Present Demonstration of God's Righteousness

SYNOPSIS:  The “righteousness of God” refers not to an absolute moral standard but to the faithfulness of God to His promises.

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Chapters 2 and 3 of the letter to the Romans presents the gospel as the Great Leveler; both Jews and Gentiles have fallen short and, therefore, both stand under the just “sentence of God,” both are destined for “wrath,” at least potentially.

All men and women are “without excuse” because each person has sinned, therefore, no one is in a valid position to judge others. Without Divine assistance, all men and women, regardless of race, whether “within the law” or “apart from the law,” are doomed to experience God’s final wrath on a coming “day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God,” for “there is no respect of persons with God.”

Promise of the Spirit and the New Covenant

Synopsis:  The Church and the gift of the Spirit have been integral to the redemptive plan of God from the very beginning.

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In his letter to the Galatians, the Apostle Paul refers to the “promise of the Spirit,” which he equates with the “blessing of Abraham.” The Law pronounced a curse on anyone who did “not continue in all things written” in it, therefore, Jesus came under its curse in order to redeem believers from it, so that, “The blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith” (Genesis 12:2-3, Galatians 3:10-14).

Death and Exaltation of Jesus in Revelation

Synopsis: The book of Revelation links the present reign of Jesus to his past Death and Resurrection, the immovable foundation of his kingdom.

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The self-sacrificial death of Jesus and his consequent exaltation figure prominently in the book of Revelation. His death on the cross is the foundation of its visions. The plan of God to redeem mankind and the Creation through Christ is unveiled in a series of visions. In Revelation, the death and enthronement of Jesus put His redemptive plans into motion.

Jesus and Food Purity Regulations

SYNOPSIS:  According to the gospel of Mark, Jesus overturned the logic behind religious-based dietary restrictions (Mark 7:20-23).

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At one point, Jesus came into conflict with the Jews from Jerusalem about eating food with unwashed hands. They believed doing so rendered a person “common” or “unclean,” that is, ritually impure.  The conclusion Jesus pronounced at the end of this story undermines the religious logic behind such food laws (Matthew 15:1-20, Mark 7:1-23 [See also, ‘Paul on Food and Calendrical Regulations’]).

The Pharisees and Scribes objected to his disciples for “eating with unwashed hands” and confronted Jesus about the matter. In their minds, the disciples had rendered themselves ceremonially unclean.

Jesus Confronts Added Human Traditions - (Mark 7:1-23)

SYNOPSIS:   Jesus undermines the religious rationale for dietary restrictions. With the arrival of the Son of Man, old regulations and rituals begin to lose their relevance. - Mark 7:1-23.

Jerusalem was the geographic source of the religious and political opposition to Jesus; most specifically, its Temple. From this point forward in the gospel account, Jesus experiences increasing conflict with the Jewish religious authorities, especially with Pharisees, scribes, and the priestly representatives of the high priest.