Wrath

Romans 1:18-32

“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.”  (Romans 1:18 ESV)

When we think of the wrath of God, we think of great natural catastrophes, earthquakes, fires and storms.  Certainly the raging of a storm or the violence of an earthquake are terrifying in their scope and force.

However, this conception of the wrath of God is not what we see in chapter one of Romans.   Romans chapter one paints a picture of God's wrath that is different from our natural perception of what wrath looks like.  This picture of God's wrath is given to us to help us understand why we need God's righteousness as revealed in the gospel.  It helps us understand why we need salvation in the first place.  In order to help us understand, Romans 1:18-32 starts out by showing us whom God's wrath is directed against and why God's wrath is directed against them.  It also shows us what that wrath looks like, but in this article we will only consider the who and why, reserving the "what is looks like" for its own article.

Romans 1 starts out with a wonderful declaration of the good news, the gospel.  Romans 1:16 is a powerful verse as it says:

“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.” (Romans 1:16 ESV)

The power of God for salvation to everyone who believes is good news.  Salvation is a gift.  Romans 6:23 tells us, “...the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” God revealed His love by giving His only begotten Son so that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:16). However, as good as this good news is, there is a reason why it is necessary for God to provide salvation.  This is why the Apostle Paul writes what he does in Romans 1:18 and following.

Salvation is necessary because the wrath of God is being revealed.

The sense of the phrase “the wrath of God is revealed” (ESV) is that it is being revealed.  It is presently being revealed.  To reveal in this case means it is being uncovered or made clear.  This uncovering and unveiling was happening at the time Paul was writing and it continues to this day.  We can also understand from this that this unveiling of God's wrath has been a continual process since the fall and the Garden of Eden.

Romans 1:18 says that this wrath is directed against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men.  Men in this context is referring to all of humanity.  In other words, no one is excluded.  This also means that you and I are included.  We all are unrighteous and ungodly.  We live in an ungodly, unrighteous world, and as part of this world we all have sinned. The conclusion Paul is working toward is expressed in Romans 3:10 is:

“as it is written: "None is righteous, no, not one;”  (Romans 3:10 ESV)

When we talk about the wrath of God, we are tempted to think of the many evils in the world around us and think of how right the wrath of God is to be directed against those things of which we disapprove.  We all are tempted to see ourselves as superior to others.  However, Paul is not writing to make us aware of what other people are doing.  He is writing to wake us up to our own unrighteousness and ungodliness.  We must apply these words to ourselves and avoid the temptation to apply these words to other people. Romans 2:1 points this out when it says:

“Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things.” (Romans 2:1 ESV)

Again, let me remind us that when the text says, “You have no excuse, O man...”, it is referring to everyone.  It could say, “O person.”  Ladies, I apologize for referring to you as “O man,” but that is just the way people used to talk.  The author’s purpose is not to single out a certain group of people, rather he is pointing out the human condition.  In other words, what he is saying is true of every person, and all of humanity. 

Salvation is necessary because everyone is under God’s wrath without exception.  The “power of God to salvation” (the Gospel) is needed by everyone.

When Romans 1:18 says, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth,” it gives the reason why God’s wrath is revealed.

His wrath is against ungodliness and unrighteousness, and it is against these because by their unrighteousness they suppress the truth. 

So, what truth do they suppress?  The truth they suppress is the truth about God.  Verse 19 starts out, “ For what can be known about God is plain to them.” Therefore, we see that the truth we are talking about concerns what can be known about God. Verse 20 expands on this by saying that His role as creator is denied.  Then verse 20 speaks of the fact that they take it a step further and refuse to honor Him as God.  It goes even further in saying that they replace God with idols.  This is the very definition of ungodliness.  They remove God from His creation, and then replace Him with idols.

