• We left off with Paul being bound up with 2 chains and taken to the top of the Roman soldier barracks at the Temple. (Antonia Fortress)

 
ACTS 21:40
40 After he had given permission,

• By Commander Claudius Lysias who was looking for a charge to write in his report)

Paul stood on the steps and motioned with his hand to the people. When there was a great hush, he addressed them in Aramaic: (Hebrew)
 
ACTS 22
1 “Brothers and fathers, listen now to my defense before you.” 2 When they heard that he was addressing them in Aramaic, they became even quieter. 3 He continued, “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia but brought up in this city, educated at the feet of Gamaliel according to the strictness of our ancestral law. I was zealous for God, just as all of you are today.

• Galatians 1:13-14 - For you have heard about my former way of life in Judaism: I intensely persecuted God’s church and tried to destroy it. 14 I advanced in Judaism beyond many contemporaries among my people, because I was extremely zealous for the traditions of my ancestors.[1]

4 I persecuted this Way (John 14:6) to the death, arresting and putting both men and women in jail, 5 as both the high priest and the whole council of elders can testify about me. After I received letters from them to the brothers, I traveled to Damascus to arrest those who were there and bring them to Jerusalem to be punished.

• 1 Timothy 1:15 - This saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them.[2]

 
PAUL’S TESTIMONY (Acts 9)
6 “As I was traveling and approaching Damascus, about noon an intense light from heaven suddenly flashed around me. 7 I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’
8 “I answered, ‘Who are you, Lord?’
“He said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, the one you are persecuting.’ 9 Now those who were with me saw the light, but they did not hear the voice of the one who was speaking to me.

• The crowd, who believes Jesus was an imposter Messiah, and the disciples stole his body from the tomb, was listening because they have always believed and were interested in miracles.
• Jesus revealed Himself to Paul and no one else in the party.
• Remember when you came to the realization that Jesus was the Messiah?

10 “I said, ‘What should I do, Lord?’
“The Lord told me, ‘Get up and go into Damascus, and there you will be told everything that you have been assigned to do.’
11 “Since I couldn’t see because of the brightness of the light, I was led by the hand by those who were with me, and went into Damascus. 12 Someone named Ananias, a devout man according to the law, who had a good reputation with all the Jews living there, 13 came and stood by me and said, ‘Brother Saul, regain your sight.’ And in that very hour I looked up and saw him. 14 And he said, ‘The God of our ancestors has appointed you to know his will, to see the Righteous One, and to hear the words from his mouth, 15 since you will be a witness for him to all people of what you have seen and heard. 16 And now, why are you delaying? Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on his name.’
17 “After I returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, I fell into a trance 18 and saw him telling me, ‘Hurry and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about me.’
19 “But I said, ‘Lord, they know that in synagogue after synagogue I had those who believed in you imprisoned and beaten. 20 And when the blood of your witness Stephen was being shed, I stood there giving approval and guarding the clothes of those who killed him.’

• “I am the worst of sinners.”

21 “He said to me, ‘Go, because I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’”
 
PAUL’S ROMAN PROTECTION
22 They listened to him up to this point. Then they raised their voices, shouting, “Wipe this man off the face of the earth! He should not be allowed to live!”

• As soon as Paul said the word “gentiles” they turned on him.
• If Putin had the same conversion experience today, people would still turn on him.

23 As they were yelling and flinging aside their garments and throwing dust into the air, 24 the commander ordered him to be brought into the barracks, directing that he be interrogated with the scourge to discover the reason they were shouting against him like this.

• Paul was speaking in Aramaic/Hebrew and the Roman soldiers could not understand him.
• They believed that Paul was instigating/antagonizing the crowd for some reason.
• The interrogation could result in crippling or near death just to get the truth out of Paul.

25 As they stretched him out for the lash, Paul said to the centurion standing by, “Is it legal for you to scourge a man who is a Roman citizen and is uncondemned?”

• It was unlawful for a Roman citizen to be flogged/scourged without a trial.

