Paul has a weighty task on his hands. As a recovering Pharisee, he is wanting to ensure that a tenuous tension remains in play: (1) that the law is not meant to be followed for the Christian convert because it has proven to not save, but only condemn and (2) that the law was and is good. Good luck, Paul. Jokes aside, Paul makes a careful and workable argument in the middle sections of Romans to hold this tension together. For Paul, believers in Christ are grafted into God’s covenant with...

When I was a child, I was present in a store during a minor robbery attempt. My mom witnessed the occurrence, and relayed the story to me when the excitement died down. I remember wondering about the “what if’s.” What if they would have tried to harm my mother? What if I was there? What if there was gunfire? What if I witnessed something like this again? I decided that I would surely act. I would protect people. I would try to disarm the assailant. I would be willing to risk my own life for...

Galatians 3:23-29 The third chapter of Galatians is a situated argument where Paul is trying to reason against the Judaizers calling for...