Romans 2 and 3 are about the eternal condemnation of all who put their faith in themselves or the law. "For all have sinned and fall short of God's glorious standard" (3:23). "No one is good--not even one. No one has real understanding; no one is seeking God. All have turned away from God; all have gone wrong. No one does good, not even one" (3:10-12). However, Paul says that God has provided a way of being right in His sight, not by obedience, but by the way promised in scriptures long ago. God's chosen people can be saved, no matter who they are or what they have done, when they put their faith in Jesus Christ to take away all their (past,present,and future) sins. "For God sent Jesus to take the punishment for our sins and to satisfy God's anger against us. We are made right with God when we believe that Jesus shed his blood, sacrificing his life for us" (3:25). Can we do anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on our good deeds, but only on our faith. (3:27). We can rest in the fact that God will keep this promise and remain faithful to us, even when we are not faithful.

Romans 1 begins by explaining the facts of the "gospel" or Good News. Paul says that Jesus came as a human by natural descent, was from the line of David, died and was raised from the dead, and made God's grace available to us. Paul then explains that through Christ, we have been given the privilege of being called and the responsibility to share what God has done, so others will believe and bring glory to His name. Paul says, "For I am not ashamed of the Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes...and makes us right in His sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith" (v.16-17). In other words, believers are declared right with God because of faith (in Christ) alone. In the remaining verses of chapter 1, Paul explains that God will show his anger to those "who push the truth (of God) away" and that all people everywhere know this truth instinctively. People can clearly see in creation the evidence of God's eternal power and divine nature and they have "no excuse whatsoever for not knowing God" (v.19-20).

In Acts 27-28, Paul and other prisoners are taken by ship to Rome. Guided by the Spirit, Paul offers advice to the ship's officers about how to proceed, since the weather was becoming rough. They didn't listen to Paul and soon encountered typhoon wind, but Paul reassured them that an angel of the Lord had revealed to him that none would perish. He told them, "So take courage For I believe God. It will be just as He said." The sailors listened to Paul and took action to follow his advice (v.32). It says that Paul also persuaded them to eat with him. Paul gave thanks to God before them all and "everyone was encouraged"( v.36). In the end, everyone escaped the storm and arrived safely ashore. Eventually in Rome, Paul speaks before a group telling them about the kingdom of God and taught them from the books of Moses and the prophets. He lectured them from morning until evening and some believed. Paul's final words to them was from Isaiah, "Go and say to my people, You will hear my words, but you will not understand; you will see what I do, but you will not perceive its meaning. For the hearts of these people are hardened, and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eyes-- so their eyes cannot see, and their ears cannot hear and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me and let me heal them." This scripture quoted by Paul at the end of Acts reminds us again that we are to boldly proclaim the Kingdom and the teachings of Jesus, but only God can draw people to Himself and direct their response in faith to His calling.

In Acts 26, King Agrippa gave Paul permission to speak in his defense. Paul began by "begging (Agrippa) to listen patiently"(v.3) as he gave a very thorough summary of his testimony. It says that Agrippa was "well acquainted with all the Jewish customs and controversies". Paul explained that his hope was "in what God had promised our fathers" and "it is because of this hope that the Jews are accusing me" (v. 8). He further explained , " I am saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said would happen-- that the Christ would suffer and ... rise from the dead"(v.23). And, "what I am saying is true and reasonable... the king is familiar with these things and I am convinced that none of this has escaped his notice. King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know you do." It is remarkable that God had placed Paul in a position that he might give such an amazing presentation of his life testimony and the truths of Jesus' resurrection to King Agrippa. King Agrippa replied to Paul, " Do you think that in such a short time, you can persuade me to be a Christian?" Paul responded, " I pray to God that not only you, but all who are here listening to me today may become what I am." Although, Agrippa rejects the invitation, Paul demonstrates again his passion for sharing Jesus with the lost. We can be used by God to share the gospel, but God chooses who He will call. Only God can change the hearts of man. Are you presenting yourself daily to God's kingdom work? What are you passionate about that could be more important?

In Acts 25, Paul is brought before a tribunal to hear the charges against him. He again displays his willingness to surrender to God’s will and purposes, saying

“If, then, I am a wrongdoer and have committed anything worthy of death, I do not refuse to die”. The governor, Festus, explained to king Agripa the situation, saying “the accusers began bringing charges against Paul not of such crimes as I was expecting, but they simply had some points of disagreement with him about their own religion and about a dead man, Jesus, whom Paul asserted to be alive.” I found some humor in the manner this situation was described. It sounds as though Festus was saying, “ the conflict they had with Paul was simply about some dead guy who Paul insists is still alive”. It wasn’t quite that simple. The fact of the resurrection of Jesus is the most extraordinarily significant event in all of history! Paul understood this well and he was willing to stake his life on this truth. Are believers today willing to stand up for Jesus even when they don’t face persecution?

Acts 24 begins with the Jewish elders presenting their charges against Paul before the governor, Felix. They proclaimed, "We have found this man to be a troublemaker, stirring up riots among the Jews all over the world. He is a ringleader of the Nazarene sect and even tried to desecrate the temple.” Several days later, Felix sent for Paul and listened to him as he spoke about faith in Christ Jesus. As Paul talked about righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and said, "That's enough for now! You may leave. When I find it convenient, I will send for you." Many people today, unfortunately, react the same way to the gospel message. They think they can keep postponing making things right with God, but only God knows how many days they have left. That's a risky gamble!

In Acts 23, Paul is on trial before the Sanhedrin and knows He will likely face persecution, even death. Despite these circumstances, Paul declares confidently "I have fulfilled my duty to God in all good conscience to this day." They accused Paul of speaking against the teachings of the high priests, but Paul clarifies that he "stand(s) on trial because of his hope in the resurrection (of Jesus)". The teachers of the law argued vigorously and there was a great uproar. The dispute became violent and the Roman commander was afraid Paul would be torn to pieces. Though Paul was confident in God's omniscience and good purposes, he most likely was feeling a little less than peaceful during this time. Then, it says in v.11, "the Lord stood near Paul and said, 'Take courage!'. Just as God gracefully comforted Paul and provided him with encouragement, we can trust Him to "stand near to us" when we are in fearful circumstances.