Please notice with me that Romans 1:18 does not say they suppress the truth by their ungodliness.  It is their unrighteousness that suppresses the truth.  Their ungodliness is the result of the suppression of the truth.  Ungodliness can be defined as being without God.  The problem of suppressing the truth by unrighteousness is seen in the absence of God in our lives.

Jesus said, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6, ESV)  In this statement, He declares Himself to be the truth.  Without God, there is no truth.  If we reject God, we can say with Pilate, "What is truth?" For example, if we are the result of random chance and accident shaping us over time, how can we trust our intellects as these also are the results of chance and circumstances?  The argument presented here would take its own book to develop fully, but the point is that apart from God we can have no confidence in what truth is.

In Romans 1:18-32, the truth about God is said to be clear.  Verse 19 says, “For what can be known about God is plain to them.”  The problem with believing in God is not a problem of logic or intellect.  It is a problem of the heart.

From the time of the Garden of Eden to the present, this has shown itself to be true.  In Genesis 3, when the man and the woman ate the fruit, they knew that they were naked and hid from God, sowing fig leaves together to hide their shame.  Since that time, we all hide from the truth, suppress the truth, lie and equivocate to avoid the truth.  Because of this we deceive ourselves.  The problem of believing in God has never been a problem of evidence, logic or reason.  It has always been and always will be a problem of the heart and of the will.

Because of our refusal to accept the truth, we are subject to ever worsening deceit.  The Holy Spirt, working through the Church, holds back the evil and continues to proclaim the truth.  2 Thessalonians warns of a day when this restraint is removed, when deceit will have its way.  Then it says:

“For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming. The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.” (2 Thessalonians 2:7-10, ESV)

The perishing will suffer ever worse deception as they refuse to love the truth.  This is also the truth pointed out by Jesus in John 3:19 and following where he says:

“And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.” (John 3:19-20 ESV)

This is the natural result of unrighteousness, and we all have the same problem.  Our unrighteousness results in ungodliness.  The results of ungodliness are expressed in verse 21 of Romans 1 as:

For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him...

This is the “why” of the wrath of God, ungodliness that results in not honoring Him as God and in a lack of gratitude.

The picture painted in Romans 1:18-32 is one of a willing, rebellious and obstinate refusal to acknowledge that which is obvious, the power and presence of God in all that He has created.

It is this rebellion that makes the “power of God to Salvation” necessary.  God unveils or reveals His wrath to lead us to repentance.  Jesus is coming again, and when He does it will be a day of wrath for those who are perishing.  However, God holds back because He desires everyone to come to repentance.  2 Peter 3: says:

The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. (2 Peter 3:9, ESV)

The good news is good because there is bad news.  The bad news is that the wrath of God is as certain as the good news.  By faith, anyone can ask God to be saved, and He will save that person who trusts in Jesus.

Our Obligation

Romans 1:14-15

Romans 1:14-15 says:

I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.  (Romans 1:14-15)

The world is divided between us and them.  

Divisions run deep.  Liberal or conservative, Democrat or Republican, labels usually suffice to define the lines of division.

Historically, us-and-them divisions have cost millions upon millions of lives.  World War II is my first example.  In Europe, the Aryan race sought its rightful place over the rest of the world.  In Asia, the superior Japanese race claimed its right of sovereignty.  The us-and-them identity was strong on both sides of the conflict.

These divisions are necessary and even crucial at times.  For the Christian confronted with all the divisions, conflicts and loud boasting of the world, it can be a challenge to know what the “Christian” thing to do is.  Without going into the subject any further, I would like to give a brief answer.  Micah 6:8 says:

“He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8 ESV)

The way governments and individuals behave is different.  We are not to take vengeance into our own hands, but Romans 13:1-4 clearly teaches that the governing authorities exist to punish the wrongdoer.

It is not my purpose to get involved in the morality of the divisions.  The Aryan supremacists and the Japanese had to be stopped.  Oppressive regimes and unspeakable evils continue in our world, and governments and nations are God’s instruments to deal with these things.

