Romans 1

Romans 1:1-7

ROMANS Romans 1:1-15 I. THE ADDRESS Romans 1:1-7 i. THE WRITER Romans 1:1-6 a. HIMSELF AND HIS OFFICE Romans 1:1

1. Himself a. Paul b. A Servant of Jesus Christ.
2. His Office a. Called, b. Separated. . Concerning the Gospel Romans 1:2-4
3. Prophecy Romans 1:2-3 a a. “Promised.” b. “Concerning His Son.”
4. History Romans 1:3-4 a a. “Born . . . according to flesh.” b. “Declared . . . according to spirit.”
5. Person Romans 1:4 b “Jesus Christ our Lord.” b. HIS AND HIS MISSION Romans 1:5-6
6. Equipment - Grace and Apostleship Romans 1:5 a
7. Mission - Unto Obedience Romans 1:5-6 ii. THE READERS Romans 1:7 a a. NAMED Romans 1:7
8. In Rome.
9. Beloved of God
10. Called Saints b. SALUTED Romans 1:7 b
11. The Blessings - Grace and Peace.
12. The Sources a. God our Father b. The Lord Jesus Christ

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ROMANS

THE introductory section of the letter to the Romans is full of personal allusion and revelation, but through all, the glory of the theme filling the mind of the writer is clearly manifest.

While Paul introduced himself in the most distinct language, his purpose in doing so was that of declaring his relation to the Gospel. While he spoke with tenderness of those to whom he wrote, the master passion in his letter was that of their spiritual welfare. From the beginning it is evident that he was conscious of two facts; that he stood between the super-abounding grace of God, as supplied through the Lord Jesus Christ, and the overwhelming need of the world; and that he and all saints are responsible channels of communication between that grace and that need.

His introduction falls into three main parts; the first being the address in which writer and readers were introduced to each other; the second being a paragraph in which he declared his personal interest in them, although he had never seen them; while in the third he revealed the reason of his writing.

I. THE ADDRESS In all inspired writings the personality of the human agent is clearly stamped upon the page. This is peculiarly true in the case of Paul. The massiveness and activity of his mind are clearly seen in this opening paragraph, which as a matter of fact consists of but one principal sentence. From the word “Paul” to that which is immediately connected with it, “to all that are in Rome,” is a great distance; and the ground covered in the matter of spiritual suggestion is even greater than the space occupied by the actual words.

The address consists of the introduction of the writer; a parenthesis concerning the Gospel; and the naming and saluting of the readers.

i. THE WRITER Paul introduced himself by name, and described himself as the “bond-servant of Jesus Christ”; carefully affirming his authority by referring to his office as that of a “called …. apostle,” “separated unto the Gospel of God.”

His reference to the Gospel of God was the occasion of a statement concerning the One of Whom, and of Whose work, the Gospel is the proclamation. In that statement the apostle indicated the relation of the Lord Jesus Christ to prophecy and to history. The Gospel which had been promised through the prophets in the Scriptures was concerning the Son. The double fact of history concerning His personality was that first of His actual humanity, He “was born of the seed of David according to the flesh”; and secondly, of His Deity, “declared the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection of the dead.” The apostle finally named this Person as “Jesus Christ our Lord”; and affirmed that the evidence that He was alive and active, was found in that through Him, the apostles had received grace, which is the medium of salvation; and apostleship, which is the authority of service.

ii. THE READERS He addressed himself to the “beloved of God’’ in Rome, who were “called saints.” By bringing the first and seventh verses together, which is their true relation, we discover the key to the letter; the called apostle wrote to the called saints. In this fact a principle of interpretation in the case of the whole letter is revealed. It is not a tract for the unsaved, but a treatise for the saved. The argument of the apostle makes it evident that salvation does not depend upon an understanding of the doctrines of grace, but on belief on the Lord Jesus Christ. It is necessary however that those who by such faith have entered into life, should, in order that their testimony to others may be clear and victorious, understand these doctrines. The elaborate and exhaustive treatment of this letter is intended for the instruction of the saints.

Romans 1:8-15

II. Romans 1:8-13 i. “I THANK MY GOD” Romans 1:8 a. “FOR YOU ALL.” b. FOR THE ii. “I MAKE MENTION OF YOU.” Romans 1:9-10 a. - b. - THAT HE MIGHT SEE THEM iii. “I LONG TO SEE YOU.” Romans 1:11-13 a. TO IMPART Romans 1:11 b. TO RECEIVE AND IMPART Romans 1:12 c. TO RECEIVE Romans 1:13 III. THE REASON OF THE LETTER Romans 1:14-15 i. “I AM DEBTOR.” Romans 1:14 a. THE DEPOSIT OF THE GOSPEL. b. THE .

