Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God— 2 the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures 3regarding his Son, who as to his earthly life[a] was a descendant of David, 4and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power[b]by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord. 5 Through him we received grace and apostleship to call all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from[c] faith for his name’s sake. 6 And you also are among those Gentiles who are called to belong to Jesus Christ. ROMANS1:1-6 NIV
Objective: To understand how we can effectively defend our faith.
Statement: Ministry is an expression not a justification of our faith
Definition 1: Manifesto(noun)
a. A public declaration of a plan that will affect the public.
Synonyms: platform, declarations, proclamation, publication, notification, announcement
Definition 2: Apologetics(noun)
a. reasoned arguments or writings in justification of something, typically a theory or religious doctrine.
I. Pillar One: Sin: A Universal condition – No one is Righteous
SCRIPTURES: Genesis 3:1 – 7; 21 – 24; Romans3:9 – 20; Romans 3:23; Romans 5:12 – 14; Psalms 51:5
Key Points
- Sin came to all by one man in the Garden of Eden
- What is sin? Disobedience –missing the mark (what God has prescribed or desires for us)
- No one is righteous; the Jews think that since they had the Law of Moses that they some how obtained righteousness; the law was given to make us conscious of sin
ALL HAVE SINNED
II. Pillar Two: Righteousness Through Faith in Jesus Christ
SCRIPTURES: 2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 10:5 -7; Acts 4:8 – 12; I Corinthians 6:19,20; Isaiah 53:4,5; Revelation 13:8; Romans 5:12 – 21
Key Points
- Received righteousness for the forgiveness of sin and reconcile us back to God
- The law is not our righteousness, Jesus is our righteousness
- Before the foundation of the world; Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, was slain
- Salvation(or repudiation/remission of sins) is found in no other name
Condemned by the works of Adam ;justified by the works of Jesus Christ!
III. Pillar Three: Grace vs The Law or another way to state it is faith vs works.
We all understand the law, but do we really understand what Grace is?
Grace is…
- unmerited favor of God
- the gift of God provided through our Lord and Savior
- not earned but received
- expressed by the Person of Jesus Christ
SCRIPTURES: Ephesians 2: 11 –18; Hebrews 10:1-7; Galatians 3:15 – 25; Romans 3:21 –31; Romans 5:17 – 21; Romans 6:1 – 7; Romans 8:1-4
Key Points
- The law never had the power to save or make one righteous; its purpose was to point out sin and the holiness of God; impossible to gain righteousness through observing the law
- The law is not our righteousness, Jesus is our righteousness
- We are justified by faith and not the law
- Jesus Christ did not come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it
- Grace sets us free from the law of sin and death; we are no longer ruled/governed by sin
- Jesus Christ fulfilled the law (aimed at righteousness and holiness)
- Remember the thief on the cross(Luke 23:41-43)
The law was a guardian until faith (in Jesus Christ) came!
IV. Pillar Four: Lordship of Jesus Christ
SCRIPTURES: Philippians 2:9 – 11; Revelation 17:14; 1Corinthians 8:6; 2Corinthians 4:5; Colossians2:13 – 15; Ephesians 1:18- 22
Key Points
- Because of His great sacrifice, we make Him Lord (ruler of our lives)
- Remember we have been purchased so we are no longer ourselves but His
- Make us bondservants of Jesus as Lord and King
- God has given Jesus a name above every other name
Statement: Lordship –When a person yields to the lordship of Jesus Christ, he or she acknowledges His ownership and gives up his or her personal rights. Yielding to the lordship of Jesus Christ also involves total and unreserved obedience. If He is the Lord of your life, you are going to do what He tells you to do.