What I want to speak about today is a different aspect and responsibility and how it interacts with us and the divisions among us.  My point in bringing up the horrible examples is that the divisions run deep, they are real and they are significant.  The divisions are not trivial.  The divisions we are talking about are between Muslim and Jew, or black and white, and liberal and conservative.

In opening his letter to the Romans, the Apostle Paul brings up the divisions that exist among us, and his attitude toward these divisions.

In verse 14, he points out two different divisions.  First, he brings up the division between Greek and Barbarian.  Second, he brings up the division between wise and foolish.

The first division he brings up is between Greek and Barbarian.  The Greeks called everyone who was non-Greek “Barbarian.”  The word “Barbarian” comes from a word meaning “unintelligible speech.”  It actually mimicked the “bar-bar” sound of unknown words.  

As a division, this is sometimes one of the most difficult to overcome. Nations can be divided by natural obstacles such as mountains and oceans.  In addition, the division of language is no small thing.  It can be very difficult to make oneself understood without the benefit of a common language.  

Unified humanity was divided by the confusion of languages at the Tower of Babel, and it remains divided by the same to this day.  This division can be very costly to overcome.  Traveling across oceans or through mountain ranges used to be a matter of months with great risks and costs involved.  Today, it is trivial in comparison, but it is still costly.  And this says nothing about the cost in time and effort to learn a new language.  The accepted standard is that it takes 10,000 hours of study to become fluent in a second language.  Given this number, let’s say you decide to study a second language every single day for an hour.  It should take you just over 27 years to become expert or fluent, if you don’t miss any days.  This is why total immersion programs where a person uses the language 16 hours a day by living among people using the language still require about two years to achieve true fluency.

Paul’s point in saying he is obligated to both to Greeks and Barbarians is to say that no matter the obstacle, he is obligated, duty bound to preach the gospel.  His obligation is universal in scope.  These national, physical and practical barriers do not lessen or limit his obligation.

He then brings further emphasis and refinement to the lack of limits of his obligation by stating the second division between the wise and the foolish.  National and language barriers are physical, imposed from outside.  However, education, social standing and societally imposed barriers are self-imposed and internal in nature.  Paul points out that these barriers also do not lessen or limit his obligation.

Peter provides an example of this kind of barrier.  In Acts 10, a centurion named Cornelius was introduced to Jesus Christ, and Peter was God’s chosen instrument to make the introduction.  However, Peter was a Jew and Cornelius was a Gentile.  Jews did not go into Gentile homes.  Therefore, the Holy Spirit had to overcome the objections of Peter’s upbringing and background.  Peter had to overcome years of training and conditioning.  God used a vision to accomplish this.  In the vision, Peter was told to eat from a selection of all the things that he was not allowed to eat as a Jew. 

Food conditioning is hard to overcome.  The thought of putting something gross in our mouths can cause many of us to gag. Quite literally the thought of eating the things presented to him could have made Peter feel like throwing up.  Our social conditioning and background provide just this kind of obstacle to interacting with people different from ourselves.  Fear and mistrust can be obstacles to open communication and dialogue.

This is the second type of obstacle that Paul points out.  It is internal and conditioned.

Paul says he is obligated or indebted to everyone.  He points out the obstacles that divide us both externally and internally and sweeps them away by saying his obligation is not lessened due to these things. 

He had started out telling them how much he longed to travel to Rome, and then finishes by telling them how eager he is to preach the gospel to them in Rome.  Behind all the longing and eagerness is his obligation.  It is his obligation that explains his eagerness.

The first thing that we have learned then about all of the “us and them” in the world is that these divisions do not lessen or diminish our obligation.

However, this brings us to the questions:  1) What is the obligation Paul is under?  And, 2) Why is he under this obligation?

As a result of his obligation, he is eager to preach the gospel.  Therefore, we can assume that his obligation is related to the gospel.  

