Robert McLaughlin Bible Ministries |
The type of individuals who try and attack the mesenger and then the message.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
In Rom 9 Paul began to say some things that were shocking to some of the legalistic self-righteous Jewish believers as well as to some of the gentile believers in Rome who became deceived because they thought their system of behavior impressed God.
They were like the crowd who would say such things as the Pharisee said in LUK 18:11b God, I thank Thee that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax-gatherer.
MAT 23:24, They would strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!
Our Lord would say to them MAT 23:27, “Woe to you hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.”
LUK 11:43-44, “Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the front seats in the synagogues, and the respectful greetings in the market places. Woe to you! For you are like concealed tombs, and the people who walk over {them} are unaware {of it.}”
Paul not only had the responsibility of feeding those who were PTD but he also had the responsibility to reveal those who had a spirit of rebellion who were NTD.
1. There were the legalistic self-righteous crowd who were involved in asceticism, which was the practice of extreme self-denial such as Paul mentioned in COL 2:21, Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!
2. Then there were those involved in antinomianism which is the belief that grace frees Christians so much so that they wilfully fail to put into practice that which they claim to believe.
Divisions in the Church
(1CO 1:10-13)
Worldly Wisdom (1CO 1:17-2:16)
Carnality (1CO 3:1-4)
Immorality in the Church
(1CO 5:1-13)
Bringing Fellow Believers to Court (1CO 6:1-8)
The Problem of Fornication
(1CO 6:15-20)
Marriage and Divorce
(1CO 7:1-40)
The Role Men and Women Should Have in Christ’s Church
(1CO 11:1-17)
Abusing the Lord’s Supper
(1CO 11:20-34)
Spiritual Gifts (1CO 12:1-31)
Lack of Love (1 Co 13:1-13)
Speaking in Tongues
(1CO 14:1-40)
Wrong Teaching About the Resurrection, (1CO 15:1-58)
Supporting the Royal Family (1 Co 16:1-3)
Church of Rome =
They were beginning to reject the messenger, Paul, and then Satan’s ultimate goal, the message, Bible doctrine.
“keep your eye”
is the present active infinitive of skopeo which means to have mental alertness, to have discernment with regard to people.
The word for dissensions is the Greek noun dichostasia which means discord, disagreements, divisions or splits.
It refers to individuals in Rome who began by attacking Paul, the messenger because he was always in trouble in some way or another (at this time in a Roman prison)
Then it ended up with attacking his pulpit and his message especially Rom 5-8.
The word for “hindrances” is the noun skandalon referring to snares, stumbling blocks, things that offend believers, a stumblingblock, influencing to unbelief, the original meaning was “trip-stick of a trap,” referring to scandals.
In the ancient world, a trip-stick referred to any hindrance or obstacle placed in the way and causing one to stumble or fall.