26 When the centurion heard this, he went and reported to the commander, saying, “What are you going to do? For this man is a Roman citizen.”
27 The commander came and said to him, “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?”
“Yes,” he said.
28 The commander replied, “I bought this citizenship for a large amount of money.”

• It was most likely a bribe because Roman citizenship could not be bought.

“But I was born a citizen,” Paul said.

•  Paul was a Roman citizen by birth, and Tarsus, where Paul was born, was a free city (see Acts 21:39).
• The Emperor Pompey made Cilicia a Roman province in 64 BC, and its capital, Tarsus, was a free city from the time of Augustus.
• Although it is unknown exactly how his parents became citizens of Rome, Paul was a Roman citizen by birth, which was a privilege many did not have.

29 So those who were about to examine him withdrew from him immediately. The commander too was alarmed when he realized Paul was a Roman citizen and he had bound him.

• No doubt Claudius and his men were especially kind to Paul now that they knew he was a Roman citizen.
• God was using the great power of the Empire to protect His servant and eventually get him to Rome.[3]

 
PAUL BEFORE THE SANHEDRIN
30 The next day, since he wanted to find out exactly why Paul was being accused by the Jews,

• Claudius was still determined to find out the reason for him being beaten and arrested so he could fill out his report and also tell Paul why he was being arrested.

he released him and instructed the chief priests and all the Sanhedrin to convene. He brought Paul down and placed him before them.

• This group was composed of seventy (or seventy-one) of the leading Jewish teachers, with the high priest presiding.
• 1 High Priest (Ananias), 35 Pharisees and 35 Sadducees.
• It was their responsibility to interpret and apply the sacred Jewish Law to the affairs of the nation, and to try those who violated that Law.
• The Romans gave the council permission to impose capital punishment where the offense deserved it.[4]
• Commander Claudius and his men stayed for the trial because it would be unlawful for Paul to be hurt while in their authority and have no charges against him.

 
ACTS 23
1 Paul looked straight at the Sanhedrin and said, “Brothers (identifying himself as a Jew), I have lived (as a Jewish citizen) my life before God in all good conscience to this day.”

• Paul has lived his life according to the Jewish Law.
• “Conscience” is one of Paul’s favorite words; he used it twice in Acts (23:1; 24:16) and twenty-one times in his letters.
• The word means “to know with, to know together.”
• Conscience is the inner “judge” or “witness” that approves when we do right and disapproves when we do wrong (Rom. 2:15).
• Conscience does not make the standards; it only applies the standards of the person, whether they are good or bad, right or wrong.
• Cain didn’t have any laws when he killed his brother… but he did have a conscience.
• Paul had persecuted the church and had even caused innocent people to die, so how could he claim to have a good conscience?
• He had lived up to the light that he had, and that is all that a good conscience requires.[5]

2 The high priest Ananias (not to be confused with Annas in Acts 4:6) ordered those who were standing next to him to strike him on the mouth.

• Jesus had been treated just the same.
• John 18:22 - When he had said these things, one of the officials standing by slapped Jesus, saying, “Is this the way you answer the high priest?” [6]

3 Then Paul said to him, “God is going to strike you, you whitewashed wall! You are sitting there judging me according to the law, and yet in violation of the law are you ordering me to be struck?”
4 Those standing nearby said, “Do you dare revile God’s high priest?”
5 “I did not know, brothers, that he was the high priest,” replied Paul.

• Paul had been on the road for 12+ years.
• Identifiers of the High Priest might not have been the same… or it was just late at night.