In order to understand his obligation, we must first understand the gospel.  The entire book of Romans was written to explain the gospel.  For this reason, we can only give a summary here of the most basic truths of the gospel.

The first truth of the gospel is God.  The gospel starts with God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.  He is creator of all things.  Romans 1:18 states that the wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth.  Men (and women) deny the truth about God.  We will look at this more in-depth when we look at Romans 1:18 and following.  However, the truth about God has much to do with Paul’s, and consequentially our, indebtedness.

First, because He is our creator, sustainer, provider and protector, we are commanded to love Him.  Every human being ever born has a moral obligation to love his or her maker.  Why?  Simply because He requires it of us and since He made us, He has that right and authority.  Second, and similar, He also requires that we love our neighbor as ourselves. Basically then, because God has set these two rules in place, we owe a debt of love to our fellow human beings no matter who or what they are.

An inadequate understanding of who God is and the importance of loving our neighbor are shown in a lack of evangelistic commitment.  1 John 4:20 tells us:

If anyone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.”  (1 John 4:20 ESV)

Having a duty to love my neighbor as myself may move me, but not impassion my heart.  However, the gospel moves our hearts.  In summarizing the gospel Jesus said:

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.  (John 3:16 ESV)

The Bible makes it clear, we understand what love is because while we were sinners and enemies of God, He gave His only begotten Son to die for us.  Jesus taught that the one who is forgiven much loves much.  When we understand the extent of our sin and the price God was willing to pay to redeem us, then our hearts are moved. Then, the passions are moved so that the obligation to preach the gospel translates into an eagerness and a longing to share Jesus with people. Paul said:

For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; (2 Corinthians 5:14 ESV)

The love of Christ is the obligating factor.  It is what caused Paul to be eager to preach the gospel to those who were in Rome, and it is what creates in us the same eagerness to share the gospel no matter what the cost.

It is this love that moves us to reach across the us-and-them barriers that divide us.  This love is what moved Paul to share Christ with the soldiers that guarded him, the Jews that persecuted him and the governors who imprisoned him. 

Along with the love that compels us, Jesus left us with a mission.  He gave us a job to do. We all know His words, but I am going to give them to us as a reminder.  He said:

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.  (Matthew 28:19-20 ESV)

How have we let us-and-them divisions distract us from our obligation?  

Righteousness and Faith

Romans 1:8-17

Faith is essential to the Christian life.  As we are the people of God, we partake of the righteousness of God by faith.  First, we are known for our faith.  

Paul opens his letter to the Church in Rome with the necessary salutation, introducing himself as the author, the gospel as his subject and the Romans as his intended audience.  He then says, "First...”  He is excited to be writing to the Romans.  He says, "First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed in all the world.”  (Romans 1:8, ESV)  He thanks God for people he has never met. 

He expresses his great thankfulness to God because their faith was proclaimed in all the world.

Exceptional things are noticed throughout the whole world.  Of course, this does not mean literally the entire world, because Paul had no way of knowing what was happening in America.  However, traveling extensively in the Roman Empire, Paul had firsthand knowledge of how far word of the faith of the Roman Christians had spread.  The world notices true faith.  True faith causes people to behave in exceptional ways.

Jesus told us, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments."  (John 14:15, ESV)  I would add to this that if we do not believe in Jesus we cannot love Him.  If we do not trust Him, we cannot love Him.  Therefore, if we have no faith in Him, we cannot love Him.  James tells us in chapter 2 verse 18 of his book, "But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.”  Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works."  (ESV)

Paul commended the Thessalonian Church, saying in 1 Thessalonians 1:8, "...your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything."

Faith transforms us, and the difference is noticeable.  Word of the transformation spreads.  In the case of the Roman Christians, this was cause for great thankfulness on the part of the Apostle Paul.

What about our faith, yours and mine?  Is our faith cause for great thankfulness for our Lord Jesus Christ? 