1. Greeks and Barbarians.
2. Wise and Foolish, ii. “I AM READY.” Romans 1:15 a. THE ABILITY. “So.” Deposit is Dynamic, b. THE . “As much as in me is”

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II. His reference to his readers led the apostle to words concerning them, and his relation to them, full of personal interest. His threefold attitude toward them is revealed in the key sentences of this paragraph. It was that of thankfulness, of prayer, and of desire.

That the Church of Rome was victorious in its Christian life is evidenced by the fact that the apostle spoke of its faith as proclaimed throughout the whole world. In that sentence, moreover, we have a revelation of a mental attitude full of suggestiveness. This man was a Roman citizen, and he knew how the eyes of the world were upon Rome, and therefore how testimony borne there must inevitably exert its influence over the widest area.

All that he had heard of the disciples in Rome had filled him with thankfulness, and with earnest desire that they might fulfill their responsibility. He had served them unceasingly by prayer, although he had never seen them. His praying had been particular and definite along one line at least, that of his desire to visit the imperial city. That desire was not created by a passion for pleasure, nor was it promoted by the curiosity of the student. He knew that Rome was the centre of the world-movements of his time, and consequently a strategic centre from which to carry the Gospel message to the most distant places. His desire to come to them was that there might be mutual strengthening in all fitness for the service of the Lord. He would fain impart to them some spiritual gift, and receive from them the enrichment and comfort of his own ministry.

III. THE REASON OF THE LETTER In stating the reason of his letter the apostle wrote those ever-memorable and illuminative words which declared him to be a “debtor both to Greeks and to Barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish.’’ In the light of what he had said concerning the double issue of his coming to Rome, that of giving and receiving, there is clear explanation of what he meant by being debtor. He considered that the Gospel which had made him, and those to whom he wrote what they were, was a deposit which he held in trust for all such as were in the same conditions of need. The gift bestowed upon him was also intended for the Greeks and the Barbarians, for the wise and the foolish. He looked upon all these as being his creditors. So long as they were without the Gospel message which he possessed, and which was a trust committed to him not for himself only, but for them also, he was their debtor.

He was conscious also of the fact of his ability to discharge that debt. The sense of debt was the inspiration of service; and the consciousness of the power of the Gospel was in itself equipment for service. There is the evidence of limitation in the words “as much as in me is,” but they are also characterized by absolute lack of reservation.

Romans 1:16-17

A. THE GOSPEL - UNTO Romans 1:16 - Romans 11 i. THE Romans 1:16-17 “I Am Not Ashamed.” Romans 1:16 ii. THE THE GOSPEL Romans 1:16-17 a. ITS EFFECT. “Power Unto Salvation.” b. ITS “To Every One That Believeth.” c. ITS NATURE “Revealed a Righteousness of God.”

1. “From Faith” - Obtained By Faith.
2. “Unto Faith” - Making Possible The Life of Faith,

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CHRIST THE OF GOD The introduction merges immediately into the great argument of the letter as the apostle proceeds from the statement of his consciousness of indebtedness and his affirmation of readiness, to the task of which the whole letter is the fulfillment, that of setting forth Christ as the Salvation of God. This he does in two main divisions, in the first of which he deals with the Gospel unto salvation; and in the second with the transformation by salvation.

A. THE GOSPEL - UNTO In this first division of his treatise the apostle’s method is characterized by absolute clearness. It is of the nature of a great argument which proceeds in definite sequence from a challenging affirmation, to a patient dealing with certain difficulties which would inevitably arise in the minds of some of those to whom he wrote. It falls therefore into these four parts, the fundamental affirmation; a discussion of condemnation as revealing the need for the Gospel; a setting forth of salvation as the subject of the Gospel message; and finally a discussion of objections.

The division opens with a statement in brief of the whole argument of the epistle; and moreover, an unveiling of truth concerning that Gospel deposit, the possession of which made the apostle a debtor.

The personal affirmation, “I am not ashamed,” links the great argument to the introductory section, and indeed completes the threefold statement which unveils the secret of Paul’ s missionary enthusiasm. “I am not ashamed of the Gospel “is the final word; the three being, “I am debtor,’’ “I am ready,” “I am not ashamed.”

Concerning that Gospel of which he declared he was not ashamed, he then made his fundamental affirmation. He first described its effect. It is a Gospel of power, that is, one equal to the accomplishment of infinitely more than the presentation of an ideal, or the enunciation of an ethic. These might be given to men, and yet leave them exactly where they were; but the Gospel tells the secret of a power which enables. Moreover, it is “power . . . unto salvation.” In that statement there is recognition of the fact of man’s ruin, and a declaration of the possibility of his redemption.

The one condition upon which the power of the Gospel may be experienced is revealed in the phrase “to every one that believeth.” Thus far he had declared that in the Gospel there is provision, which meets need upon the fulfillment of condition.

