Freedom Ministries News & Bible Studies Blog (RSS)

Romans 3

Tue, 18 Apr 2006 21:51:00 -0600

Having given the Jews a bit of a 'reality-check' in regard to their sense of superiority and pride in their birth-state as God's favoured people, Paul now 'balances the ledger?, by reaffirming their true place in Christ. Paul often looks at both sides of a doctrinal argument, showing the two sides where each of their thinking is wrong, before reaffirming them and stating the truth that was invariably being twisted in the first place. Keep in mind, again, that his opening statement in chapter 3 is actually the concluding statement to his argument in chapter 2, so you might want to read chapter 2 quickly before going on to this week?s study. Let?s see what Paul has to say... Romans 3

¹ What advantage, then, is there in being a Jew, or what value is there in circumcision? ² Much in every way! First of all, they have been entrusted with the very words of God. ³ What if some did not have faith? Will their lack of faith nullify God's faithfulness? ⁴ Not at all! Let God be true, and every man a liar. As it is written: "So that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge."

Remember that Paul has just finished criticising the Jews for claiming an exclusive covenant with God, when they were not even able to keep the terms of this covenant. Now, he shows that, despite their lack of faithfulness to God, His faithfulness in keeping His covenant with His people means that the covenant still remains. Think about this for a moment. Despite the fact that they had not kept the covenant, Paul says that God has kept the covenant in full. This is through what Jesus did on the cross. His sacrifice covered every failure on the part of the Jews, and they can then hold on to the promises God made to them throughout history. Understand, then, that Paul was not nullifying the covenant between God and the Jews in chapter 2, he was merely pointing out that they had not kept their covenant with God, so they had no right to claim ?special privilege? over the Gentiles. Now, however, he declares that the Jews still have this ?special privileged? status, but that it is entirely through the grace of God, not their own doing. This way, the Jews can still have a special hope, as God continues to honour his covenants with Abraham, Moses and then David, yet they will never again use this to try and demean and criticise those who are not Jews, for their covenant is a covenant of grace. This then puts us all in the same situation of being saved by grace; not by birthright. As Christians, we are quick to ?write off? the Jews for their failure to live up to the expectations of the ?Old Law?, yet we must remember that they are covered by the blood of Jesus just the same as we are. Therefore, rather than being cast aside to make way for God?s New Chosen People - the Church, the Jews still hold a special place in God?s heart, and they are still His chosen people. This will NEVER change, and we need to realise this, and rejoice with them. At the same time, however, the Jews must realise that this covenant is now not a reason for "chest-beating" and pride in their lofty position, for without the grace of God they would have forfeited everything through their disobedience. So we all rejoice together at the grace of God ? whether Jew or Gentile.

⁵ But if our unrighteousness brings out God's righteousness more clearly, what shall we say? That God is unjust in bringing his wrath on us? (I am using a human argument.) ⁶ Certainly not! If that were so, how could God judge the world?

Again, Paul jumps across to the other side of the argument and voices it. Some people might say, "If our unrighteousness enables God to show His Righteousness, why are we condemned for it?" Notice that he is still dealing with the issue of pride. For someone to voice this argument, they are still trying to justify themselves, and not accept the truth that they are NOT and will NEVER BE righteous. For us to accept God?s grace, we must accept that we need it. So Paul is actually providing a wonderful promise, but insisting that it be accepted on God?s terms, not our own.

⁷ Someone might argue, "If my falsehood enhances God's truthfulness and so increases his glory, why am I still condemned as a sinner?" ⁸ Why not say--as we are being slanderously reported as saying and as some claim that we say--"Let us do evil that good may result"? Their condemnation is deserved.

Paul shows his contempt for this argument. The argument he refers to is completely self-serving, as people try to justify the things they do not want to give up in their lives. Not only did they continue to sin, but they even used ?Christian? terms to justify this sin. As Paul declares, in disgust, ?Anyone who believes this deserves to be condemned!? We must be very careful that we do not take God?s grace for granted. If we are saved by grace, then we should make every attempt to live lives worthy of the grace God has shown to us. If we continue in our sin, blindly stumbling toward condemnation, and even try to justify what we do, then we are in a very shaky place. Let us show the fruit of our salvation through the very lives that we lead. This is effectively what Paul is saying here too.