Jesus said:

For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.  (Luke 9:26, ESV)

He repeated this concept in Luke 12:8-9 saying:

And I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God, but the one who denies me before men will be denied before the angels of God.  (Luke 12:8-9, ESV)

Is our faith cause for great thankfulness?  Before the Apostle ever went to Rome, the faith of the Romans was cause for great thankfulness.

After expressing his great thankfulness, the Apostle Paul expresses his great longing.

His longing, like his gratitude, is linked to faith.  However, his longing is based on the encouragement he and they might be to each other's faith.  He says:

that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine.  (Romans 1:12, ESV)

Paul expresses his desire to see them and to enjoy this mutual encouragement in the strongest terms.  He says that God is his witness how unceasingly he pleads for the chance to go to Rome.  Think of this in terms of what Paul has told us in other places about his life's purpose.  In Philippians 3:7-10, Paul expresses his pursuit in life.  He says:

But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.  Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.  For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, (Philippians 3:7-10, ESV)

His longing to travel to Rome was tied to his longing to know Christ.  This longing showed itself in two separate but linked goals.  His first goal was to strengthen the believers in Rome by imparting some spiritual gift to them and the second was to reap some harvest among the Romans as he had among the rest of the Gentiles.  

As an Apostle, Paul had a unique and special calling.  Therefore, he was uniquely obligated to strengthen and encourage believers and to preach to those who did not yet know the gospel.  This obligation is reflected in his words to the Romans expressing his strong desire to reap some harvest among them.

Later, when Paul actually arrived in Rome, he immediately called together a meeting of the local leaders of the Jews and began sharing the gospel with them (Acts 28:17ff).  After spending some time imprisoned in Rome, Paul wrote in his letter to the Philippians:

I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ.  (Philippians 1:12-13, ESV)

Paul's travels, whether as a prisoner or as a missionary, resulted in the strengthening of believers and in the advancement of the gospel among all peoples.  Sadly, there were those whose travels had the opposite effect.  Paul warns about them in his letters, describing them as enemies of the cross (For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ.  Philippians 3:18).

Do our travels result in the advancement of the gospel?

The difference between Paul and the enemies of the cross of Christ is to be found in their longings.  Paul's great longing grew out of faith and a desire to know Christ.  Philippians 3:19 tells us that the god of the enemies of the cross of Christ is their belly.  Their desires are not shaped by faith.  Just as Jesus told us we would know a tree by its fruit, so we know a person's faith by his or her fruit. 

What is your great longing?  What passion shapes your life?

Faith is the theme as Paul expresses both his great thankfulness and his great longing, and it continues to be the theme as he expresses his great confidence.

The Apostle Paul states plainly, "I am not ashamed." 

If a person puts their confidence in the wrong thing, he or she can suffer embarrassment.  My fellow believers who believe that the rapture will take place after the tribulation will suffer minor embarrassment when we meet Jesus in the air.  However, it will be something to laugh about.  Those who are not caught up to meet Jesus in the air are the ones who will suffer true embarrassment.

As an example of embarrassment, consider what it would mean if the gospel was a hoax and there was no truth to it.  All the churches and schools would have been built for nothing.  All the missionaries would have been sent for nothing.  All the martyrs would have died for nothing.  All the books would have been written for nothing.  Paul said:

And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.  ... we are of all people most to be pitied.  (1 Corinthians 15:14, 19, ESV)

This is the kind of shame that Paul is speaking of.  He is saying he is not ashamed, because the gospel is the power of God for salvation.

In his opening remarks, he stated what the gospel is.  It is the good news of Jesus Christ.  According to the flesh, he was born of the line of David, a Jew from the line of Judah.  He was shown to be the Son of God with power by His resurrection from the dead.  It is by believing in His name that we are saved.  

