning as you're reading.
So reflect on how Paul'steachings about God's grace, on
his teachings about moralintegrity, can influence your
personal and communal practices.
Discussing these applicationsin Bible study groups or online
forums can also enrich yourunderstanding and offer diverse
(07:01):
perspectives that challenge anddeepen your own interpretations.
This is why community is such abig deal.
Speaking to other people canhelp you navigate these things.
One of my close friends, joeBradshaw, is a pastor in town
that I served with a long time,and he's one of these guys.
He sees things different than Ido, and so for me, he's a great
guy for me to talk to as I readthrough scripture, because he's
(07:22):
going to have a differentinsight than I have.
I may have a different insightthan he has, and that allows us
to grow with each other.
The last thing I'll talk aboutin this section is what I talked
about on Sunday.
Another thing that you can do asyou're studying a book of the
Bible is there's a list ofquestions that you can ask
yourself.
This is not an exhaustive list,but this is a list to get you
started.
You can explore who wrote thebook.
(07:44):
Understanding the author givesus insight into the message.
For the book of Romans, that'sPaul, but you've also got
Tarshish, who is the scribewriting it down, and you study
both those people.
The second question you look atis to whom was it written?
The audience.
Once you know the audience, itshapes how we interpret the book
.
If it's written to a certaingroup of people and you
understand the issues with thosepeople or the things that
(08:06):
they're struggling with, ithelps you understand why Paul
talks about certain things overothers or talks about them a lot
more frequently.
Third thing you're going to lookat is when was it written?
We talked about this a minuteago.
The timing adds urgency andcontext, and so when you find
out when it was written, you cango back and look in history.
What was happening in that time.
Number four why was it written?
The purpose always reveals theheart of the book, and so once
(08:30):
you figure out and this is againgoing back to reading the whole
thing so you can understand whyit's being written, and Paul
talks about this and explains iton several different verses the
last question that you canwrestle with is what is the main
message?
Again, this is valuable afteryou read the whole thing.
What is it that ties the wholebook together, or the whole
(08:50):
letter together that Paul iswriting?
Now, the last thing I wannatalk to you about today is what
we talked about in this week'stheology email.
We focused on the reliability ofthe Bible, which is
foundational to everything westudy and believe.
The historical accuracy of theBible is supported by extensive
manuscript evidence andarchaeological findings that
(09:13):
corroborate its accounts.
These discoveries lend credenceto the Bible's narrative and
affirm its role as a historicaldocument.
Let me say that in a differentway.
There have been thousands ofmanuscripts found of the Bible,
and these are poured out overand over again and they're
tested against each other somehundreds of years apart, and
(09:34):
what this shows is the scribes'accuracy as they wrote.
One of the things that wouldhappen is if they were copying
down Scripture and they werevery meticulous how they would
do it.
If they made a mistake, theydestroyed that entire page and
started over again.
It wasn't just a cross throughand write something else.
They wanted it to reflect theword of God.
They took it that serious, andthe good news for us is we find
(09:57):
manuscript after manuscript andwe compare them.
The differences are minimal, ifany, and so all of a sudden we
can see the reliability overhundreds and hundreds of years
of the Scriptures not changingNow.
Furthermore, the propheticaccuracy of the Bible, where
events were predicted decades oreven centuries before they
(10:18):
occurred, reinforces the divineinspiration of the scriptures.
These prophecies, fulfilled inmeticulous detail, validate the
Bible's authority andreliability.
Personal testimonies also speakvolumes about the Bible's
impact.
Right Believers around theworld testify how scripture has
guided them through trials, hastransformed their hearts, has
(10:39):
deepened their relationship withGod.
These stories are evidence ofthe Bible's ongoing power to
change lives.
As we conclude today's episode,I want to encourage you to
embrace the study of Romans andthe Bible with a heart open to
learning and transformation.
If you're intrigued by ourdiscussion on the
trustworthiness of the Bible,want to delve deeper into
(11:00):
theological studies, don'tforget to subscribe to our
weekly theology emails.
Thank you again for joining meon Beyond Sunday.
If you found today's episodeenriching, please share it with
friends and family who mightalso be inspired.
Allow other people to hear theWord of God in different venues,
and podcasting is a great wayto do it.
Until next time, keep seekingwisdom through Scripture and let
(11:21):
your life be a testament to thetruth that you discover in the
word of God.
God bless.
Hey, welcome back to Beyond Sunday.
I'm Pastor Nick and I amthrilled to guide you through an
in-depth exploration of theApostles Paul's letters to the
Romans.
That is what we're diving in atchurch on Sundays, and I will
spend some time on the podcastthroughout this year talking
through Romans probably notevery week, hitting everything
that we talk about, but I dowanna highlight some things as
(00:20):
we go.
Currently I'm sitting it'sseven o'clock at night.
I'm sitting it's seven o'clockat night.
I'm sitting at my daughter'ssoccer practice in my car and it
is 62 degrees outside.