⁹ What shall we conclude then? Are we any better? Not at all! We have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin.

Just as the Gentiles start to utter, "I told you so!", Paul ensures they too are aware of their own shortcomings. I don?t know why it is, but we are so quick to judge others. Even when we stand condemned ourselves, we jump up and decry all perceived failures by another. The above message from Paul is not merely aimed at Jews, but all believers. The reason Paul continues his argument for such a long time is that he needs to be sure the people realise what he is saying. Until the people fully understand that they are not righteous, and never will be, he cannot move forward with the wonderful promises he wants to share with them. As I have already stated, until we realise that we need the grace of God, we are not ready to hear about it. We often wonder why people scoff at our attempts to share Jesus with them. Unless they realise the futility of their own direction, they will never turn around to follow God?s direction.

¹⁰ As it is written: "There is no one righteous, not even one; ¹¹ there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. ¹² All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one." ¹³ "Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit."[4] "The poison of vipers is on their lips." ¹⁴ "Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness." ¹⁵ "Their feet are swift to shed blood; ¹⁶ ruin and misery mark their ways, ¹⁷ and the way of peace they do not know." ¹⁸ "There is no fear of God before their eyes."

Paul often uses passages from "The Scriptures" (known today as the Old Testament) to back up a point he may be making. Remember that, at the time of the New Testament writings, the Old Testament was the only "Scripture" known and accepted. The ?New Testament? was not canonised as Scripture for over one hundred years (and even then it was an ongoing process ? even today, there are myriad arguments about how, when and where the New Testament was canonised, and which one is the 'true" version...). Additionally, there were differences of opinion within the church as to the relevance and precedence of the Scriptures at all. Some thought Jesus had surpassed the Old Laws (and many Gentiles did not even accept such Jewish Laws as applying to them), while others considered that obedience of The Law was still required. For the sake of the Jews, who still believed and adhered to the Old Testament, Paul shows that it too agrees with what he is saying. As a side exercise, why not get your bible now, and look up the references that Paul quotes in v10-18, and read them in context. The eight verses are not one quote, but several. It is good for us to see how the Old Testament and the New Testament align on the issues of righteousness.

¹⁹ Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. ²⁰ Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.

Getting to the crux of his line of reasoning, Paul shows that it is impossible to be justified through The Law, as all have broken it at some stage. Refer again to v10-18 to see that even the Scriptures attest to this truth. In this case, what is the purpose of The Law? It is here that we see the truth that Paul has been leading up to for three chapters. We see the first glimpse of how the Law and Grace can coexist! What am I talking about? Simply this ? The Law was NOT made to be obeyed, but to make us aware that we could not obey it! Go back and read that statement again so you don?t miss the importance of it. If you think I am going loony, read what Paul says. Through the Law, we become conscious of sin. If there was no standard by which right and wrong could be measured, then God could not declare a person unrighteous. It was necessary for God to set a standard of perfection required to be called righteous, so that when His incredible grace was revealed through Jesus Christ, all people would know that they needed saving from the state of unrighteousness they had been made aware of through the Law. When we understand this as the true purpose of the Law, then we can see that God is truly a God of grace and justice. He didn?t lower His standard of perfection to enable us to reach Him, but He provided the way for us to be considered righteous through the works of Jesus. (But now I am getting ahead of myself...)

²¹ But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. ²² This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, ²³ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ²⁴ and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

Paul declares that the very Scriptures point to Jesus as Saviour of us all. It makes no difference whether we are Jew or Gentile, for we have all fallen short of the glory of God, revealed in the Scriptures, but we are all justified freely through God?s grace. This is the Good News of salvation. If we have all fallen short of perfection, and are all justified through God?s grace, then no one has the right to boast. Instead, we all stand in awe of the wonderful love our God has bestowed upon us.

²⁵ God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished-- ²⁶ he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.

