Romans (A Bible Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition)
Overview
Every generation of believers must return to the letter of Romans and rediscover Paul’s great insight concerning God’s righteousness, which comes to sinful humans only by grace and through our faith. This commentary invites readers to step back through two thousand years of history to enter a world that politically, socially, and religiously is different from our own. Clarence L. Bence shows how Paul’s description of the human condition of sin and the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ are as relevant now as they were in the days of the Roman Empire.
Top Highlights
“Too often, holiness becomes regimented by the group rather than revealed by the Spirit. The resulting danger is twofold. On the one hand, the church becomes legalistic as it defines the misdeeds for every person by the standard of the group. But the church can just as easily become lax and worldly as the behavioral patterns of the majority become the norm by which everyone judges his own spirituality, rather than letting the Spirit do a ‘custom job’ on the identity of each believer.” (Page 144)
“No human action can establish this right relationship. So foundational is the biblical truth that salvation is totally of God, that even faith must not be defined as some effort or decision on the part of the sinner to choose God’s side or to conclude after careful reasoning that it makes sense to believe in God. Faith is simply trusting—a throwing of oneself completely on the promises of God to accomplish for the individual what otherwise could never happen.” (Page 83)
“Our behavior ought to reflect both who we are and whose we are.” (Page 144)
“Despite all the benefits of sorting out and explaining the doctrine of sanctification, the real test for the believer is the willingness to respond to the directions of the Spirit that dwells within, particularly when the Spirit directs attention to specific behavioral patterns that are best described as misdeeds of the body.” (Page 143)
“Paul’s therefore in the opening sentence of chapter 12 affirms that God’s plan of salvation for every person should lead to a transformed life. Justification—a right standing with God—is a glorious experience for the person who lives by faith. But the goal (telos) of this new relationship with God is a new creation as well.” (Page 194)
Product Details
- Title: Wesleyan Bible Commentary: Romans
- Author: Clarence Bence
- Publisher: Wesleyan Publishing House
- Publication Date: 1996
- Pages: 248