“For it is written, You must not speak evil of a ruler of your people.” (Exodus 22:28)

• When called to account for what he had said, Paul did not apologize.
• Rather, he showed respect for the office but not for the man.
• Ananias was indeed one of the most corrupt men ever to be named high priest.
• He stole tithes from the other priests and did all he could to increase his authority.
• He was known as a brutal man who cared more for Rome’s favor than for Israel’s welfare.
• Paul spoke prophetically, because God did indeed smite this wicked man.
• When the Jews revolted against Rome in the year 66, Ananias had to flee for his life because of his known sympathies with Rome.
• The Jewish guerrillas found him hiding in an aqueduct at Herod’s palace, and they killed him. It was a dishonorable death for a despicable man.[7]

6 When Paul realized that one part of them were Sadducees and the other part were Pharisees,

• This would be similar to being in a Senate meeting with Republicans and Democrats.

he cried out in the Sanhedrin, “Brothers, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees. I am being judged because of the hope of the resurrection of the dead!” 7 When he said this, a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. 8 For the Sadducees say there is no resurrection, and neither angel nor spirit, but the Pharisees affirm them all.

• Paul redirected the issue from himself to the Sanhedrin.
• Paul was not speaking about resurrection in general… he was speaking the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
• He was proclaiming the Gospel to the Sanhedrin.

9 The shouting grew loud, and some of the scribes of the Pharisees’ party got up and argued vehemently, “We find nothing evil in this man. What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?”

• Since Paul believed in the resurrection of Jesus, he automatically fell to the side of the Pharisees, especially since he had been one in the past.

10 When the dispute became violent, the commander feared that Paul might be torn apart by them and ordered the troops to go down, take him away from them, and bring him into the barracks.

• The second time the Roman Empire came to rescue Paul from an angry crowd.

11 The following night, the Lord stood by him and said, “Have courage! For as you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so it is necessary for you to testify in Rome.”[8]

• Rome? You mean, Paul is finally going to get to Rome… and not even on his own dime?
• The Lord’s message to Paul was one of courage. “Be of good cheer!” simply means “Take courage!”
• Jesus often spoke these words during His earthly ministry. He spoke them to the palsied man (Matt. 9:2) and to the woman who suffered with the hemorrhage (Matt. 9:22).
• He shouted them to the disciples in the storm (Matt. 14:27), and repeated them in the Upper Room (John 16:33).
• As God’s people, we can always take courage in times of difficulty because the Lord is with us and will see us through.[9]
  ​

[1] Christian Standard Bible (Ga 1:13–14). (2020). Holman Bible Publishers.
[2] Christian Standard Bible (1 Ti 1:15). (2020). Holman Bible Publishers.
[3] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 493). Victor Books.
[4] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 494). Victor Books.
[5] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 494). Victor Books.
[6] Christian Standard Bible (Jn 18:22). (2020). Holman Bible Publishers.
[7] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 494). Victor Books.
[8] Christian Standard Bible (Ac 21:40–23:11). (2020). Holman Bible Publishers.
[9] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 495). Victor Books.

Romans 7
1 Since I am speaking to those who know the law, brothers and sisters, don’t you know that the law rules over someone as long as he lives? 2 For example, a married woman is legally bound to her husband while he lives. But if her husband dies, she is released from the law regarding the husband. 3 So then, if she is married to another man while her husband is living, she will be called an adulteress. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law. Then, if she is married to another man, she is not an adulteress.
 
4 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, you also were put to death in relation to the law through the body of Christ so that you may belong to another. You belong to him who was raised from the dead in order that we may bear fruit for God. 5 For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions aroused through the law were working in us to bear fruit for death. 6 But now we have been released from the law, since we have died to what held us, so that we may serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the old letter of the law.
 
Sin’s Use of the Law
7 What should we say then? Is the law sin? Absolutely not! But I would not have known sin if it were not for the law. For example, I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, Do not covet. 8 And sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me coveting of every kind. For apart from the law sin is dead. 9 Once I was alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life again 10 and I died. The commandment that was meant for life resulted in death for me. 11 For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me, and through it killed me. 12 So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and just and good. 13 Therefore, did what is good become death to me? Absolutely not! But sin, in order to be recognized as sin, was producing death in me through what is good, so that through the commandment, sin might become sinful beyond measure.
 