So I told my daughter you areon your own, I'm going to record
a podcast.
You guys get to hang out withme tonight Now, when we talk
about Romans.
This book isn't just atheological treatise.
It's a revolutionary call tolife in Christ that challenges
(00:41):
believers to think deeply abouttheir faith.
This isn't easy reading.
This isn't the light and fluffystories that you might get in
other places.
This is some deep, just momentsof Paul pouring out his heart
about the gospel, and one of thethings I love about this is
that Paul actually didn't writeit.
He is the author of Romans, buthe had a scribe writing and
(01:03):
Paul is able to just think outloud and passionately, talk
about what's going on, and Ilove that, because sometimes
that gives us a more raw filterof what he's wanting and passion
, rather than the edited words,and I love that.
I want you to keep that in yourmind as we study this year.
But today we're also going tonot only look at the
introduction to the rich themesof Romans, but also offer a
(01:31):
primer on how to effectivelystudy any book of the Bible.
Plus, we'll explore how we cantruly rely on the Bible as the
infallible Word of God, a topicwe're tackling in this week's
theology email.
If you don't get that email, Isend it out Monday.
You can go to nick-williamscomand subscribe to the newsletter.
I send those out almost everyMonday.
That's nic-williamscom.
Would love for you to join meon this journey as we dive into
(01:51):
theology through the newsletter.
But we'll do a little bit ofeverything on here on the
podcast.
Whether you're looking torefresh your faith or deepen
your understanding, today'sepisode will equip and inspire
you.
So let me first start with justthat introduction to Romans.
Romans is often considered thecornerstone of Christian
theology.
It's written by Paul to addressboth the Jewish and Gentile
(02:15):
believers in Rome.
That's important to remember aswell, because when he's writing
to two extremely differentgroups of people the Jewish
people were the rule followers,the ones that were counting
steps, the Gentiles they didn'tknow any of the rules.
Hence he's got some divisionamongst churches in general
because of that.
Now, the interesting thing andI'll talk about this on Sunday
(02:37):
is Paul, at this point in hisministry, hadn't been to Rome.
He's writing to the church inRome, but he had never actually
been there.
He had just heard about whatwas happening there, which is
interesting because oftentimeswhen he writes, he's writing to
churches that he planted placeshe had already visited, but this
one, and he says it in theopening chapter of Romans that
(02:58):
he had heard of all that washappening.
This letter unpacks thecomprehensive nature of the
gospel.
It addresses sin and salvationand the transformative power of
faith.
Paul constructs a meticulousargument on why both Jews and
Gentiles need the gospel forsalvation, emphasizing that
righteousness comes from God,through faith, not by human
(03:20):
effort.
Moreover, romans discusses howthis newfound righteousness
should influence our behavior.
Paul challenges his readers tolive out their faith
authentically and ethically in adiverse and often divided
community.
In today's world, where ethicaldilemmas and cultural divisions
abound.
Romans offers profound insightsinto living a life that mirrors
(03:43):
the teachings of Christ, makingit a critical study for anyone
seeking to navigate fate in acomplex world.
Let me say that in another way.
What's happening in Rome inthis day and age of the Bible is
very similar to what'shappening in our culture.
There's such division amongstpolitics, amongst Christianity,
(04:04):
amongst religions, and it wascomplex.
The ethical and culturaldivisions around the church were
massive, and even in the church, and so Paul is addressing that
.
So it makes it really a greatbook for you and I to study, to
realize how can we live out ourfaith in that same culture.
The second thing I want toaddress on this podcast is how
(04:28):
to study a book of the Bible.
Studying a book like Romansrequires a systematic approach
to fully grasp its depth.
So if you want to do that,whether it's the book of Romans
or another, you begin with acomplete read-through to
understand the overarchingmessage and structure.
If you just read the firstchapter, you may find something
later that contradicts what youthought the first chapter said,
(04:51):
because you didn't fullyunderstand the message of the
entire book.
So we always start with acomplete read-through to
understand this message andstructure the overarching theme.
This initial overview helps yousee how individual themes
interlink and build upon eachother, providing a roadmap for
deeper exploration.
Now, after you grasp the bigpicture, focus on individual
(05:13):
sections, analyze keywords andphrases.
In fact, in that firstread-through, if you see a word
or a phrase that keeps appearing, start underlining it, start
highlighting it, write it downon a notepad, explore
cross-references that illuminatethe text and consider the
historical and cultural contextthat shaped Paul's writing.
That means that sometimes, whenyou're reading a book of the
(05:35):
Bible, you need to go back andstudy what's happening in
history at that time.
Get out Google and startresearching what is happening in
this time frame.
So about AD 57, in Rome, whatwas the culture like?
What were the big issues?
If you're really going to graspthe Bible, you've got to study
more than just the words youread.
(05:55):
These are great tools to divein and see more word you read.
These are great tools to divein and see more.
