Bruce Green
Columnist
Bruce is a writer for The Observer
Bruce Green's Latest
Paul’s statement, “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,” (Romans 8:1), is a crescendo he has been building toward from the beginning of his letter (1:16). As such, it is embedded with a richness that is easy to overlook....
BY BRUCE GREEN OPINION — Romans 7 is as challenging to grasp as Romans 6 is easy to understand. It would have been fine with most of us if Paul had gone straight from chapter 6 to chapter 8. But of course, had he done so, the first four verses of...
OIPINION — In Romans 6, Paul is dealing with a couple of objections he must have encountered more than a time or two in sharing the good news of Jesus. The first one is in v. 1, “What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may...
BY BRUCE GREEN OPINION — Seriously Paul?The fifth chapter of Romans begins with a celebration of the peace we have with God through Jesus and “the grace in which we now stand” (v. 1-2). And just when you think it can’t get any better, Paul goes on...
BY BRUCE GREEN Anyone who’s ever been to VBS knows the song, Father Abraham. But what is the song talking about? What is its meaning? That’s the subject matter of Romans 4. God’s promise to Abraham (Genesis 12:2-3), represented the beginning of the...
BY BRUCE GREEN OPINION — How does God make the world right while maintaining His righteousness? How does He treat a person as if they’ve never sinned when in fact, they have sinned (over and over)? How can He treat the violator of His law the same...
BY BRUCE GREEN OPINION — Romans has a lot to say about the wrath of God. In fact, the word is found there more than in any New Testament book other than Revelation. No one is surprised that wrath is discussed in Revelation — but Romans? Isn’t...
BY BRUCE GREEN OPINION — In Romans 1:16-17, Paul speaks of how he is not ashamed of the gospel—the good news about what God has done for us through Jesus. Shame is a comparative feeling—it’s what we feel when we don’t measure up to something. We...
By Bruce Green OPINION — Considering the circumstances they were facing, Jesus’ words to the seven churches in Asia in Revelation 2-3 are surprisingly brief. They obviously dealt with the most vital issues facing those communities.Sometimes though,...
A little love OPINION — For nearly a century, Teas Nursery occupied five acres of property in the Bellaire section of Houston. The family business began in Indiana in 1843, moved to Texas in 1910 and closed in 2009 with the death of John Teas.Teas...
Blessing or Burden OPINION — When we think about obedience, it’s helpful to recognized that there’s the common definition of it and the biblical definition—and the two are not the same. Dictionary Online tells us obedience is “the act or quality of...
OPINION Our journey toward God is a journey of and toward peace. Christ told His disciples, “I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace.” He went on to say, “In this world you will have trouble.” (John 16:33). That’s...
When church is over OPINIONI suppose just about everyone can relate to the story of Jesus returning to his hometown of Nazareth (Luke 4:14ff), but especially those who have been away from the place where they grew up for a significant amount of...
Good News and gratitude OPINION — Romans 1:18ff is a downer in a book of good news. It is the longest list of sin in Scripture and it ends with God giving the people mentioned over to self-destruction (v. 24, 26, 28). How did this descent into...
A Thrill of Hope OPINION — It’s one of those old Hallmark commercials — the kind that were two minutes plus and shown only during Hallmark Hall of Fame presentations. I’ve long since forgotten what the presentation was, but I haven’t forgotten the...
Learning to listen to God Our distraction bubble consists of the totality of things that are competing for our attention. It is sights, sounds and screens to be sure, but it is more than environmental noise. It consists of our inner voice—you know,...
Standing Firm OPINION — Therefore, my brothers and sisters, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, dear friends. (Philippians 4:1)Firmness is a good thing. We don’t want it everywhere, but in many...
A great place to be OPINION — Scott Macaulay lives in Melrose, Massachusetts, where he runs Macaulay’s House of Vacuum Cleaners. But that’s not what he’s known for—Scott is known for Thanksgiving.It started in 1985, when Scott was 24. His parents...
Hazardous to your health? OPINION — In late August, the Surgeon General declared that parenting could be hazardous to your health. You read that right. Parenting is now in the same category as smoking, alcohol, and other forms of drug...
From groaning to glory - part three OPINION — In the past two weeks, we’ve looked at Romans 8:18-25 and seen how humanity and the earth (Paul speaks of it as “creation”) are intertwined by virtue of their origin, their sharing of the redemptive...