The Problem of Sin in Us
14 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold as a slave under sin. 15 For I do not understand what I am doing, because I do not practice what I want to do, but I do what I hate. 16 Now if I do what I do not want to do, I agree with the law that it is good. 17 So now I am no longer the one doing it, but it is sin living in me. 18 For I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh. For the desire to do what is good is with me, but there is no ability to do it. 19 For I do not do the good that I want to do, but I practice the evil that I do not want to do. 20 Now if I do what I do not want, I am no longer the one that does it, but it is the sin that lives in me. 21 So I discover this law: When I want to do what is good, evil is present with me. 22 For in my inner self I delight in God’s law, 23 but I see a different law in the parts of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and taking me prisoner to the law of sin in the parts of my body. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with my mind I myself am serving the law of God, but with my flesh, the law of sin.
 
Romans 8
1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus, 2 because the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law could not do since it was weakened by the flesh, God did. He condemned sin in the flesh by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh as a sin offering, 4 in order that the law’s requirement would be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5 For those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit have their minds set on the things of the Spirit. 6 Now the mindset of the flesh is death, but the mindset of the Spirit is life and peace. 7 The mindset of the flesh is hostile to God because it does not submit to God’s law. Indeed, it is unable to do so. 8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. 9 You, however, are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to him. 10 Now if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. 11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, then he who raised Christ from the dead will also bring your mortal bodies to life through his Spirit who lives in you.
 
12 So then, brothers and sisters, we are not obligated to the flesh to live according to the flesh, 13 because if you live according to the flesh, you are going to die. But if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For all those led by God’s Spirit are God’s sons. 15 For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear. Instead, you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father!” 16 The Spirit himself testifies together with our spirit that we are God’s children, 17 and if children, also heirs—heirs of God and coheirs with Christ—if indeed we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.
 
18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is going to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation eagerly waits with anticipation for God’s sons to be revealed. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility—not willingly, but because of him who subjected it—in the hope 21 that the creation itself will also be set free from the bondage to decay into the glorious freedom of God’s children. 22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together with labor pains until now. 23 Not only that, but we ourselves who have the Spirit as the firstfruits—we also groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. 24 Now in this hope we were saved, but hope that is seen is not hope, because who hopes for what he sees? 25 Now if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with patience.
 
26 In the same way the Spirit also helps us in our weakness, because we do not know what to pray for as we should, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with inexpressible groanings. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because he intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
 
28 We know that all things work together for the good[l] of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, so that he would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 30 And those he predestined, he also called; and those he called, he also justified; and those he justified, he also glorified.
 
31 What, then, are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32 He did not even spare his own Son but gave him up for us all. How will he not also with him grant us everything? 33 Who can bring an accusation against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies. 34 Who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is the one who died, but even more, has been raised; he also is at the right hand of God and intercedes for us. 35 Who can separate us from the love of Christ? Can affliction or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written:
 
Because of you
we are being put to death all day long;
we are counted as sheep to be slaughtered.[m]
 
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
 
Brent Absher
Brent, you have obviously been through a major crisis. You come here every week. Why?
What are you hearing?
In the midst of pain, where are you finding joy right now?
 
Robert Baldonado
Robert, I want to hear about your journey and your choice to jump ship from your previous church to Leavener after you married Haley.
Can you be a hippie and love Jesus?
 
Bogdan Calin
Bogdan, I would love it if you talk about your personal journey… coming to know Jesus, praying for your parents to understand what you believe, your struggles and trusting through the future.
 
Sven Christiansen
Sven, you grew up pretty legalistic, if I might say (I was one).
But you are fishing with a different perspective now. How has that changed your ministry?
 
Mike Schnese
Mike, you’ve had your share of struggles (share as much as you want) but you come here every Sunday and listen.
What does your faith mean to you now?
 
Bill Shepard
Bill, I just want people to know you.
You and Anna have been coming for years now…
Why are you coming?
How is this message impacting your family?

Romans 6
1 What should we say then? Should we continue in sin so that grace may multiply? 2 Absolutely not! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Or are you unaware that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 Therefore we were buried with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too may walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united with him in the likeness of his death, we will certainly also be in the likeness of his resurrection. 6 For we know that our old self, was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be rendered powerless so that we may no longer be enslaved to sin,
 
7 since a person who has died is freed from sin. 8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him, 9 because we know that Christ, having been raised from the dead, will not die again. Death no longer rules over him. 10 For the death he died, he died to sin once for all time; but the life he lives, he lives to God. 11 So, you too consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.
 
