Author Archives: omerdylanredden

Chapter 7 of Romans is all about the struggle. The struggle between law and faith, bondage and freedom, death and life. It’s about Paul answering their objections, then diving headlong into his own challenges. He says this: For if I know the law but still can’t keep it, and if the power of sin withinContinue reading “Romans (entry 7)”

Thinking about the difference between life and death today. It’s so simple, right? But when you really start to think about it on a deeper level, it brings more power to the analogy Paul is using. Allow me to use a couple illustrations, and maybe some adjectives for good measure. Someone I know just hadContinue reading “Romans (entry 6)”

In Romans 5, Paul lays out a couple massive concepts. Simple enough to grasp, mind-bending to fully comprehend. Rather than dilute the beauty of the two ideas by explaining them, I’m simply going to quote them. Then, you can spend the rest of the day (or the rest of your life, if you prefer) stewingContinue reading “Romans (entry 5)”

We’ll go anywhere looking for love. But you know where we go looking the most? To our peers in the lifeboat. Instead, what if we looked to a connection and a validation that doesn’t come from within our species, from our fellow humans? What if, instead of looking to what everyone else said about us,Continue reading “Romans (entry 4)”

I mentioned in a previous post how the Gospel is the great equalizer. But the Law is also the great equalizer. I mean, who hasn’t broken at least one of the ten commandments? Most of us, at some point, in some way, have broken all of them. Reminder: I’m still on the bad news piece,Continue reading “Romans (entry 3)”

After his introduction, Paul begins to lay it all out on the parchment. But instead of starting with the good news of “salvation,” he actually starts with the bad news. Why? Because good news doesn’t sound so good unless you hear the bad news first. Here’s the bad news: People are and were refusing God.Continue reading “Romans (entry 2)”

Romans is arguably the best known letter of the New Testament. I’ve heard it takes some pastors years, almost decades to preach through it. I’ve seen commentaries on the letter that are bigger than the Bible itself. Why? Because some people are just crazy. But also because it’s the go-to letter for big doctrines, forContinue reading “Romans (entry 1)”