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Your Day In Romans Introduction and 1:1-7

Started by Al Moak, October 20, 2004, 07:40:00 PM

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Al Moak


Theology for ALL of Us

Romans 1:1-7
Rev. A. R. Moak


The letter to the Roman church is unique among Paul's letters. Unlike most of them, it doesn't address specific doctrinal or interpersonal issues.  Instead it's a digest of the entire Gospel as proclaimed by Paul, with the exception of any formal teaching about the nature and structure of the Church or about Christ's second coming.  The Roman letter, therefore, was probably written simply out of the apostle's desire to communicate all the life and hope of the Gospel to his Lord's dear people at Rome.   It was written with a view to their Christian maturity and to the spreading of the faith throughout the Empire.  For these reasons the letter to the Romans is ideal study material for anyone initially studying the Christian faith.

The date of the letter is fairly easily determined by Paul's reference (15:25, 26) to a collection for the Jerusalem saints.  According to 1 Cor. 16:1-3 and 2 Cor. 8, 9, the gift for the relief of the Jerusalem saints was still being collected at the time of the Corinthian letters, but in the Roman letter it's complete and ready to be carried to Jerusalem.  The Roman letter, then, must have been written after the Corinthian letters, but before Paul left for Jerusalem, so it was probably written late in 56 or early in 57 AD.  Mention of Pheobe and Gaius, who resided in Corinth, makes it likely that it was written from that city.

Rome in Paul's day was a city of between one and four million people, great numbers of whom were slaves brought resulting from Rome's conquests.  The city also contained much of the fabulous wealth garnered from those same conquests.  That wealth had resulted in Rome's numerous imposing buildings, and the population was composed of people of all nationalities, each of whom brought his/her own religion into the city. 

Paul had very much wanted to preach the Gospel to the "Greeks and barbarians, ... to the wise and to the foolish" at Rome. Though he had not been there up to the time of the letter (Rom. 1:15, 16), He had heard a great deal about the church there, as is evidenced by the large number of names mentioned at the close of the letter.  The specific origin of the Church at Rome is unknown, but it seems likely that it originated at least in part from the Pentcostal incident of Acts 2, because we're told there that at that time "devout men from every nation" - were present, probably including Jews and proselytes from Rome (Acts 2:10).  Some of these likely returned to Rome and founded the church there.

The contents of the letter break down into six basic subjects:

   1.  The righteousness of God as revealed in the salvation message (1:16-17)

   2.   The unrighteousness of all men - Jew and Gentile alike (1:18 - 3:20)

   3.   The gracious provision of a substitute righteousness through the redeeming life and death of Christ (3:21 - 5:21)

   4.   The transforming power of of God's graciously provided righteousness in spite of the resistance of sin working in and through the flesh (6:1- 8:39)

   5.   The righteousness of God as further revealed in His dealing with the nation of Israel (9:1 - 11:36)

   6.   The necessity for redeemed people to be living testimonies to God in all spheres of life - political, social, and fraternal (12:1 - 15:13)

We can summarize the letter as follows:

   All men – whether Jews or Gentiles - have sinned against their Creator and rightful Lord. But that Lord has nevertheless provided redemption through each believer's repentance and faith in His Son's sacrifice on their behalf.  Complete justification is available in that redemption through faith in Christ, apart from the works of the Law. That justification was revealed under the Old Covenant but came to wonderful fruition under the new – to Jew and Gentile alike.  The Old-covenant law did not – could not – save anyone, but Christ's redemption enables all believers – Jew or Gentile – to have a heart for its basic moral principals, even though the flesh is totally opposed to it. 

Freedom from the righteous condemnation of God is available only through Christ, and freedom from the power of sin, together with final (and total) victory over it are available only through the work of the Holy Spirit - Who indwells every believer – whether Jew or Gentile.  Because of the love of God through His Son, nothing can prevent believers from eventual and total victory over all sin and even death itself.  Thus the Jews have no ethnic advantage, but instead the chosen of God – Jew and Gentile alike – shall all be saved.  Israel is not cast away, but is expanded to include all believers, whether Jew or Gentile, and so all the believing Israel of God shall indeed be saved.  All members of that Israel, must be subject to Christ as well as human government, and all must love  one another.

So, summarizing the summary, we see that the Roman letter tells us that it isn't of prime importance that you are Jew or Gentile, but it is of prime importance that you are now moved by the Spirit of the living Christ to live in a way that is pleasing to Him Who called you entirely by His Grace.  Not only so, but if you as a Christian are living by the Spirit, nothing can separate you from the love of God in Christ. In fact, the greater Israel of God just consists of all Jews or Gentiles redeemed by Christ and living by the Spirit.

As we said earlier, this letter doesn't deal with specific problems within the Church at Rome. There's a possible exception.  It has to do with ethnic origin.  It's likely that the Church at Rome was largely made up of Jews and Proselytes (Gentiles converted to Judaism) who had been present at Pentecost and who then returned to Rome and founded the church there. Subsequently, though, there was an influx of Gentiles into the Roman Church, along with at least some additional Jews.  Paul's concern about the true Israel of God in this letter suggests that he might have been concerned about any problems that might develop because of these ethnic differences. 

