The North Church Women

Romans Pt.1 Week 3: None is Righteous | Charisse Compton | 2.12.25

No one gets a pass. Not the flagrantly immoral and not the private idolater. This is Paul’s argument so far: God judges each person—Jew or Gentile—according to his works. The standard for judging those works is God’s righteousness, explicitly stated in his laws. Both Jews and Gentiles have failed to keep God’s righteous standard. 

What should we do when we hear a word like this? Paul already told us. Stop our mouths. Make no more excuses. Hear the oracles of God as his mercy to us. Conviction over sin is such a gift. If you feel conviction, rejoice! That is a sign of life in you. God is so kind to expose the ugly hypocrisy in our hearts so that we can repent of it and be free of it. 

But next week we'll see that following this universally devastating revelation of God’s wrath on all unrighteousness comes the glorious revelation of a righteousness APART from the law. Your works will never measure up to the righteous standard of God’s law. But there is another way… the way of the gospel. It is the power of God for salvation from his just wrath, and it is the best news you could ever hear.

Romans Pt.1 Week 2: God's Wrath on Unrighteousness | Romans 1:18–32 | Amy Katterson

In God’s mysterious grace, the starting point for hope is to face our desperate, hopeless condition. Our problem is the stain of sin, which we can never scrub away. Sin of exchanging the glory of God for a love of ourselves—that terrible exchange, which trickles down into a hundred other fruits of wickedness.

But there was another exchange. The holy, almighty God we rejected, He made another exchange. The righteous Judge took all the eternal wrath and punishment that our sins deserve, and He poured it out, not on us, but on His beautiful, perfect Son. And the one Man who always treasured the glory of God–His perfect record is draped over us, if we receive Him.

Our sin for Christ’s righteousness. This is the breath-taking exchange of the gospel. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “For our sake, he [God] made him to be sin who knew no sin [Jesus], so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

Romans Pt.1 Week 1: The Gospel Reveals God's Righteousness | Romans 1:1–17 | Pam Larson

This week we heard the "Overture to Romans” (Paul’s introduction in Romans 1:1–17). As in a musical before the curtain rises, the overture sets the mood and introduces motifs that are developed later in the play, and you hear familiar melodies from each scene or episode.

Introduction to Romans Seminar w/Q&A | Dr. Andrew Naselli 1.25.25

Dr. Naselli gives us a powerfully rich "jet tour" of the book of Romans.

For more extensive information, we recommend Dr. Naselli's excellent book, Romans: A Concise Guide to the Greatest Letter Ever Written.

Feasting on God’s Grace: Living Bread and Water | Kristin Tabb | MOMS

Start the new year by considering how we can feast on the life of Jesus by thirsting for prayer and consuming God’s Word. We come to him so that we may have life!

 

You can access Kristin's recommended resources here.

Judges Week 10: A Nation in Decline | Judges 19–21 | Charisse Compton

Judges concludes with a deeply sobering illustration of what the kingdom of this world is like. While the author doesn’t shrink from revealing the horrors of what humanity becomes when they reject God as king, he nonetheless ends his history of the judges on a hopeful note. He invites us to look through the gloom of “those days” to a new day when “the kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his [King], and he shall reign forever and ever” (Rev 11:15).

That day is coming! And it comes courtesy of a willing Savior—and now enthroned King—whose Father sent him out the doors of heaven into the arms of a worthless mob intent on doing him harm. While we “worthless fellows” blindly stumbled around seeking other saviors, Jesus quietly laid down his life for ours. Now freed from sin’s tyranny, previously “worthless fellows” have become citizens of Heaven’s kingdom, anticipating the day when all the earth does what is “right” in God’s eyes.

Nurturing Robust Mental Health | Sharon Dierberger | MOMS 11.19.24

Feelings of inadequacy, fear of failure, indecision, and guilt often rob us of joy and effectiveness. Why are these pitfalls so prevalent today, even in the church? How can we as Christian women avoid them and approach life with contagious confidence?

Judges Week 9: A Priesthood in Decline | Judges 17 & 18 | Kïrsten Christianson

Sometimes, in order to repent and worship God, we have to take a long hard look at what life apart from him looks like. This week in Judges 17 and 18, we saw the ironic and devastating effects of Israel’s rejection of the one true God: “There was no king in Israel, and everyone did right in their own eyes.” The fruit: relational manipulation, deceit, generational sin, the perversion of the priesthood, and death. The proud, thieving son is robbed, betrayed, exposed, and abandoned. Israel is lost. 

So, what to do? Learn from Israel, examine our own hearts, repent of specific idolatries, and gratefully worship the one true God!

Judges Week 8: This Great Salvation | Judges 16 | Lindsay Osborne

Samson’s story captured our attention with daring exploits, romantic betrayal, and a last-minute plot twist. It’s clear, however, that Samson is not the hero of the tale. He walked contrary to God’s ways and took God’s gifts for granted. His life offers warnings about the dangers of compromise and presuming on the Lord’s kindness.

Our covenant-keeping God is the real hero of Samson’s story. God strengthened Samson for his acts of Philistine judgment. God disciplined his people and Samson, allowing them to see how blind and enslaved they had become. Then, in a display of great mercy, God began to deliver them from the Philistines. That story of mercy parallels every believer’s story. God sent his son to deliver his people from the power of sin and death.

Jesus is our greater judge and champion. He said in Matthew 16:18, “I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Whether the metaphor works because Jesus broke the power of sin that would lock us into hell or because the gates represent the strength of evil powers that issue from it, Jesus declared that the final victory belongs to him. What a Savior!

Judges Week 7: A Savior is Born | Judges 12–15 | Lindsay Osborne

In Samson’s life, we saw the glorious character of God revealed.

• When Israel was unfaithful, God remained a covenant-keeper. He disciplined Israel and sent the help they didn’t ask for.
• When Manoah’s vision was small, God revealed himself as "too wonderful." He accepted their offering and promised a baby boy.
• When Samson wanted to marry a Philistine, God’s plans were not thwarted. He used Samson to judge the Philistines, removing a portion of their fighting men and destroying their food supply.

Samson’s life also pointed to Jesus, our better judge.

• Jesus was also announced by an angel as the Promised Son and Deliverer.
• Jesus never defiled himself, as Samson did. He died to make others pure.
• Jesus was not content that his people should live under oppression. He paid the price to deliver us from bondage to sin.
• Jesus did not forsake his bride when she turned traitor, but he was forsaken on the cross so that she might be with him forever.

“Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable.” —Psalm 145:3