- Paul was writing around AD 56-57 in Corinth, in the home of Gaius, dictated to Tertius (Rom. 16:22).1. As a greeting, the Apostle Paul sets out right from the beginning of the letter certain essential elements concerning the gospel with which he is charged in vv. 1-6:
- It appears that because of the expulsion of Jews by Emperor Claudius, the church in Rome (already in existence and yet to be visited by Paul) was made up of a large number of Gentile Christians.
- Paul, while writing primarily to the Gentile Christians, did have the minority Jewish Christians in mind as well.
- While the theme of Justification by Faith is obvious, the themes of equality in Christ between Gentiles and Jews, and spirit and flesh are no less prominent.
a. In presenting himself as an apostle, how does he describe his relationship with Christ and his calling in v. 1? (It is important to know that the original word for servant is indeed “slave”).
b. In vv. 2-4, how does Paul emphasize the centrality of Jesus concerning the gospel for which he is set apart?
c. Do you get a sense that the recipients of this letter are mainly Gentiles from vv. 5-6?
d. How does the way Paul that addresses the Christians in Rome, v. 7, speak to you?
a. Do you recognize some of the names of people with whom Paul has been closely associated?3. It appears that Paul has yet to set foot in Rome.
b. What sense does the reading of the last chapter give you in terms of the possible reason(s) for the writing of this letter by Paul?
a. Why does he desire to visit Rome?4. Have you prayed for other churches? Why or why not?
b. Why does Paul even pray for them, many of whom he has never met?
“Let us walk honestly as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness…But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ and make not provision for the flesh to fulfill the lusts thereof.” (Rom. 13:13-14)Augustine did not need any further reading. Hardly had he finished this passage before a ray of divine light broke upon him, and all the darkness of doubt vanished. He was thirty-two years old at the time.
“What the church and the world owe to this influx of light which illuminated Augustine’s mind as he read these words of Paul is something beyond our power to compute.” (Bruce, Romans, 56)
a. How might God, being the only source of righteousness, be something to be shameful of?4. What is meant by “The righteous shall live by faith”? How does it explain Paul’s emphasis on “from first to last”?
b. Why might faith, being the only path, be something to be shameful of?
“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.” (1:20)
“He (God) has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men…” (3:11a)It reminds me that as God made Adam, He breathed into his nostril the breath of life, and the man became a living being (Gen. 2:7). Yes, God does not go to His warehouse to pump something into our nostril, but He shares His own breath with us. This is why we are a living being and our spirit is eternal. Of course, as eternal spirits, we have a choice to spend eternity with God our Creator, or in eternal separation from Him in hell.
a. Being filled with: wickedness, evil, greed and depravity
b. Being full of: envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice
c. Who they are: gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful
d. What they are: senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthlessObviously, not all pagans are like the above.
Refrain
Jesus, Lamb of God
Worthy is Your name
Jesus, Lamb of God
Worthy is Your name
1
You are my strength when I am weak
You are the treasure that I seek
You are my all in all
Seeking You as a precious jewel
Lord, to give up I'd be a fool
You are my all in all
2
Taking my sin, my cross, my shame
Rising again I bless Your name
You are my all in all
When I fall down You pick me up
When I am dry You fill my cup
You are my all in all
- Paul refutes fiercely righteousness by works in the rest of his letter (see his quotations from the Psalms in chapter three). Here, he is laying out the common Jewish belief in gaining eternal life through good deeds (and of course, no one is able to maintain good deeds).1. Perhaps, Paul senses (or rather knows) that his hearers include self-righteous Christians (especially Jewish Christians) who would totally agree with his indictment of the willful sins of the gentile world. They might even enthusiastically join in with an “amen”, though secretly they do exactly what the world does. Based on the list of evils listed in the last chapter, examine yourself in light of:
- Paul begins to refute from here onwards the erroneous Jewish belief that Jews will be treated differently (i.e. more favorably) by God. Thus, some commentators believe that the singular 2nd person “you” of v. 1 refers to self-righteous Jews. (In my opinion, it more likely refers to Jewish Christians who still hold a sense of superiority over Gentile Christians in the church at Rome; it might also include Gentile nominal Christians whose lifestyle proves their faith to be false.)
a. greed: In what way do you also exhibit greed in your life? (e.g. purchase of lottery ticket)2. The last chapter highlights the sin of homosexual behavior. Which do you think is a more horrible sin — someone who continues to live a homosexual lifestyle or a Christian who secretly continues to commit adultery?
b. strife: Do you still harbor a grudge against anyone whom you do not forgive?
c. gossip: Have you recently passed along rumors with a less-than-pure motive?
d. boastfulness: Do you conveniently make known some things which you are proud? (e.g. your children’s achievement)
e. heartlessness: Have you ignored the plight of some needy person because of inconvenience or busyness?
