Romans 12:1–2 and the Doctrine of Sanctification, Part 1

By William W. Combs1 Reproduced with permission from DBSJ 11 (2006).

Romans 12:1–2 is one of the most well-known texts of Scripture. Its familiarity stems, I believe, from its perceived theological importance. This text is commonly viewed as having great import for the Christian’s spiritual life, and thus it is one of the passages most often memorized by children in Sunday School and teenagers in the youth group.

Discussion

Beware AI-Generated Christian Content

Body

“… if you search for ‘52-week systematic theology’ on Amazon you will get dozens of hits on books that all say ‘52-week systematic theology’ somewhere in the title, have no real author or an author that is almost certainly AI-generated….

Discussion

We’ll Be Learning More about God for All Eternity

Body

“Consider Ephesians 2:6-7: ‘God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace.’”- Randy Alcorn

Discussion

Romans 13 & Minneapolis etc

Body

“A Christian Realist stance admits the Romans 13 assignment to the state of coercive power while also warning against the constant threat of abusing that power. All people, whether civil authorities, or their critics, have self-interests, blind spots, and often a combination of legitimate aspirations.” - Providence

Discussion

Did Emperors Actually Run the 7 Ecumenical Councils?

Body

“They presided over the procedures, sometimes through representatives. We’ll talk through that one at great length. They enforced the decisions legally and sometimes they influenced or pressured outcomes. Sometimes pretty tight control.” - Gavin Ortlund

Discussion

The Sinful Practice of "Religious Threats"

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“The strength of the threat comes from the effect that it has on the religious sensibility or conscience of the person…. Since the religious type of threat lays claim to the Bible, let us see what Scripture says about threats.” - Matt Postiff

Discussion