One of the things I think we have all noticed in reading Paul’s Letter to the Romans is a kind of divisiveness. Paul is very concerned to draw distinctions, such as those who live according to the Flesh as opposed to the Spirit. We see something similar in the language of the Matthew passages we have been following. Especially in …
The Freedom to Be Formed
We have just passed Juneteenth and we are quickly approaching the Fourth of July, so freedom is on our minds. Perhaps it is always on our minds as freedom-loving Americans. And we are a Baptist church (it’s true!), so freedom is at the heart of who we are. However, Paul did not write in a time of freedom. Everyone lived …