“in Thy righteousness deliver me!”and Romans 1:17,
“The just shall live by faith.”He wondered how God’s righteousness could deliver him. Was it not meant to condemn the sinner and not to save him?
“He then could feel the mighty rhythm of Pauline thought, wherein his sinfulness was ever present, yet God’s justification, likewise, was ever present. Inwardly he felt the ancient, pure strength so well known to Pauline Christians. It was now no longer a battle with God to force God’s recognition of his good deeds, for God was on his side. He saw, as it were, in one great vision, all the tremendous movement in the human race, from its sin in Adam to its redemption in Christ. He, Martin Luther, could stand steadfast by faith in Christ and know that the tremendous pressure of his sin was offset by the endless mercy made possible in Christ.
“This was his hour of his freedom, the hour of his great ‘illumination’. From this day forth there was a new note in his message. All his teachings began, centered, and ended in the history of redemption.”
(Heroes of Faith, Martin Luther, 66-67)Martin Luther’s conviction of “justification by faith” eventually led to the great Reformation to which all Protestants are indebted.
a. How true is their understanding?4. Paul points out that their problem is not of understanding, but of not doing what they preach or believe in. List the examples given by Paul in vv. 21-24. Examine yourself accordingly.
b. Is it true of us as Christians today, as far as the Bible is concerned?
1. Eternal Life: Jesus says in John 5:39 to the Jews, “You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me.” Indeed, it is through the reading of Scriptures that we can come to know Christ. Apart from Scriptures, our faith will be groundless.Therefore, Paul is not disputing the high value they place on the Scriptures, but he is identifying their disobedience. They are not practicing what they preach. As a result, the Scriptures are of no value to them. In fact, the Scriptures have become a liability to them.
2. Knowing God’s will and right from wrong: Although the Scriptures are not meant to be used as Urim and Thummim, it does contain all that is necessary for living a godly life (2 Pet. 1:3).
3. Guide for the blind and light in the dark: The Book of Isaiah is full of promises that the Lord will lead the blind and turn their darkness into light, referring to the coming of the Messiah (e.g. Isa. 42:16).
4. Instructor of the foolish and teacher of infants: The Book of Proverbs, in particular, is full of instructions to the simpletons and the Jews, and wisely categorized such teachings as part of the genre of “Wisdom Literature”.
5. The embodiment of knowledge and truth: Such an understanding by the Jews is absolutely correct in that the Scriptures are the only standards of truth and that in their biblical understanding of “knowledge”, they are not referring to abstract truth only, but experiential truth (e.g. Gen. 4:1).
a. Why is being entrusted with the very words of God so special?2. The Jews have obviously failed in their trust. Was God wrong in the first place? How did their failure prove God’s faithfulness?
b. What about you? Do you enjoy the same privilege today?
a. First, Paul quotes from Psalm 14:1-3 in vv. 10-13: This is contrary to some of the beliefs that men are good by nature. How will you answer them?6. Since Jews and Gentiles are alike, Paul now applies what he quotes from the Scripture as applicable to all:
b. Paul then quotes from Psalm 5:9; 140:3; 10:7; 36:1 and Isaiah 59:7-8. While the first quotation from Psalm 14 is a universal truth, what about these quotations?
c. Based on v. 9, does Paul use the latter quotations to prove that no one does good or that both Gentiles and Jews are alike in their sins?
a. From the quotations above, can anyone claim that he or she has no sin?7. What is the ultimate purpose of the law?
b. Can anyone claim that they are not accountable to God?
“Three days later (May 24, 1738), John awoke and opened his Bible…This morning it popped open to II Peter 1:4: ‘…He has given us His every great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.’And according to F.F. Bruce, “That critical moment in John Wesley’s life provided the spark which kindled the ‘inextinguishable’ blaze of the eighteen-century Evangelical Revival.”
“’If only that were to come true for me’, John thought.
“That evening he was supposed to go to a society meeting in Aldersgate. He did not want to go. He was very depressed. No one sought faith harder than he did, yet he was denied faith.
“But he trudged to the meeting in Nettleton Court. There was that same William Holland, this time reading from Luther’s Preface to Romans. John listened lifelessly. Holland reached the portion describing the change God works in the heart through faith in Christ. The heart, John reflected analytically, is Paul’s euphemism for thought and feeling inside a person. It is neither righteous nor evil, but the inner place where the Spirit must dwell, if at all.
“Suddenly, an inexplicable warmth swelled inside John’s chest! His heart seemed to buoy him off the floor. His mind soared. He realized he did trust Christ alone for salvation. Christ had died for him, John Wesley. Christ’s blood had washed away John Wesley’s sins. Christ alone had saved John Wesley from death…
“As the meeting was drawing to a close, he stood up and spoke with joy, ‘Friends, this evening I have felt the internal witness the Spirit. On his deathbed, my father told me this must happen. The Moravians told me this must happen. And by God’s grace it had happened inside me this very evening’” (Heroes of Faith, John Wesley, 103-4).