It is important that we realize that we are not following cleverly devised fables when we state these things.  Peter stressed this when he says:

For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.  (2 Peter 1:16, ESV)

The writers of Scripture appeal to facts to establish the reality of their claims.  1 Corinthians 15:6 is a strong example of a writer appealing to verifiable events in order to defend or strengthen his claims.  1 Corinthians 15:6 says:

Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep.  (1 Corinthians 15:6, ESV)

Here we have a case where if anyone wanted to verify the claims of the writer, all a person would have to do would be to go ask the eyewitnesses.  Of course, those eyewitnesses have long since passed away, but at the time of writing, they were still alive.  We can still be sure we have not followed cleverly devised fables.  We have the testimony of eyewitnesses.  We have the testimony of history and we have the testimony of those who have tested the truth of the gospel.

We have seen that faith transforms a person.  Faith that transforms is what resulted in Paul's great thankfulness.  We have seen faith that motivates.  Faith that motivates is what resulted in Paul's great longing.

Faith also results in confidence.  This does not mean a numbing of the mind.  Romans 1:17 tells us that in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith.  This is a significant saying that is full of meaning.  One of the meanings that can be gleaned from this statement is that faith results in more faith.  James 1:3 tells us that the testing of our faith produces perseverance.  Part of this is because the testing of our faith strengthens our faith.  We find that our faith is reliable, that the truths we have built our lives around will not embarrass us.  We have no reason to be ashamed of the gospel.

In the gospel, the righteousness of God is revealed.   

We are not justified by works of righteousness that we have done.  We are justified freely by grace through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.  However, faith reveals itself in our right relationship to God.  James tells us that the devils believe in God and tremble, but obviously, they are not partakers in the righteousness of God.  The righteous person lives by faith, trusting in God so that his or her life results in praise to God, desire for God and confidence in God.  

Faith and righteousness are tied together so that the righteous person’s life is one of faith from first to last.

Good News

Romans 1:1-7

God is good.

He made sure we have a testimony to His great works.

We see His hand in all that He made.  The stars proclaim His handiwork.  The animals and plants around us show the care He takes for His creatures.

Creation is not the only witness we have.  We have the Bible, the testimony of history and of millions upon millions of people who have chosen to follow Christ.

Throughout history, God has chosen certain individuals for particular usefulness in bearing witness to His goodness, His grace.  Moses and the Old Testament prophets witnessed to God's goodness and grace.  They recorded His works and words for all to read.  Jesus chose twelve to be His apostles.  "Apostles" means messenger or emissary.  Jesus chose twelve to be His ambassadors and messengers.  In choosing twelve to be His apostles, He guaranteed us to have a witness to His goodness.  The resulting witness is the New Testament.

One of the twelve was a devil, not literally, but his character was such that he betrayed the Lord Jesus and ended up killing himself.  Another took his place.  The Lord Jesus chose a man named Saul. 

Saul was a zealous young Jew.  He was a rising young leader.  Well educated and zealous for Jewish religious observance, he actively sought to stop the threatening spread of what was then known as "The Way.”  The Way taught that Jesus was the Messiah foretold by the prophets and promised by God through Moses.  In his zeal, Saul persecuted followers of The Way with everything he had.  In the course of his persecution, Saul procured letters of authorization to pursue followers of The Way to Damascus and arrest them.  On the way to Damascus, a blinding light and a voice said, “Saul, met Saul!  Saul!  Why are you persecuting me?”  (Acts 9:4)  The light and presence was so overwhelming that Saul fell to the ground.  From his place on the ground, Saul said, "Who are you, Lord?"  (Acts 9:5) 

The voice said, "I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting!"

After being led by the hand to Damascus, Saul spent three days blind, fasting and praying.  Jesus sent a man named Ananias to talk with Saul.  Jesus told Ananias:

“Go, for Saul is my chosen instrument to take my message to the Gentiles and to kings, as well as to the people of Israel.  And I will show him how much he must suffer for my name’s sake."  (Acts 9:15-16, NLT)

Saul immediately began preaching the message of The Way, which is also known as the Gospel or Good News.  As zealous as he had been in persecution, Saul worked tirelessly at spreading the teachings of The Way.  We know him as the Apostle Paul, the author of the letter to the Romans.

