One thing that the so-called emerging church fails to understand is that when the Lord evaluates our relationship, He's most interested in our attitude toward Him, not the results of our efforts on His behalf.

By now you see that Paul has answered the three major theological questions for all mankind in his Letter to the Romans. In addition he's clearly defined the relationship between Israel and the Church in God's overall plan.

Having seen that along with the blessings of salvation have come the gifts that give us the ability to respond accordingly, we continue now with Paul's advice on living a life pleasing to God in gratitude for all that He's given us.

We began this series from the perspective that our time is short and we should make sure we're ordering what's left of it around the Lord's priorities for us. It won't be long before the life we've worked so hard to build for ourselves here will be left behind. All that will remain is the treasure we've stored up in Heaven.

Romans 9 spoke of God's sovereign election of Israel as His chosen. In chapter 10 we saw how in the obsessive pursuit of a righteousness of their own, they rejected the righteousness that comes from God. But the rejection was clearly temporary, its duration dependent upon their response.

Our last study began with God's election of Israel as His chosen people. In Chapter 10 we'll see how they came to be rejected.

We turn now from a study of doctrine to one of prophecy. A prophecy involving both Jews and Gentiles that unlocks a secret hidden from the foundation of the world. From among both, God would create a new race of man, neither Jew nor Gentile, called the Church.

In our last installment we completed Law School, and saw the impossible position we've been placed in. Now we're ready for a close look at the unbelievable blessing we call Grace.

Romans 7:1 to 8:21
Having had a righteousness from God imputed to us by faith apart from the Law, we now have the choice to live a life of holiness. No longer enslaved to our sin nature, we can rise above any self-destructive behavior that has caused us, and those around us, sorrow in the past.

Romans 5 and 6
Paul spent the better part of three chapters showing us man's desperate need for a savior. Any righteousness we can earn on our own is clearly inadequate to meet God's standards. We need to acquire a righteousness equal to His in order to dwell in His presence.