Now we see, from the Jewish perspective, how Jesus could achieve this salvation for us all. Just as God commanded the people to sacrifice animals to atone for their sin, Jesus became the ultimate sacrifice for us all. Jesus, the perfect sacrifice, who had not come under the bondage of sin, took the place of us all so that the requirements of the Law would still be fulfilled. Through this, God?s grace and justice are both shown. For if God has lowered the standard of righteousness, then he would not be Righteous. By the actions of Adam, we were all placed under the authority of Satan. Until the requirement of death followed, sin would have gone unpunished. Instead, God meted out the punishment in full ? he just meted it out on Himself, in the form of Jesus. Once we become aware of this incredible fact, our lives can never be the same again, for our understanding of God can never again be the same. When we see God in all His glory for the first time, we cannot but be changed forever. This is the beginning of sanctification, as we are restored to our state of communion with God.

²⁷ Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that of observing the law? No, but on that of faith. ²⁸ For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law. ²⁹ Is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, ³⁰ since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith. ³¹ Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law.

Here, we see the culmination of Paul?s declaration. Showing the people that all are saved by grace, he spells it out for them. No one can boast in our position ? we can only boast of the grace of God. This grace does not exclude Gentiles, in is all-inclusive. Nor does this grace nullify the Law. Instead, the Law if upheld by God?s grace, meaning the Jews retain their status as God?s chosen people through His grace. Gentiles too are included in this wonderful grace, as nothing can limit the grace of God. Contemplate this wonderful truth this week, and then give glory to God, the author and perfector of our faith. God bless you all. Dave

Romans 2

Tue, 18 Apr 2006 21:18:00 -0600

Despite our additions of chapter and verse, the original bible was written in a continuous, flowing format. In this case, Romans 2 continues immediately where Romans 1 left off. If we were writing a letter, we could even include Romans 2:1 in the same paragraph as Romans 1:32, as they are so closely linked. So we continue with Paul?s train of thought as though we were still in chapter one. Romans 2

¹ You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.
² Now we know that God's judgment against those who do such things is based on truth.
³ So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God's judgment?

As we discussed last week, Romans 1 is not a reason for us to judge sinners, as we all fall in the same category. Paul has made it very clear that all have sinned, so here, he shows that no one has the right to judge. We know that Jesus said that if we judge, we will be judged, in the same manner, using the same measuring rod. Paul here, sums this thought up by declaring that at whatever point you pass judgement, you will be condemned. This is such an important fact for us too. It is easy for us to pass judgement on others, when they say or do things that we know are not right. This (judging others) was a favourite pastime of the Pharisees and religious leaders in the time of Jesus too. We must remember that, according to Scripture, if we keep the whole law, except one point, we are law-breakers just as surely as if we had broken the whole law. Although we 'grade' sin, God does not. Sin is sin, is sin! No matter what sin I have committed, the moment I have sinned, I have no right to judge another person. Let us leave the judging to God, for He alone has the wisdom to do it well anyway.

⁴ Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realising that God's kindness leads you toward repentance?
⁵ But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God's wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed.

God is interested in bringing each of us to repentance. This word is not truly understood today, and is often misused. We use 'repent' to indicate a state of regret or sorrow for our sin. We come to God and declare, "Lord I repent of my sin...", then go out the next day and do it again. We then come back to God, crying, "Lord, I repent of my sin..." In actual fact, the word "Repent" is more truly described as a change of direction (similar to a "U-Turn" when driving a car). So, to be able to say, "I repent!" we would have to turn from our sin and do it no more. In this context, we have not truly repented if we continue to sin. Therefore, if the bible tells us that we must "repent of our sin" to be saved, can we even presume salvation if our lives do not bear the fruit of Jesus living in us? If no one can tell you are any different to the unsaved people around you, have you truly repented? (Let us think carefully on these things, as we only have one life to live. Let us live it to the glory of God, and be sure of our salvation).

⁶ God "will give to each person according to what he has done."
⁷ To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honour and immortality, he will give eternal life.
⁸ But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger.
⁹ There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile;
¹⁰ but glory, honour and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.
¹¹ For God does not show favouritism.

