Gospel witness always meets with objections. The mind of the natural man is not only an idol factory, it is an objection factory. It fights hard against the truth. It argues against the truth. In fact, it has no capacity to submit to the truth. Romans 8:7 (ESV) 7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. This is true whether the person being evangelized comes from a secular point of view, or from a religious point of view. Paul not only knows this; he has met with this; and he saw the need to prepare the church for it. God saves. But God saves through means. Salvation requires the new birth. But salvation does not bypass the mind. God uses His truth, presented in a way that answers questions. So, Paul writing to believers in the book of Romans, doesn't just explain the gospel to the Roman Christians, he also answers the anticipated objections. By doing that, he not only strengthened the faith of the believer, by giving reasons for our hope; he also strengthened the witness of the believer, by giving answers to the objections that would surely come. In the earliest years of the church's witness there were unique challenges to the gospel that had to be addressed. It was a very unique time. Unrepeatable. A nation of people who had been given a special status by God, and special privileges by God, had crucified their own king. They had rejected the very Messiah that God had prepared them for, promised to them, and then brought to them. And, in terms of what was happening in salvation history, the aftermath was astounding. The Old Covenant, under which God's people had worshipped and served God for
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Richard Caldwell Jr. is the Pastor-Teacher at Founders Baptist Church. Richard and his wife Jacque have been married for 24 years and have four children, Richard III, Amber, Christopher and Reagan. Richard has served at Founders Baptist (previously named Spring Memorial) since...
