Search the Scriptures Live

Paul has finished his discussion of the future of the Jewish people and their role in the plan of salvation. Now, in Chapter 12, he begins a new section of Romans, a new section of the letter, the "paranesis" which contains many of the most memorable passages of Romans. Paul began by telling us not to be conformed to this world but to be transformed. What did he mean by that?

Paul struggled to understand why his own people rejected the Messiah. His conclusion was surprising: it was part of the plan of God that the Jewish people did not accept the Christ. Why? And does this mean that they had no choice? What will happen to the Jews in the future? Join us as we continue in the book of Romans with a discussion of chapter11 and conclude Paul's thoughts on the Jewish rejection of Jesus.

What did Paul mean that Jesus became "a curse"? Does that mean that he was cursed by God? If we are saved by faith, How do we know what the Bible means by "faith"? Is it intellectual conviction or something more than that? Join us as we continue our discussion of Romans 9 to 11 and St. Paul's thoughts on the question of Jewish unbelief in Jesus.

After years of evangelization, in Romans 9 Paul expresses his deep anguish over the fact that most Jews have not accepted Jesus as the Messiah. Since the Messiah was promised to the Jewish people and God is faithful to His promises, why did most Jews reject the Lord's Messiah?

What does it mean to live in the Spirit? Paul articulated the grace received through baptism and recognized that nonetheless a spiritual struggle continues within us. Paul turns his attention in Romans 8 to the work of the Spirit in the life of the Christian. How does the Spirit work within us? If baptism and Chrismation alone are not enough, what are we to do and how does the cross of Christ relate to all of this? These and other topics are discussed on Search the Scriptures LIVE!

Having explained the grace we receive in the Mystery of Holy Illumination in Romans 6, St. Paul is nonetheless completely honest about the reality of Christian life and the continuous spiritual struggle required. He expresses the experience of all of us. Too often we do what we do not want to do, and what we actually want to do is not what we end up doing. Why is this the case and what can we do about it? Dr. Jeannie Constantinou explains.

Having established that we are saved by Christ not the Law of Moses, justified because we believe in him, Paul continues his careful exposition in Romans to explain the effects of this new reality. How does the salvation achieved by Christ for all humanity occur for an individual person? In Romans 6, Paul explains that "justification" marks only the beginning of the process of salvation. After accepting Christ's justification we must continue by actively seeking illumination and sanctification.

Dr. Constantinou discusses Paul's explanation of baptism. Romans 6 is the most important passage in the New Testament for the Orthodox understanding of what baptism is and its role in the Christian life. Why does Paul discuss baptism at this point? What does it have to do with everything that came before—salvation by faith, Abraham and his faith, Adam and the fall?

Dr. Constantinou continues her discussion of Romans 5, especially St. Augustine's ideas about sin. His writings tremendously impacted what Western Christianity thought—and still believes—about sin and also about God. Why do wrong ideas about the nature of sin lead to wrong ideas about God?

In Romans 5, Paul explains the role of Christ in salvation in relation to Adam. How can Christ be a "type" of Adam, since Adam sinned and Christ did not? Does this chapter support the interpretation of universal salvation? Since all "died in Adam," will all "live in Christ"? Western Christian understanding of sin and its effects on the human race was strongly influenced by Augustine's interpretation of Romans 5:12. From Augustine's faulty interpretation, the concept of "original sin" was born and took root in the West. How are Catholic and Protestant concepts of sin and salvation different from the Orthodox understanding? What do these different ideas of sin reveal about our different conceptions of God and His relationship to humanity?