Paul reiterates the same theme, of our actions supplementing the faith by which we were saved. Because we believe that we are saved by grace, not works, it is easy for us to then neglect the equally important aspect of the way we live our lives. Every person?s life ?bears fruit?, just as a tree bears fruit. It is by this fruit that we recognise the true state of a person?s life and their heart. The bible tells us this time and again. So, while it is true that we were saved the moment we accepted Jesus and repented of our sin, we then enter a covenant with God, by which our part of the bargain is to bear fruit through the works that we do. Although this seems to be a paradox, both can be equally true. Good Works are not REQUIRED to be saved, but they certainly are required from us once we ARE saved, as they show the state of our heart. In this way, our good works bear evidence of the salvation we have already received. The following analogy may make it a little easier for us to comprehend the paradox outlined above. Imagine a student has just finished school (or college in the USA) and been accepted to university to study Medicine. At the moment of acceptance, the student probably knows little or nothing about surgery, anatomy, or any other fundamentals of Medicine. They are accepted purely on the basis of the potential they have for success. This means that, even though they have not done anything in the field of Medicine, the University decides that this person has the ability to fulfil the requirements of the course. With no actual 'fruit', being medical knowledge and excellence, the person is accepted to start the course. In the same way, Jesus accepts us, with no 'fruit' of goodness or godliness, but as He sees the potential in us to succeed in following Him. Upon our repentance, (just as the student?s application to the University), we are accepted just as we are. When the student starts the course, he is given everything he requires to succeed. The training, the knowledge, the availability of reference material and the best professors are provided, so that he will grow in knowledge and excellence in the field of Medicine. Similarly, God provides us with all that we need; His Word, fellowship with believers and a direct line of communication with Him, so that we may grow in the knowledge of Jesus, and our lives may bear the fruit of following Him. If the student chooses not to study, or not to apply himself, he may be asked to repeat a subject, and ultimately, if he does not apply himself, or he shows no aptitude or ability in the field of Medicine, he may be asked to withdraw from the course altogether. Likewise, if the Christian chooses not to follow the Moral Will of God, and makes the same mistakes over and again, God will allow him to repeat the same lessons over and over, until he is able to stand in that particular area. Ultimately, if his life shows no 'fruit' that Jesus is living in Him, he may indeed lose salvation. As John says in his first Epistle, if we have no 'fruit' in our lives, were we ever really saved in the first place? In this way, our salvation IS absolute the moment we believe, but this is not the end of the story, merely the beginning of the course. We have now been charged to complete the 'course' of Christian Life, and need to ensure that we are progressing in faith, wisdom, knowledge, and the love of Jesus. So we see both statements are true; "We ARE saved by faith, not works", and yet, "faith without works is dead."

¹² All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law.
¹³ For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God's sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous.
¹⁴ (Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law,
¹⁵ since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them.)
¹⁶ This will take place on the day when God will judge men's secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares.

Paul now enters the delicate area of "The Law", meaning the Law of Moses. The Jews thought that, through the very fact that God had given the Law to them, they were automatically saved. They conveniently forgot that none of them had ever kept it to the letter. Paul reminds them that only those who keep the whole law, always, can rely on the Law to save them. In other words, he says that they should not even try to put their faith in the Law, as none of them had ever fulfilled the requirements of the Law. Indeed, he continues, when Gentiles fulfil the aspects of the Law through their conscience, they are more righteous than those who know the Law and have not fulfilled it. In actual fact, those who had been born under the Law were in a greater predicament than those who did not have the Law, as the Law served no purpose except to burden people with expectations they could not fulfil in themselves. We will find out more in this regard in chapter 3. Paul's message here reflects the message of Jesus, when he told the Pharisees that God looked at the inward observance of the 'Spirit of the Law', and not at the outward observance of the "letter of the Law". As we see from verse 12, whether a person has the Law or not, they will perish, for none are righteous. The Law, of itself, cannot possibly save anyone. Although these verses seem fairly negative, keep in mind that Paul is still laying the foundation for his message of the grace of God, in offering salvation to all people, even though we are unable to fulfil the requirements of the Law, or righteousness.