To resolve any such problem, he carefully develops the idea that God's true Israel doesn't consist of national or racial Israel at all, but that it consists of ALL God's chosen, whether Jew OR Gentile.  Resultingly, he wanted all the Christians at Rome to be aware of the need for Christian humility, since, after all, salvation of either Jew or Gentile depends entirely and solely upon God's Sovereign Grace.  It must be remembered that all men have sinned and deserve only condemnation.  But God, for reasons entirely His own, and in order to demonstrate His own goodness and Grace, has from eternity chosen some to be rescued from the general rebellion and to experience growing conformity to the Character of Christ as well as final glorification.  With this in mind, The apostle therefore says, "So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God Who has mercy." (Rom. 9:16)

Romans, then, is addressed to all Christians regardless of ethnicity.  Like the Romans, we all need to be aware that our salvation doesn't depend upon us, upon our social connections, or upon our racial background, but that it depends entirely upon the Grace and Mercy of the Sovereign God.  All Christians must therefore learn not to count themselves better than others.  May God truly impress this theme upon us.



The First Sermon
Romans 1:1-7
Theology for ALL of Us


Are you a theologian?  You should be.  Theology, after all, is just the study of God, and every one of us needs to learn all we can about the God in Whose world we live. Is there a way to do it?  Is there a way to learn much about God without attending a seminary?  There certainly is.  I believe we can become very adequate theologians by carefully studying Paul's letter to the Romans.  It was, after all, addressed to the average Christians of the apostle's day.

Not only so, but this letter of Paul to the church at Rome is arguably a very important books of the Bible for every Christian.  In fact, if you could only read one book of the Bible,  then this is the one you should read.  Why?  Aren't all the books equally important since they are all inspired?  Well certainly they are all inspired, and just as certainly they are all important, but in just this one letter is contained almost all the Bible's theology.  As you come to understand this letter, therefore, you'll better understand the rest of the Bible as well! 

I urge you, therefore, to pray for grace to understand and to read Paul's letter, and then I urge you to read and then pray again.  By doing so, and by God's wonderful grace, you'll come to know your Lord better, and you'll more willingly put aside the world's ways. Not only so, but you'll also more longingly look for the return of your Savior from heaven.

Paul begins his letter by telling us some important things about himself.  He says, "For I speak to you Gentiles; inasmuch as I am an apostle to the Gentiles - I magnify my ministry." A little later he also says, "Nevertheless, brethren, I have written more boldly to you on some points, as reminding you because of the grace given to me by God, that I might be a minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering of the Gentiles might be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit."

Even though Paul was extremely Jewish (he himself said that he was "an Hebrew of the Hebrews") yet God called him, converted him, and sent him to minister, not to Jews only, but particularly to Gentiles.  And he rejoiced to do so. After all, he'd been a persecutor of the church, thus plainly marking himself out to be a rebel against God.  But, having been arrested in his tracks by a voice from heaven while on the road to Damascus, he was brought to bow at the feet of the very One against Whom he had previously fought so hard! So, having been rescued and pardoned in such a wonderful way, he was only too grateful to be used in any ministry to which it pleased his Lord to assign him.  He expresses that gratitude when he says that he "magnified" his ministry.  It's as though he said, "Look what a wonderful work my Lord and Savior has given me to do!"

In fact, as he says here, he had become "a bondservant of Jesus Christ."  In Bible times, a bondservant was a special kind of indentured servant - he was one who was so glad to be in his master's service that he voluntarily took steps to bind Himself to that Master for the rest of his natural life, even after he might otherwise be freed.

That was unique, because most slaves in Bible times were slaves only for a specific period of time, after which they were freed.  But if a particular slave came to the conclusion that his life under his master was a better life than he might enjoy in a state of freedom, and if he loved his master, he could choose to make his service permanent.  Paul was like that in his service to Christ.  Because Jesus was not only his Master but also the One Who had paid his debt for sin, Paul loved Him and rejoiced to live for Him in the service of reaching Gentiles.  He would gladly remain in that service until he went to be with Christ!

For Paul it all began on the Damascus road.  Referring to that experience, we read in the book of Acts that he said, "I heard a voice speaking to me and saying in the Hebrew language, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?  It is hard for you to kick against the goads.'  So I said, 'Who are You, Lord?'  And He said, 'I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.  But rise and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you.  I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.'" (Acts 26:14-18)

The result for Paul was nothing less than a lifetime vocation.  As he says here, he was "called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God . . . through Whom we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name, among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ."  Apostleship is just defined as a special commission, a commission to perform a particular task for God, and Paul was specifically commissioned to go and bring Gentiles to faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior!

This letter to the Roman church is one of the results of that commissioning.  It's noteworthy that it wasn't written to a church that had come into being through his own evangelism, since he'd never personally visited Rome!

The faith of these Roman Christians, though, had become well known throughout the empire, and when Paul heard of it, he rejoiced.   He'd even met a few Roman Christians during his travels, and, being always filled with love to Christ and His people, he was concerned for them just as much as he was for the churches that were the direct result of his own evangelism.

