Romans – the Power of God. Chapter One

First, let me say that I am sorry I haven’t written in a couple of weeks.  As you know, I’ve had surgery since then, and want to thank you for the emails, the calls, the visits, the help.  It’s all much appreciated.  I am very sorry I missed the last two classes (and will miss this one, too), and hope you understand my absence.

On Sunday, October 26, 2008, we will begin a new series on the Book of Romans, and hope to study a chapter a week. I don’t know how this will work out because some of the chapters have so much doctrine that needs discussing, but we will just go with the flow.  This week, it’s Chapter 1. Chapter 1 is interesting in that it lays the whole foundation for the rest of the book. Clearly, Romans is evangelistic in nature, but it’s also a call to discipleship to those who believe, and a warning to those who choose not to believe. I want to break down the sections I see in the first chapter and give a brief overview in preparation for class. I’ve written my own comments first, followed by the verses. I have written from my heart, so if you disagree, please try to keep your comments from becoming a personal attack on my beliefs. Argue your interpretation of these Scriptures and not your dislike of my interpretation.  Romans is considered by some to be one of the hardest Books, doctrinally speaking, but as a believer with a Southern Baptist background, I really enjoy reading and re-reading Romans.  I like discussing it with believers and non-believers alike.  I can get quite passionate about Romans, but it’s because Romans is filled with so much information and instruction.  So, let’s start.  BTW, all verses are NASB and are bolded for ease in reading.

 

Setting the Stage:

Verses 1-7 identify Paul as the writer, and Paul identifies himself as a voluntary slave (bond-servant) of Christ Jesus. Paul names Jesus by his title “Christ,” and by that you know that Paul saw himself in submission to Christ. Paul tells us he has been called by God as an apostle – which means he was a messenger – and his purpose (set apart) was to spread the Gospel (the “good news”). We know the Gospel is about Jesus Christ and that God promised Christ to us through the prophets of old (which would be the Old Testament since the New Testament hasn’t been completed at the time of Romans). We know that the believers are beloved of God and are called of Jesus and referred to as the saints. We know that Jesus was a descendent of David in the flesh (as the prophecies foretold), but also He is the Son of God. While we may all be sons and daughters of God, “The Son of God” is a title used only for Jesus himself, and speaks to His divinity. See Hebrews 1:8, quoting Psalms 45:6, and check for yourself if the title is used for anyone else in the Bible. At any rate, Paul uses these verses to identify his place and position, and his audience, the believers.

 

Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which He promised beforehand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning His Son, who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh, who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for His name’s sake, among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ; to all who are beloved of God in Rome, called as saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

 

The Power of God in the Gospel:

 In verses 8 – 17, Paul begins to expound on the blessings of sharing the gospel and its message of salvation. He first thanks God for the saints because their faith is expanding throughout the world when they share the Gospel they have received. Paul is fervent in his preaching of the Gospel, and he reminds the saints that he always seeks to be with them, if it be the will of God. He wants to be with the believers to encourage them, much the same way the body today encourages and lifts up fellow believers. By the same token, he seeks encouragement for his quest from other believers. He reminds us that he is a debtor to everyone, Greeks and barbarians, the wise and foolish, for the honor of preaching the Gospel. In fact, he is always eager to share the Good News. He can’t stop talking about it. The closest example I can think of is the way we sometimes act when we are “in love.’ You know, the way you think everyone around you is breathlessly waiting for you to tell them how your new love is so perfect? Well, in Paul’s case, he was preaching something perfect – the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul explains it is the power of God that gives salvation to everyone who believes, no matter who they are. He doesn’t say, and it would be scripturally unsound to do so, that salvation is available to anyone without first believing in Jesus Christ. “Who believes” is a crucial component of what it means to be saved, or “born again.” The Good News was given to the Jews first (think Peter, here), then the Gentiles (hello, Paul!). When we receive the Gospel and believe that Jesus Christ is exactly who He said He is, then the righteousness of God is revealed in our faith. But, while we are saved by a single act of belief, in order for us to grow to be more like Christ, we have to immerse ourselves in His Word. We have to let the Scripture penetrate us and we have to penetrate Scripture in order to be more conformed to His image. That’s discipleship, and as Paul points out to us, some of that happens when we fellowship with each other. We need each other for encouragement.

First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, because your faith is being proclaimed throughout the whole world. For God, whom I serve in my spirit in the preaching of the gospel of His Son, is my witness as to how unceasingly I make mention of you, always in my prayers making request, if perhaps now at last by the will of God I may succeed in coming to you. For I long to see you so that I may impart some spiritual gift o you, that you may be established; that is, that I may be encouraged together with you while among you, each of us by the other’s faith, both yours and mine. I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that often I have planned to come to you (and have been prevented so far) so that I may obtain some fruit among you also, even as among the rest of the Gentiles. I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. So, for my part, I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome. For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “BUT THE RIGHTEOUS man SHALL LIVE BY FAITH.”

So What Happens if You Don’t Believe? 

 Verses 18 – 30 paint a very bad picture of what happens when you are presented with the Gospel and refuse to believe it, but these verses also speak to what happens if you don’t believe even if you have never actually heard the Good News from someone else. That sounds harsh, but is it? The whole Bible is filled with examples about God and His creation. In His creation, you can see God everywhere. As these verses say, you can clearly seen His invisible attributes, His eternal power and His divine nature, so there is no excuse that you give for suppressing the truth. Also, and I truly believe this, God has made it evident within you that He exists. I believe there is a place in your heart that just KNOWS about Him. And, since God has made the truth of Himself evident within you, there is no excuse not to honor Him or fail to give thanks to him. Ever since I was a little kid, I have shuddered internally when someone uses God’s name in vain, or as a curse word. It occurs to me that in today’s society, people are quick to use “Jesus Christ” as an epithet, but why don’t they use “Buddha” or “Mohammed” the same way? Maybe because the Gospel has the power to divide the believers from the unbelievers. Hmmm. Worth thinking about. . . At any rate, these verses speak to how God will let the unbelievers have their way and worship and serve the creature rather than the Creator. (Mother Earth comes to mind here.) In fact, I believe we are living in a world that has rejected God, and in rejecting God, has rejected the Gospel that proclaims Jesus Christ as the Way, the Truth and the Life. Jesus said that no man comes to the Father except by Him. That means there is only one way. Unpopular in this culture? Yes. Very much so. I don’t care. Like Paul, I would rather be a slave to Christ than a free woman to anyone else. Like Paul, I would rather keep telling the story of my own salvation as an encouragement to other believers. Like Paul, I would rather share the Gospel at all times, and am reminded that my salvation is a gift of God through His power alone. It’s my faith by His grace. I have been set apart, as Paul was, even though I am not called as an Apostle. I am called, however, to partake in the Great Commission by sharing the Gospel with everyone. How they respond is a work for God, not me.

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.  For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures. Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error. And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.

Okay.  That’s it for this week.  Sunday’s class will be great, so go.  It’s your chance to participate, discuss, ask questions.

 

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