¹⁷ Now you, if you call yourself a Jew; if you rely on the law and brag about your relationship to God;
¹⁸ if you know his will and approve of what is superior because you are instructed by the law;
¹⁹ if you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light for those who are in the dark,
²⁰ an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of infants, because you have in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth--
²¹ you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal?
²² You who say that people should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples?
²³ You who brag about the law, do you dishonour God by breaking the law?
²⁴ As it is written: "God's name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you."

Here we see Paul tackle the issue of Religious Pride head-on. As we already know, the Jews held themselves as somehow ?better then? the Gentiles, merely because they were Jews. They felt that the Law of Moses, and the covenant of circumcision, made them more special in the eyes of God. Indeed, in some cities, the Jewish Christians insisted that the Gentile Christians become Jews, by being circumcised, in order to worship Jesus. They saw themselves as 'spiritually superior' to the Gentiles, and acted accordingly. Paul, however, shows the hypocrisy of this by pointing out that they could not even keep the law they were bragging about. I can imagine his frustration at the way the people were acting, considering the way this type of Religious Pride had caused the religious leaders to crucify Jesus. We can never afford to forget that pride is one of the greatest killers of anointing in the church. No matter how great our ministry; no matter how wonderful our gifts, the moment we begin to consider ourselves better than others, we are walking on very dangerous ground, and are actively working against the Holy Spirit of God. Knowing that we are less then perfect, it is irrelevant whether we are good, bad or indifferent ? we are still sinners. As such, we will NEVER have reason to boast in ourselves, so let?s get that though out of our heads right now, and never let it return. For the moment it does, we stand in grave danger of throwing away everything we hold dear in the faith.

²⁵ Circumcision has value if you observe the law, but if you break the law, you have become as though you had not been circumcised.
²⁶ If those who are not circumcised keep the law's requirements, will they not be regarded as though they were circumcised?
²⁷ The one who is not circumcised physically and yet obeys the law will condemn you who, even though you have the written code and circumcision, are a lawbreaker.
²⁸ A man is not a Jew if he is only one outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical.
²⁹ No, a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a man's praise is not from men, but from God.

Paul continues, by making it clear that the state of our heart, not the place of our birth, is what is important to God. If someone is not under the Law, yet obeys the Law, is he not more righteous than a person under the Law who breaks that Law? It therefore stands that obedience is the only important factor in the Law. This mirrors the teachings of Jesus, who was never impressed with mere outward observance of the Law. He often broke the outward observance of Jewish tradition, but always kept the spirit of the law, in his heart, by honouring God and his fellow man at all times. More than once, he vigorously condemned the Religious leaders for the way they obeyed the letter of the law, yet their hearts were far from God. So Paul says to the Jews. Circumcision in the bible was used by many in the same way "Infant Baptism" is used by some people today. In some churches, a baby is baptised (or "christened"), and can thereby call themselves a member of that particular church until the day they die. For instance, I was baptised in the Catholic church when I was a baby. My father still considers me Catholic, even though I have been part of other denominations since I was about 12. To this day, he even considers himself Catholic, though he has not attended any church for over 20 years, Weddings, Funerals and Christenings excepted. Looking at it this way, we can better understand why both Jesus and Paul were so vehemently against the pride that set in amongst the Jews, when the Gentiles often showed a greater righteousness through their actions than the Jews did through their claims of 'circumcision'. As we ponder these things, rather than judging the Jews for this pride, let us purge our own hearts, and ensure no spot of pride is polluting our own relationship with God. Let us always remember that we are sinners saved by grace. If this is foremost in our minds, we will be much less likely to start believing the lies from the pit of hell, that we are somehow better then those around us. It is enough that God sees us worthy of His love; let?s follow Him in humility and wisdom all the days of our life. God bless you all. Dave

