S
skyttyl
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The Book of Romans
Just a little bit of history, Paul the Apostle is author of this letter and it was addressed to the church at Rome. Most of the epistles written in the New Testament were letters sent to one church or person etc, so they’re not exactly “books,” but they are definitely divinely inspired, as we’re going to discuss in this series of entries. The purpose of this study is to determine the Doctrine of Christ and what it really means when we say “We are Christians.”
Chapter 1:
V1. Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,
V2. (Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the Holy Scriptures,)
V3. Concerning his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh;
V4. And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:
V5. By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name:
V6. Among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ:
First off, this is part of Paul’s normal “greeting” for any letter he writes, but it does hold some good value of doctrine in his very specific wording: For instance, he is a servant of Christ. He doesn’t regard himself as being a freeman so he can do as he chooses, but that the sacrifice of Christ; his dying for all the sins of man, including Paul’s sins, was payment in full for Paul’s misdeeds and therefore, he is Christ’s servant. His title is “Apostle,” and he is “Separated unto the gospel of God.” We’ll explain that a little more in detail further into the studies, but the short form of explanation is he is separate from the world to the gospel of God. Verses 2-4 are all affirmations to the validity of Jesus being the Christ; the messiah or savior, whom the Israelites have been looking for since his prophesy long ago. Verses 5 and 6 explain us as “Christians.” We’ve received Grace or “forgiveness” because we obeyed the faith (which was to keep Christ’s commandments and simply believe in him that he is the Christ. We’ll get into the commandments of Christ later, but the short form is “Love the Lord, your God with all your heart, and mind and soul and strength, and Love your neighbor as yourself.” By doing these two things, we fulfill all the Law. (Matt 22:40) Paul mentions “among all nations” meaning they (the church at Rome) didn’t behave contrary to the faith in the company of one nation/people, and then behave well in the company of another. They stayed faithful to the gospel of Christ in front of everyone. Verse 6 is a reminder that everyone in that church is called from the world by Jesus to be separated to the gospel, as Paul mentioned earlier.
V7. To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.
This is a customary blessing to his audience, but it also has its roots in Christian custom: When Jesus sent his apostles to the various towns and houses of Israel, he said when they enter into a house, if the house was worthy, meaning if that family welcomed them in and took care of them rather than entreating them spitefully, let their peace fall on it, and if it wasn’t, let their peace return to them. (Matt 10:13) Paul is asking God’s peace be put upon the church at Rome and that Grace should abound in their congregation. This is something we, as Christians should do; bless everyone whom we communicate with/work with. (Matt 5:44)
V8. First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.
V9. For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers;
V10. Making request, if by any means now at length I might have a prosperous journey by the will of God to come unto you.
These are pretty easy to understand, but he’s simply saying how pleased he is of them that their faith is well-known and talked about across the land and how they are on his mind constantly; praying for them and God willing, he would love to visit them again.
V11. For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established;
V12. That is, that I may be comforted together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me.
Verse 11 expresses his reason for wanting to return; to impart some spiritual gift that they may be established. This might refer to the “laying on of hands,” which was done to stir up the gifts of the Spirit. (2nd Tim 1:6)
V13. Now I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that often-times, I purposed to come unto you, (but was let hitherto,) that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among other Gentiles.
V14. I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise.
V15. So, as much as is in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also.
To understand verse 14, it’s important to know that there are 13 apostles in total; 12 of them are for the 12 tribes in Israel, and the 13[SUP]th[/SUP] is for all the Gentiles of the world; this includes anyone who isn’t Jewish. Paul is the 13[SUP]th[/SUP] apostle, appointed by Jesus himself, so he is apostle to all the Gentiles, and as such, is made debtor to them for the gospel’s sake. (Eph 3:1 and throughout his letters)
V16. For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
He stands with Christ and his doctrine because he recognizes the power in His gospel for the salvation to all who believe in Jesus’ name. He goes on to explain “To the Jew first, and also the Greek (gentile. He was in Greece, which is why he mentioned them by name.)” The Jews are God’s people through the blood line of Abraham, and as such, get first dibs on all God’s gifts. We get seconds because the Jews rejected Christ. (Matt 2:1-14)
V17. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
We’ll get more in depth with this later in the study
V18. For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness.
V19. Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.
V20. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
Fair warning: this is “Hell, fire and Brimstone” Paul-style. Verse 18 includes everyone because we’ve all sinned and we’ve all held some part of the scripture in unrighteousness at some point in our lives. If you ever tried to excuse your committing a sin by using the scripture, then you have held it in unrighteousness. An example might be “God forgives all sins, so it’s okay if I sleep with this woman who I’m not married to; all I got to do is ask His forgiveness.” Other examples were the Pharisees and the Sadducees, but that’s another Bible study altogether. Verses 19 and 20 pretty much state that God has revealed to everyone his existence, regardless of religious affiliation or whether they know God himself or not, because the invisible things are clearly seen by us; the creations of the creator. We have seen his power and recognize that there has to be some powerful force out there, so no one is without excuse for not having faith. If you do not believe, it’s because you chose not to believe after “knowing” His Godhead.