12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, so that you obey its desires. 13 And do not offer any parts of it to sin as weapons for unrighteousness. But as those who are alive from the dead, offer yourselves to God, and all the parts of yourselves to God as weapons for righteousness. 14 For sin will not rule over you, because you are not under the law but under grace.
 
FROM SLAVES OF SIN TO SLAVES OF GOD
15 What then? Should we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? Absolutely not! 16 Don’t you know that if you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of that one you obey—either of sin leading to death or of obedience leading to righteousness? 17 But thank God that, although you used to be slaves of sin, you obeyed from the heart that pattern of teaching to which you were handed over, 18 and having been set free from sin, you became enslaved to righteousness. 19 I am using a human analogy because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you offered the parts of yourselves as slaves to impurity, and to greater and greater lawlessness, so now offer them as slaves to righteousness, which results in sanctification. 20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free with regard to righteousness., 21 So what fruit was produced then from the things you are now ashamed of? The outcome of those things is death. 22 But now, since you have been set free from sin and have become enslaved to God, you have your fruit, which results in sanctification—and the outcome is eternal life! 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.[1]
 
Ladies, Happy Mother’s Day…

• In Romans 6, Paul is declaring the mindset has to be changed from focusing on sin (and stop sinning) to focusing on our righteousness (and living out of that righteousness). We have to relearn what we were taught and know to a renewing of our mind because we have been transformed.

 
Therese David

• January 2019, we got off the MercyMe cruise ship and sitting in the airport, you got your first indication you had cancer. You are now in remission through an extensive chemotherapy process and the Lord’s healing. Which has impacted you more? Living through that healing process or knowing more that you will never die again because you are in Christ? Can you share a little of both of your understandings on these 2 subjects?

 
Amy Getchell

• Amy, you grew up in a setting that would be described as “religious”. Can you explain the difference from how you grew up to how you are raising your children?
• Your struggling watching your own family members being burdened by the church. How do you try to influence or impact this situation?

 
Nicole Le

• Nicole, first of all, explain how you and I met originally.
• You come here every Sunday by yourself. You sit down quietly, listen intently and then get up and go home. Why do you come here? What do you ultimately want from this community?

 
Jeannie Hilfiker

• A year ago, you made the decision to never return to Pinheads again. How come you are here today?

 
Amy Nicholas

• Amy, your family has been coming for the last 3 years to Pinheads and small groups. Can you share how what you are learning inside of this community has impacted your relationship with Mike and the kids? How has it impacted each of your family members?

 
Angela Ellison

• You have a past… we all have a past. I don’t know the details of your past so you share as little or as much as you are comfortable. But one day, you were here with Cameron and he brought you to me to have a conversation. He wanted to confirm with me to you that what we were teaching was true in your own life. That Christ died one time and you are truly forgiven. This is not what you grew up hearing and understanding. How did this news affect your thinking?
• Your public identity is that of a police woman, which you do well. In today’s society that has become really difficult for police. How does knowing your true identity in Jesus impact what you do on a weekly basis?

 
Caroline Shrieve

• Caroline, as a mom, you are not only learning your identity in Christ, but you are a teacher of identity.
• How are you able to implement what you believe while being a teacher in a system that may have different values?
• What specifically do you do at home with your four boys to teach them their identity in Jesus?

[1] Christian Standard Bible. (2020). (Ro 6:1–23). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers. 
Amy Nicholas

• Amy, your family has been coming for the last 3 years to Pinheads and small groups. Can you share how what you are learning inside of this community has impacted your relationship with Mike and the kids? How has it impacted each of your family members?