In the course of his many years of teaching and preaching, Paul wrote 14* letters that are included in the New Testament.  (*13 if one does not count Hebrews as written by Paul) 

Hebrews and Romans are the only letters written to churches or people not personally known to Paul.  These letters are also characterized by exceptional theological depth and clarity.  In these works, Paul lays the foundation for Christian faith and practice.

Over the next few months, as the Lord permits, we are going to take a journey through the book of Romans.  It promises to be a rich and full journey.  We will plumb the depths of human sin and depravity and scale the heights of God's glory and sovereignty.  We will learn of God's great love and the glory He has prepared for those who call on His name.

The theme of the letter is God's righteousness.

The outline we will follow is:

Romans 1-3:20             Sin

Romans 3:21- 5            Salvation

Romans 6-8                  Sanctification

Romans 9-11                Sovereignty

Romans 12-16              Service

In the opening of His letter, verses 1 through 7, Paul introduces himself, his subject and his recipients.  In these three things, we see reflected the tremendous grace of God.  God's goodness and kindness shines through this entire introduction.

First, Paul introduces Himself.

In verse one, three words stand out: 1) slave, 2) apostle and 3) set apart.  These three words tell us what Paul and the Holy Spirit want us to know about him.

As a slave, Paul does not work on his own behalf or for his own purposes.  Many work at preaching and teaching for profit or in order to build a following.  This is, of course, a temptation for anyone who teaches or preaches, and it is a sin to be avoided.  All that a slave does goes to the benefit of the master.  As a slave of Christ, Paul worked exclusively for the building up of Christ's kingdom.  All of his labor was for the benefit of Christ, and therefore, for the benefit of Christ's body, the Church.

As an Apostle, Paul was a chosen emissary of Jesus.  It is important that an Apostle be chosen or called directly by Jesus.  In Paul's case, this happened on the road to Damascus as recorded in Acts chapter nine.  Paul makes a clear statement that his message and teaching came directly from Jesus Christ.  In Galatians 1:12, he says, "I received my message from no human source, and no one taught me.  Instead, I received it by direct revelation from Jesus Christ.”  It is commonly assumed that Paul spent three years in Arabia learning from Jesus.  This is taken from Galatians 1:16-18.

Finally, Paul describes himself as one set apart for the gospel of God.  He repeats this idea in Galatians 1:15 saying, "But when God, who set me apart from my mother's womb and called me by His grace, was pleased...”  (BSB^[1])  This idea of being set apart is important for all of us as Christians.  We are not of this world.  We are not here to pursue the same thing as those around us.  We are citizens of a different country.  If we are set apart for the gospel of God, what do we have to do with the sex, money and power that the world around us pursues so whole-heartedly?

In these three things about Paul, we see the grace of God toward Paul, but also toward all of us in making sure we would have a witness to the great work of God in Salvation.

In the process of introducing himself, Paul introduces his subject.  As one set apart for the gospel of God, Paul's subject is the gospel.  Gospel, of course, means good news.  This good news is described as being of God.  God owns it.  It is His, and it is from Him.  Paul tells us it is concerning or about God's Son.  He tells us three things about God's Son: 1) He was promised beforehand, 2) He was descended from David and 3) He was shown to be the Son of God.  These three things are proofs or testimonies to the truth and reliability of the gospel.  Without these three things, we would not have good news.  Rather, we would be left with unsupportable claims.

First, Paul tells us He was promised beforehand.  He gives the source of these promises as being the prophets as recorded in the Holy Scriptures.  The Scriptures are unique in all of history.  Nowhere else is there a source of unerring accuracy in foretelling the future, explaining reality and giving hope.  The unique birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus were foretold by the prophets in the Scriptures.  There is no explanation apart from the Divine inspiration and authority of Scripture for the stunning accuracy and number of the prophecies fulfilled in Jesus Christ.  God, in His grace, provided us with all the evidence we need to know that the gospel is reliable.