Tools such as reliablecommentaries and Bible study
software can provide invaluableinsights into the historical
background, the literarystructures, the theological
implications.
I use a software called Logos.
I've had it ever since I was inseminary and have upgraded over
(06:16):
the years, but it is a great.
They have a free version of itjust a great study software to
help you have extra resources asyou study the Word of God.
Now, engaging with the text alsomeans applying it to your life.
Let me say that again when youread the Word of God, you're
also looking for application.
You're also searching yourheart on how are you gonna live
(06:38):
out these verses and thesetheological insights that you're
learning as you're reading.
So reflect on how Paul'steachings about God's grace, on
his teachings about moralintegrity, can influence your
personal and communal practices.
Discussing these applicationsin Bible study groups or online
forums can also enrich yourunderstanding and offer diverse
(07:01):
perspectives that challenge anddeepen your own interpretations.
This is why community is such abig deal.
Speaking to other people canhelp you navigate these things.
One of my close friends, joeBradshaw, is a pastor in town
that I served with a long time,and he's one of these guys.
He sees things different than Ido, and so for me, he's a great
guy for me to talk to as I readthrough scripture, because he's
(07:22):
going to have a differentinsight than I have.
I may have a different insightthan he has, and that allows us
to grow with each other.
The last thing I'll talk aboutin this section is what I talked
about on Sunday.
Another thing that you can do asyou're studying a book of the
Bible is there's a list ofquestions that you can ask
yourself.
This is not an exhaustive list,but this is a list to get you
started.
You can explore who wrote thebook.
(07:44):
Understanding the author givesus insight into the message.
For the book of Romans, that'sPaul, but you've also got
Tarshish, who is the scribewriting it down, and you study
both those people.
The second question you look atis to whom was it written?
The audience.
Once you know the audience, itshapes how we interpret the book
.
If it's written to a certaingroup of people and you
understand the issues with thosepeople or the things that
(08:06):
they're struggling with, ithelps you understand why Paul
talks about certain things overothers or talks about them a lot
more frequently.
Third thing you're going to lookat is when was it written?
We talked about this a minuteago.
The timing adds urgency andcontext, and so when you find
out when it was written, you cango back and look in history.
What was happening in that time.
Number four why was it written?
The purpose always reveals theheart of the book, and so once
(08:30):
you figure out and this is againgoing back to reading the whole
thing so you can understand whyit's being written, and Paul
talks about this and explains iton several different verses the
last question that you canwrestle with is what is the main
message?
Again, this is valuable afteryou read the whole thing.
What is it that ties the wholebook together, or the whole
(08:50):
letter together that Paul iswriting?
Now, the last thing I wannatalk to you about today is what
we talked about in this week'stheology email.
We focused on the reliability ofthe Bible, which is
foundational to everything westudy and believe.
The historical accuracy of theBible is supported by extensive
manuscript evidence andarchaeological findings that
(09:13):
corroborate its accounts.
These discoveries lend credenceto the Bible's narrative and
affirm its role as a historicaldocument.
Let me say that in a differentway.
There have been thousands ofmanuscripts found of the Bible,
and these are poured out overand over again and they're
tested against each other somehundreds of years apart, and
(09:34):
what this shows is the scribes'accuracy as they wrote.
One of the things that wouldhappen is if they were copying
down Scripture and they werevery meticulous how they would
do it.
If they made a mistake, theydestroyed that entire page and
started over again.
It wasn't just a cross throughand write something else.
They wanted it to reflect theword of God.
They took it that serious, andthe good news for us is we find
(09:57):
manuscript after manuscript andwe compare them.
The differences are minimal, ifany, and so all of a sudden we
can see the reliability overhundreds and hundreds of years
of the Scriptures not changingNow.
Furthermore, the propheticaccuracy of the Bible, where
events were predicted decades oreven centuries before they
(10:18):
occurred, reinforces the divineinspiration of the scriptures.
These prophecies, fulfilled inmeticulous detail, validate the
Bible's authority andreliability.
Personal testimonies also speakvolumes about the Bible's
impact.
Right Believers around theworld testify how scripture has
guided them through trials, hastransformed their hearts, has
(10:39):
deepened their relationship withGod.
These stories are evidence ofthe Bible's ongoing power to
change lives.
As we conclude today's episode,I want to encourage you to
embrace the study of Romans andthe Bible with a heart open to
learning and transformation.
If you're intrigued by ourdiscussion on the
trustworthiness of the Bible,want to delve deeper into
(11:00):
theological studies, don'tforget to subscribe to our
weekly theology emails.
Thank you again for joining meon Beyond Sunday.
If you found today's episodeenriching, please share it with
friends and family who mightalso be inspired.
Allow other people to hear theWord of God in different venues,
and podcasting is a great wayto do it.
Until next time, keep seekingwisdom through Scripture and let
(11:21):
your life be a testament to thetruth that you discover in the
word of God.
God bless.
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