Just a little bit of history, Paul the Apostle is author of this letter and it was addressed to the church at Rome. Most of the epistles written in the New Testament were letters sent to one church or person etc, so they’re not exactly “books,” but they are definitely divinely inspired, as we’re going to discuss in this series of entries. The purpose of this study is to determine the Doctrine of Christ and what it really means when we say “We are Christians.”
Chapter 1:
V1. Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,
V2. (Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the Holy Scriptures,)
V3. Concerning his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh;
V4. And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:
V5. By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name:
V6. Among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ:
First off, this is part of Paul’s normal “greeting” for any letter he writes, but it does hold some good value of doctrine in his very specific wording: For instance, he is a servant of Christ. He doesn’t regard himself as being a freeman so he can do as he chooses, but that the sacrifice of Christ; his dying for all the sins of man, including Paul’s sins, was payment in full for Paul’s misdeeds and therefore, he is Christ’s servant. His title is “Apostle,” and he is “Separated unto the gospel of God.” We’ll explain that a little more in detail further into the studies, but the short form of explanation is he is separate from the world to the gospel of God. Verses 2-4 are all affirmations to the validity of Jesus being the Christ; the messiah or savior, whom the Israelites have been looking for since his prophesy long ago. Verses 5 and 6 explain us as “Christians.” We’ve received Grace or “forgiveness” because we obeyed the faith (which was to keep Christ’s commandments and simply believe in him that he is the Christ. We’ll get into the commandments of Christ later, but the short form is “Love the Lord, your God with all your heart, and mind and soul and strength, and Love your neighbor as yourself.” By doing these two things, we fulfill all the Law. (Matt 22:40) Paul mentions “among all nations” meaning they (the church at Rome) didn’t behave contrary to the faith in the company of one nation/people, and then behave well in the company of another. They stayed faithful to the gospel of Christ in front of everyone. Verse 6 is a reminder that everyone in that church is called from the world by Jesus to be separated to the gospel, as Paul mentioned earlier.
V7. To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.
This is a customary blessing to his audience, but it also has its roots in Christian custom: When Jesus sent his apostles to the various towns and houses of Israel, he said when they enter into a house, if the house was worthy, meaning if that family welcomed them in and took care of them rather than entreating them spitefully, let their peace fall on it, and if it wasn’t, let their peace return to them. (Matt 10:13) Paul is asking God’s peace be put upon the church at Rome and that Grace should abound in their congregation. This is something we, as Christians should do; bless everyone whom we communicate with/work with. (Matt 5:44)
V8. First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.
V9. For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers;
V10. Making request, if by any means now at length I might have a prosperous journey by the will of God to come unto you.
These are pretty easy to understand, but he’s simply saying how pleased he is of them that their faith is well-known and talked about across the land and how they are on his mind constantly; praying for them and God willing, he would love to visit them again.
V11. For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established;
V12. That is, that I may be comforted together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me.
Verse 11 expresses his reason for wanting to return; to impart some spiritual gift that they may be established. This might refer to the “laying on of hands,” which was done to stir up the gifts of the Spirit. (2nd Tim 1:6)
V13. Now I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that often-times, I purposed to come unto you, (but was let hitherto,) that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among other Gentiles.
V14. I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise.
V15. So, as much as is in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also.
To understand verse 14, it’s important to know that there are 13 apostles in total; 12 of them are for the 12 tribes in Israel, and the 13[SUP]th[/SUP] is for all the Gentiles of the world; this includes anyone who isn’t Jewish. Paul is the 13[SUP]th[/SUP] apostle, appointed by Jesus himself, so he is apostle to all the Gentiles, and as such, is made debtor to them for the gospel’s sake. (Eph 3:1 and throughout his letters)
V16. For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
He stands with Christ and his doctrine because he recognizes the power in His gospel for the salvation to all who believe in Jesus’ name. He goes on to explain “To the Jew first, and also the Greek (gentile. He was in Greece, which is why he mentioned them by name.)” The Jews are God’s people through the blood line of Abraham, and as such, get first dibs on all God’s gifts. We get seconds because the Jews rejected Christ. (Matt 2:1-14)
V17. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
We’ll get more in depth with this later in the study
V18. For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness.
V19. Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.
V20. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
Fair warning: this is “Hell, fire and Brimstone” Paul-style. Verse 18 includes everyone because we’ve all sinned and we’ve all held some part of the scripture in unrighteousness at some point in our lives. If you ever tried to excuse your committing a sin by using the scripture, then you have held it in unrighteousness. An example might be “God forgives all sins, so it’s okay if I sleep with this woman who I’m not married to; all I got to do is ask His forgiveness.” Other examples were the Pharisees and the Sadducees, but that’s another Bible study altogether. Verses 19 and 20 pretty much state that God has revealed to everyone his existence, regardless of religious affiliation or whether they know God himself or not, because the invisible things are clearly seen by us; the creations of the creator. We have seen his power and recognize that there has to be some powerful force out there, so no one is without excuse for not having faith. If you do not believe, it’s because you chose not to believe after “knowing” His Godhead.