 
Angela Ellison

• You have a past… we all have a past. I don’t know the details of your past so you share as little or as much as you are comfortable. But one day, you were here with Cameron and he brought you to me to have a conversation. He wanted to confirm with me to you that what we were teaching was true in your own life. That Christ died one time and you are truly forgiven. This is not what you grew up hearing and understanding. How did this news affect your thinking?
• Your public identity is that of a police woman, which you do well. In today’s society that has become really difficult for police. How does knowing your true identity in Jesus impact what you do on a weekly basis?

 
Caroline Shrieve

• Caroline, as a mom, you are not only learning your identity in Christ, but you are a teacher of identity.
• How are you able to implement what you believe while being a teacher in a system that may have different values?
• What specifically do you do at home with your four boys to teach them their identity in Jesus?

[1] Christian Standard Bible. (2020). (Ro 6:1–23). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers. 
Amy Nicholas

• Amy, your family has been coming for the last 3 years to Pinheads and small groups. Can you share how what you are learning inside of this community has impacted your relationship with Mike and the kids? How has it impacted each of your family members?

 
Angela Ellison

• You have a past… we all have a past. I don’t know the details of your past so you share as little or as much as you are comfortable. But one day, you were here with Cameron and he brought you to me to have a conversation. He wanted to confirm with me to you that what we were teaching was true in your own life. That Christ died one time and you are truly forgiven. This is not what you grew up hearing and understanding. How did this news affect your thinking?
• Your public identity is that of a police woman, which you do well. In today’s society that has become really difficult for police. How does knowing your true identity in Jesus impact what you do on a weekly basis?

 
Caroline Shrieve

• Caroline, as a mom, you are not only learning your identity in Christ, but you are a teacher of identity.
• How are you able to implement what you believe while being a teacher in a system that may have different values?
• What specifically do you do at home with your four boys to teach them their identity in Jesus?

[1] Christian Standard Bible. (2020). (Ro 6:1–23). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.

Ben Deo

• You grew up in a faith based home. But around your high school years, you weren’t buying any of it… almost to the point of declaring atheism. How did you get to that point?
• Today, you are actively pursuing your faith. What was the significant transformation for you?

 
Seth Wilson

• We previously talked about your sophomore year and the opportunity to discuss it here this morning. You didn’t want to talk about it if it came across as bragging, but you were willing to talk about it based upon your learning process.
• You made an empty threat at school that landed in you in Juvie for a couple months. At that point you knew all the concepts of your identity in Christ. Did you question what you knew because of the situation you found yourself?
• How did knowing your identity help you through the process?

 
Mike Shores

• I see the law as a guide to Jesus.
• Galatians 3:24 - The law, then, was our guardian until Christ, so that we could be justified by faith.[1]
• The continued failure and falling short seems to lead people to Jesus in my opinion.
• Romans 3:23-24 - For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; 24 they are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.[2]
• With that said, do you think Jesus “enjoys” us failing because in a way it brings those who don’t know him yet to him?

 
Gabe Glover

• Even though I think I understand that the Law was (a) given to the Jews and (b) that the Law passed at the end of the Jewish age, I still struggle to understand Romans 5:20.
• Romans 5:20 - The law came along to multiply the trespass. But where sin multiplied, grace multiplied even more[3]
• It’s really tricky to me trying to figure out what it means that the Law was given so sin would increase. In a Jewish context, I think my biggest questions for Romans 5 revolve around this concept.

 

• Lastly, 5:7 confuses me.
• I simply don’t understand what Paul is aiming to do in comparing a righteous man to a good man. Is this a reference to Jesus? I’m not sure.
• Romans 5:6-7 - For while we were still helpless, at the right time, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For rarely will someone die for a just person—though for a good person perhaps someone might even dare to die.[4]

 
Maddie Hayward
 
Kyle Seghers
 
Caitlin Crecelius
 
Kelly Tyner

[1] Christian Standard Bible. (2020). (Ga 3:24). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[2] Christian Standard Bible. (2020). (Ro 3:23–24). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[3] Christian Standard Bible. (2020). (Ro 5:20). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[4] Christian Standard Bible. (2020). (Ro 5:6–7). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.