Second, Paul tells us that Jesus was from the line of David.  This also relates to reliability because the prophets foretold that the Messiah would be from the line of David.  However, it goes much further in establishing Jesus' right to the throne of Israel and the Kingdom of God.  God made promises to Abraham, Jacob and David that can only be fulfilled in a descendant of David sitting on the throne.  Jesus, being a descendant of David, is both the fulfillment of these promises and the rightful heir to the throne.  He is the Messiah, the promised Savior of the world.

Third, Paul tells us that Jesus was shown to be the Son of God.  He says, "[Jesus]...was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead...”  (Romans 1:4)  The resurrection of Jesus from the dead is one of the strongest evidences in support of the gospel.  The fact that Jesus rose from the dead and is still alive remains a part of history that is supported by solid evidence and is a convincing proof that Jesus is the Son of God.  The fact that Jesus is the Son of God is absolutely essential to the gospel.  To deny that Jesus is the Son of God is to deny the gospel and to make it empty and void.  The good news is:

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.  (John 3:16, KJV)

This good news is for everyone.  Paul explains this as he moves from introducing his subject to explaining who he is directing his comments to.  He first explains the scope of his ministry, but it is not just his ministry.  He has introduced himself, but when he begins to speak of the scope of ministry he changes to a plural and in verse five says, "We have received grace and apostleship...”  The scope and extent of ministry goes way beyond any single person.  The apostleship we received included all twelve and their collective ministry of bearing witness to God's great work of salvation.  Therefore, we, the Church, have received the apostleship of which Paul speaks, not that we are apostles, but we have the collected testimony of the Apostles in the New Testament as well as their collected teachings.  This grace and apostleship are described as being for (lit. unto bringing about) the obedience of faith among all peoples. 

The word used by Paul when he wrote the letter is "ἔθνεσιν" (ethnesin) from which we get our English term "ethnic.”  This term refers to a race, a people or a nation.  The good news is for every people, tongue and nation.  This is an important motive for Paul in writing to people he has never met.  Jesus stressed that the gospel is to be preached to the whole world, to all peoples.  Paul includes in his reason for writing the fact that his audience is among the “all peoples” that the gospel is designed to reach.  Then, in verse seven, he stresses that he is writing to the already reached, those who are already beloved of God and called saints.

The book of Romans is written to saints, people who are already obedient to the faith.  In 2 Timothy 3:16 Paul explains:

All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives.  It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.  (NLT)

The subject of the letter is the good news, but the ones it is written to are those who have already accepted or believed the good news.  This then is a treatise on the substance of the good news for those who love the good news so that they might know and understand the good news even better.

It is important that we understand that this is God's word.  Paul wrote under the inspiration and authority of the Holy Spirit.  It is immaterial whether we like or dislike Paul.  Just as, it is immaterial whether we like or dislike Moses.  In either case, these men were God's chosen instruments to bear witness to His great work of salvation.  The account of the tremendous goodness of God who has shown His great love for us by giving His Son to save us is so clearly explained to us that I cannot understand how anyone would reject or dislike this letter or any of the Word of God for that matter.  It is true that the assessment given of our heart condition is severe, but that only makes the grace that saves us even more precious.  If we want to know the truth of the good news, we must first face the truth of who we are.  This is what happened to Saul on the road to Damascus.  The Lord shone the light of truth on the heart of a man and the truth transformed that man.

Have you been transformed by the light of truth?

Reading the letter of Paul to the Romans can shine the light of life transforming truth in our lives.  Wherever you are on your journey, ask God to shine His light into your heart and transform you.

---

^[1] http://biblehub.com/bsb/galatians/1.htm