Romans 1

Fri, 06 Jan 2006 03:28:00 -0600

The book of Romans has fascinated multitudes of people around the world for thousands of years. Now we, too, have the opportunity to study this wonderful work in a little more depth than many of us may have done in the past. As with our study of John, there are so many profound insights we miss when we merely scan the Word without taking the time to contemplate what we have just read. I encourage you to spend time meditating on the Word. If you want to study each edition in one sitting, that is wonderful, but it is designed to keep you going for a whole week of reading. This way, you can glean all that God would reveal to you through His Word. As you meditate on His Word, you will see things that I may miss. This is the nature of God's Word. It is so vast that all could not be covered in a lifetime of study. For those who really want to study God's Word with their whole being, I also suggest that you get hold of some good commentaries to refer to in addition to this study. While I read Commentaries regularly in conjunction with my own personal Bible study, I don't tend to use them in these studies, as the purpose here is merely to share my thoughts and observations on the Word of God. Commentaries will give you a different perspective, resulting in a deeper knowledge of God through His Word. My prayer for you all is that you will grow in the knowledge and understanding of the Word of God, so that you will become strong in your relationship with God. So often, truth becomes clouded, as people teach falsehood under the guise of God's Word. We need to be so firmly grounded on the foundation of Scripture that we will never be led astray by such false doctrine. We need to become strong, like the tree referred to in Psalm 1, so that when the storms of this life rage against us, we will be able to stand firm. This will not happen unless our foundation is true. So relax, sit back and join me on a journey of discovery, through the writing of the great Apostle to the Gentiles, Paul. Romans 1 The book of Romans was written by Paul to the church in Rome. It is believed that he wrote this letter while on his third Missionary journey (somewhere around 57AD). The fact that the Roman Church was thriving at this time refutes a commonly held belief that it was founded by Peter, for Peter did not go to Rome until later. The most probable explanation is that some of the 3000 Jews converted on the day of Pentecost came from Rome and established a church when they returned. It is likely, then, that the initial Roman church was made up of Jewish followers of Jesus. As the Apostles began witnessing to the Gentiles, it would seem logical that Gentiles also joined the church in Rome. When the Emperor ordered all Jews to leave Rome, the Gentiles carried on in their place. By the time the Jews were once again allowed to live in Rome, the church would probably have consisted of both Jews and Gentiles, causing some fragmentation in beliefs and doctrine. Many scholars believe that the Roman church was split into several different 'home churches', due to these differences. This reasoning certainly seems logical, as Paul spends much time in Romans outlining correct doctrine. As Paul was not the founder of the Roman church, we see a slightly different style of writing. Rather than writing as a father to his children, who already has the respect and obedience of the people, he writes as one exhorting his peers. Due to the lack of communication at the time, people did not always know exactly what a teacher stood for, so Paul spends several chapters outlining the doctrine of Jesus that he teaches. This is why many people call Romans, "The Gospel of Paul". It is thought that Paul wrote for several reasons: - To outline his teaching to the church of Rome, so they would be encouraged and edified. - He was in the process of collecting gifts from the Gentile churches to give to the Jewish churches, in order to bind them together in love and deal with some of the hard feelings that had developed between the two. He would obviously have wanted the Roman church to be part of this. - He was going out to Spain, and would probably have wanted some more support for this extended missionary journey. - He wanted to meet them, as he had already met several of their members through the time the Jews had been thrown out of Rome, and he wanted to encourage them and be encouraged by them. The reason he had not already been to Rome was that his calling was to bring the Gospel of Jesus to the unsaved. As there was a thriving church in Rome, he went instead to other cities who had not received the message of Jesus. Now that we have a little 'snapshot' of the context within which Paul writes, let's take a look at the content of the letter.

