The other week, we looked once again at the doctrine of salvation by grace through faith in, and faithfulness to, Jesus. It’s an idea that’s at the heart of Paul’s thinking and has inspired Christians for two thousand years. It has also, for two thousand years, been misunderstood as a license to do whatever we … Continue reading Paul on Grace and Sin: A Reflection on Romans 6.1-11
“The name of God is blasphemed among the nations because of you!” This biblical slap in the face, from the Greek version of Isaiah 52, is deployed by Paul in Romans 2 against those who attack others for being “sinners” while ignoring their own sins. And it’s sad to say that, after two thousand years, … Continue reading The Compassion of Christ: A Reflection on Matthew 9.35-10.8
My main series in the blog right now is about understanding the Nicene Creed, not just its history and theology, but also its spirituality. And so, my thoughts have returned quite a bit lately to the relationship among the connected but different concepts of faith, ‘the faith’, and faithfulness. In light of this, today’s Epistle … Continue reading The Law of Faith: A Reflection on Romans 4:13-25
My current midweek series here on the blog is exploring the theology and spirituality of the Nicene Creed. As it happens, today’s reading from the Old Testament is the creation story from Genesis 1, which happens to tie in perfectly to the next line in the Creed, which affirms that God our Father is the … Continue reading …Maker of Heaven and Earth…
The creation story in Genesis famously imagines the chaos out of which God creates life as being a fathomless ocean. Whatever else we might think about this story, it rightly places water at the centre of the story of life. Life on our planet first developed in the water, and to this day, even the … Continue reading Come, Drink: A Reflection for Pentecost 2023
Matthew Root 