He then proceeded to announce the nature of that provision. The Gospel does not proclaim an indulgence for sin, or find an excuse for the man who has sinned. It is rather the apocalypse of a new righteousness at the disposal of unrighteous men. The revelation of the righteousness of God in the Gospel is not the declaration of the fact that God is righteous. That fact men knew by the law. It is the far more wonderful announcement that God has provided a righteousness for un righteous men. Again the condition of salvation is recognized in the phrase “from faith unto faith”; “from faith,” that is, salvation obtained by faith; “unto faith,” that is, power operating in the life so as to make possible the life of faith.

Romans 1:18-32

I. - THE GOSPEL NEEDED Romans 1:18-3:20 i. THE GENTILE Romans 1:18-32 a. A Romans 1:18-19

1. “Wrath . . . Against.” Romans 1:18 a. Ungodliness. The Inspiration. b. Unrighteousness. The Manifestation
2. “Hold Down the Truth.” Romans 1:18-19 Disobedience to Light b. GENTILE Romans 1:20
3. The Visible Revealing the Invisible
4. The Invisible a. Power b. Divinity c. GENTILE SIN Romans 1:21-23
5. “Knowing God, They Glorified Him Not.” Romans 1:21
6. “Professing …to be wise, became fools.” Romans 1:22-23 d. GENTILE Romans 1:24-32
7. “God gave them up.” Romans 1:24-31 a. Bodily Dishonour. Romans 1:24-25 b. Spiritual Debasement. Romans 1:26-27 c. Mental Degradation. Romans 1:28-31
8. The Witness of Conscience Romans 1:32 a. Knowing the Issue, b. Persisting in the Sin.

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I. - THE GOSPEL NEEDED The apostle shows the need for salvation by dealing exhaustively with the subject of the ruin of the race. Writing to the saints in Rome, many of whom would be Gentiles, and others of whom were undoubtedly Hebrews, he dealt with the race by showing first that the Gentile was condemned; secondly, that the Jew was condemned; and finally, therefore, that the whole world was guilty.

i. THE GENTILE In this section dealing with the Gentile condemnation, we have the statement of a principle; a declaration of Gentile knowledge; a deduction concerning Gentile sin; and a description of Gentile judgment.

a. A In stating the principle, the apostle first declared that the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against ungodliness and unrighteousness. This combination of terms should be carefully noted, revealing as it does the cause and effect in all sin and consequent corruption. That, out of which unrighteousness inevitably proceeds, is ungodliness, the putting of God out of the life, and the neglect of, or rebellion against the facts of His Kingship and requirements. That which inevitably proceeds out of ungodliness, is unrighteousness, which is life failing to fulfill the Divine requirements; for the only standard of right is that of the requirement of God.

The process is described as that of holding down the truth in unrighteousness, which is to say that unrighteousness necessarily issues from the knowledge of some measure of truth, and consists in refusal to submit to the requirement thereof.

b. GENTILE Seeing that this is so, the apostle immediately proceeded to declare the measure of Gentile knowledge. Through created things God had at least made perfectly clear the fact of His power and divinity. There is but one conclusion for all rational thinking in the presence of creation, and that is, that such creation demonstrates power and divinity; or, if we would borrow the language of our own day, creation demonstrates force and intelligence. This then was the measure of truth possessed by the Gentiles.

c. GENTILE SIN Gentile sin consisted in the fact that instead of following the necessary issue of such reasoning, that of glorifying as God, those invisible forces which the visible revealed, they deified the visible things; and thus yielding themselves wholly to the creature, instead of to the Creator, they became sensualized and degraded. This action on their part had been professedly that of wisdom. The apostle declared that by it they became fools, in that they turned from the worship of the incorruptible to that of the corruptible in differing forms.

d. GENTILE In these results already referred to consisted the judgment of the Gentiles. That judgment the apostle proceeded to describe at greater length. Its principle is evident in the threefold use of the expression “God gave them up.” An examination of the three paragraphs will reveal the fact of the degradation of the whole man.

He gave them up that their bodies should be dishonoured. Worshipping the creature rather than the Creator, they fell into all manner of misuse of their own bodily powers, with the result that their physical being was debased and corrupted.

This issued in the degradation of their spirit; which, acting under the influence of deified physical powers, became in turn the very inspiration and energy of vileness; and this reacted again upon the body in all manner of unseemliness.

Once again the issue was a reprobate mind, a mind haying lost its true balance and perspective, and being characterized by all the evil things which the apostle names.

Thus the judgment of God on the Gentiles was not capricious, and arbitrary; but consisted in the natural results of their refusal to recognize as God, the One revealed through creation: and of their deification of the creation itself.

“God gave them up” is the simple declaration of the fact that God is the God of law, and another form of stating the truth that “whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.”

The apostle finally declared in this connection that those practicing such things knew that they were worthy of death, that is to say, they were perfectly conscious that the issue of their practices was their own destruction: and yet they continued in them, and consented with them that practiced them.

The wrath of God from heaven against ungodliness and unrighteousness is thus manifest in the corruption which follows upon the sin of refusing to act upon the measure of light received.