¹ Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God--

Throughout the many letters written by Paul, we find out that he is a well-educated man, gifted with an excellent mind. Because so many of his letters are in the New Testament, we get a unique glimpse at his particular writing style. You will note that he always commences his letters with an affirmation of who he is in Christ. In many of these letters, he refers to himself as an apostle of Jesus. According to his own words, Jesus told him that he was to be an Apostle to the Gentiles, just as "The Twelve" were to be Apostles to the Jews. This was a valid, and necessary, declaration for him to make, for several reasons. The 1st Century society obviously lacked the communications abilities we have today, and this meant that the majority of people and churches lived in relative isolation from those in other towns, cities and countries. Many people would roam from church to church and say that they had been sent by the apostles, or some other source of authority. This way, their words would be believed, and in some cases, they would profit from the believers who took them at their word. Many doctrines and teachings, differing from the message Jesus preached, were thrown around. Because of this, many people were led astray. (This is why so much of the New Testament deals with issues such as correct doctrine and teaching). In such a volatile situation, an author had to justify his credentials to say what he said. Additionally, many forged letters were passed around, claiming to be from Paul, or the other Apostles and church leaders, leading more people astray. Such personal writing traits as those found in Paul's letters would make it easier for the listeners to identify whether the letter was indeed from Paul. (As an aside, the book of Hebrews is an excellent example. Some people believe that Paul wrote it, but others believe that it is so different from Paul's usual writing style and format that it could not possibly have been written by Paul. The majority of scholars believe that Hebrews was written by either Paul or Apollos.)

² the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures
³ regarding his Son, who as to his human nature was a descendant of David,
⁴ and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.

Here, we find another 'quirk' of Paul's writing. He follows the declaration about himself with a declaration about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Again, he is qualifying himself, and the source of his teaching. Due to the false teachings that were rampant, people held different views about who Jesus was, and what he did. Keep in mind, Paul had not started the Roman church, nor had he visited them before, so he was showing them from the outset, what he believed and taught. Here, he qualifies both the humanity and the divinity of Jesus. Some (such as the Gnostics) denied the physical presence of Jesus, instead separating the physical and spiritual realms and deciding that they could not co-exist, while others taught that Jesus was a man who had 'become' a god through some form of human effort. Within a handful of sentences, Paul makes his position undeniably clear on both the humanity, and the divinity, of Jesus.

⁵ Through him and for his name's sake, we received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith.
⁶ And you also are among those who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.

Now, Paul joins the Roman church together with himself, by affirming that they are all called by Jesus Christ to spread the Gospel to the Gentile nations. In other words, he says, "Through God's grace, we are all on the same team. We are trying to win the Gentiles to Jesus." In the traditional Greek style of letter writing (which was the common style of the day), a writer would begin a letter with a short greeting, followed by statements of praise and affirmation of the Greek gods. It is interesting that Paul follows this same style of writing, instead affirming the True God. As with his debate with the Greek philosophers in Athens, he was an expert in using the things of this world to turn people to Jesus. In Athens, he used the Greek altar marked "To an Unknown god..." to reveal to them the True God. We could do well to consider this method of evangelism today. Rather than "passing judgement from on high" when dealing with people, we would do much better showing love and acceptance initially, and dealing with issues of right and wrong from a position of trust and friendship. Please realise that I am not suggesting that we change our beliefs or morals in any way. I am merely stating that sometimes we are so quick to judge, when we are called to reach. If you love a person first, then you will be in a much better position to bring correction to their life.

⁷ To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
⁸ First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world.
⁹ God, whom I serve with my whole heart in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you
¹⁰ in my prayers at all times; and I pray that now at last by God's will the way may be opened for me to come to you.

In these opening statements, Paul reaffirms the church in Rome, encouraging them and declaring that their faith and goodness is known throughout the world. He again draws them together by declaring that he constantly prays for them, as a brother.

¹¹ I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong--
¹² that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith.

This is an interesting sentence, in that it almost seems that Paul stops mid-stream and slightly corrects himself. He starts by saying, as he would to any of his own churches, that he wants to come and minister to them. Suddenly he stops, and reiterates that he wants to encourage them AND be encouraged by them too. This makes sense, as he had not been to the Roman church before, and had yet to gain their trust and respect, so he continues to talk to them and consider them as equals.

¹³ I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that I planned many times to come to you (but have been prevented from doing so until now) in order that I might have a harvest among you, just as I have had among the other Gentiles.
¹⁴ I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish.

Some scholars think that some people in the Roman church were a little 'put out' because Paul had never visited them. He had gone all over the Roman world, as far as Asia and Europe, yet had never come to them. I imagine that this may have been an issue, as Paul reassures them that he had indeed wanted to come in the past, but had been prevented from doing so. I read this to say something like, "I have wanted to visit for a long time, but circumstances have prevented me from coming. I don't want you to think that I don't care about you, or don't want to come to you. As soon as I can get there, I will."

¹⁵ That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are at Rome.
¹⁶ ¹⁷ For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith."

Here, Paul puts the racial issue into perspective. He declares that salvation did come from the Jews, so they should be given consideration as the 'firstborn', so to speak. Yet, the salvation referred to is solely through faith, not Law. The nature of the Jew/Gentile arguments centred around the issue of the Jews claiming that Gentiles had to obey the law of Moses to be saved, and the Gentiles countering by saying that the Jews were no different to them, and Jesus was the same to all people. Paul says that the Jews DO have a special relationship with God by virtue of His covenant with Abraham, yet the Law is not the means by which people are saved. In this, both the Jews and the Gentiles were partly right, but not entirely.

¹⁸ The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness,
¹⁹ since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.
²⁰ For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.

Paul now continues with a brief history lesson, which will continue for some chapters. In it, he shows how man has fallen from the truth of God since the foundation of the world. He starts by telling of the current state of mankind, full of sin and evil. There is no excuse for such sin, as God has made it clear through His creation. This is true today too. Many theories, such as Evolution, thrive with scant evidence, because they give people the opportunity to escape the fact that we are all sinners. Paul declares here, once for all, that God has made Himself evident to one who searches.

²¹ For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.
²² Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools
²³ and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.
²⁴ Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another.
²⁵ They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator--who is forever praised. Amen.
²⁶ Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones.
²⁷ In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.
²⁸ Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done.
²⁹ They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips,
³⁰ slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents;
³¹ they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless.
³² Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.

Many people have used the above passage to launch a vicious attack on homosexuals throughout history. They claim that all homosexuals are depraved beings for whom God has reserved special punishment, and that homosexuality itself is a result of personal sin causing God to hand a person over to unnatural lusts. While the bible is very clear in it's condemnation of sin, including the sin of Homosexuality, this passage needs to be considered in its correct context. Here, Paul is talking about history. In the Old testament, many pagan 'gods' were worshipped. People went from worship of the Creator to worship of created things ? idols of wood and clay, worship of the sun, moon and stars. Almost every form of idol worship centred around procreation, and as such, ritual prostitution was rampant. Homosexual prostitution went under the guise of 'worship', and orgies and sexual immorality of all forms were accepted when they were done 'to their gods'. As we know from the Old testament, some pagan religions even practiced human sacrifice, as children were offered up in fire to placate these 'beings'. This is the behaviour referred to by Paul in this passage. It is important for us to realise this, as it lays the foundation for what Paul will say in the following chapters. Here, he is describes the fall of man, from righteousness to sin; showing that none are righteous, none are justified. This way, when he begins to deal with salvation by grace, each reader is aware that no other way of redemption is available, due to the sinful nature we each display. When reading passages such as the one above, it is possible to view them one of two ways. We can look at the exact nature of the sin outlined in the passage, and then judge all people who sin in those ways, or we can see the corrupt nature of ourselves and focus on our own problems, leaving other people to the grace of God. It is important for us to look at passages such as the one above in the latter way, as the moment we became law breakers, we were prevented by our own sinfulness from judging anyone else for their sin. Let us never forget Jesus' opinion on the matter, when he was asked whether the woman caught in adultery should be stoned. He replied, "He who is without sin may cast the first stone." Let us see things in their context, and let us remember that, according to Romans 1, all have fallen away from God. We can all relate in some way to something referred to in this chapter, even if it is only greed or envy (see verse 29), so this means that Romans 1 talks to us all. The good news is that Paul's lesson does not end there. In fact, the news gets better and better, culminating in Romans 8, which is one of the most chapters in the bible. But we will just have to wait a few weeks to get there (unless you decide to read ahead in your own time...) In the meantime, God bless you all. Dave