In fact, as Christ's bondservant Paul would of course be very concerned to care for his Master's Churches - including the one at Rome.  The Roman Christians needed to be aware of this attitude of care on the part of the apostle - they needed to receive his letter to them as from a loving, caring, enthusiastic representative of their Lord. And that's the way we need to receive it too.  It's an authoritative but loving letter, coming as it does from a special servant of our Lord.

Paul says he was "separated" (specially set apart) to announce the Gospel, the "good news" of God, the news promised beforehand through His prophets, as recorded in the "holy writings."  That just means that he was specially  commissioned to tell people about God's Son - to be a voice to call them to faith in Him - and to form those who believed the message into churches. So this letter to the church at Rome records the message of Paul's ministry - the theology of God's good news to sinners. 

Since it is such a message, and since it comes to us from one of our Lord's special representative, we therefore need to become well acquainted with its contents – we need to become theologians.

Of prime importance in the Roman letter is the centrality of Christ.  Almost the first thing Paul says is that he was commissioned to announce that the Christ he preached was "born of the seed of David," and that, as Ezekiel had quoted God as saying, "therefore I will save My flock, and they shall no longer be a prey; and I will judge between sheep and sheep.  I will establish one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them - My servant David.  He shall feed them and be their shepherd.  And I, the Lord will be their God, and My servant David a prince among them; I the Lord have spoken." (Ez. 34:23) The prophet is saying that God's chosen Shepherd was to be of the family of David. Since Jesus was of that family according to the flesh, and since He was also anointed of God, He could and did therefore claim to be Messiah, sent to shepherd God's people.

But was Jesus really so special a descendant of David that He could also claim to be "Son of God?"  Paul says that the proof of that fact was the resurrection.  He says that He was "declared" to be that One by "the Spirit of holiness" via the resurrection.  It's important to understand that the Greek word translated "declared" is more literally translated, " . . . definitively set forth."  In other words, the resurrection placed our Lord's Sonship - and messiahship - beyond further doubt.  Why?  How is our Lord's Sonship set forth so definitively by His resurrection?

We can answer that question about our Lord by asking a further question - why couldn't death hold Jesus after He had been crucified and was dead, and buried?  The only possible answer is that it couldn't hold Him because he had already fully accomplished the purpose of that death, and there was therefore no further need for it.  The origin of death was Adam's fall into sin – death was the penalty for sin.  For that reason, even our Lord couldn't be released from the death-hold of infinite and divine justice until He had Himself satisfied that justice.  So we're forcibly brought to the conclusion that since death couldn't hold Him, divine Justice must have been completely satisfied!  But the only One in all history Who could satisfy such justice, the only One Whose worth is adequate for such a stupendous result must Himself be deity - must be God the Son!  The resurrection proves the Sonship of Jesus Christ!

Additionally, the work of One so holy as the Spirit of God in that resurrection couldn't have been accomplished if that resurrection was not entirely holy and just.  That work of the Holy Spirit of God in the resurrection could therefore only be accomplished because Jesus Christ is the holy and sinless Son of God. He was the One Whom Paul announced.  No other message could be the "gospel."

Paul tells us that that same Holy Spirit is the One through Whom he had received "grace and apostleship," and the intended result was "obedience to the faith among all nations for His Name."  In other words, having fulfilled His role in the resurrection of the Son of God, the Holy Spirit continued His work by preparing Paul to proclaim that resurrection.

It was by the power of the Holy Spirit, then, that Paul addressed the church at Rome, because they too were "the called of Jesus Christ," they too were some of those for whom our Lord paid that infinite Price and then rose from death.  And it is because of that Payment that they - and we - are "called to be saints."

Paul could well have titled his letter "called to be saints."  The letter is about how the Romans - and ourselves as well - have received a wonderful calling, a calling that should be the central focus of our attention - because the Cross of Christ is the Price of that calling.  Thus the calling (vocation) for all Christians is sainthood. It's not a "sainthood" established by man, but a sainthood of all believers, a sainthood of all who call on the Name of Jesus Christ, of all who believe the Gospel. 

The Greek word "saint," in fact, just means "separated," and It refers to something God did - He separated Christians from the rest of humanity to be His own particular people.  It's much like it is with a shepherd who separates himself and his own particular sheep from a larger herd.  Our chief vocation as such separated ones is to make it more and more obvious that we are, as he says here, "beloved of God." 

It's wonderful indeed to be such special and beloved people, because His love is not like the temporary love commonly found in this world, but it's an eternal and all-powerful love, just as He Himself is eternal and all powerful.

The Roman letter is about that calling and sainthood, about those for whom "the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "The just shall live by faith."  The letter is about justification through faith in the One Who paid the Price for His special and separated flock.  It's a letter about the theology of that justification, the theology personified in Christ.

Our response should be to take careful heed to this letter!  It's theology for the people - for all the saints of God, theology that can make us more and more able to live up to our special calling.

Do you have that special vocation?  Are you called to be a saint?  If you've ended your rebellion against God and surrendered to jesus Christ, and if you've bowed to Him as the new Lord of your life – so that you trust Him as the One Who paid the Price for your rebellion, then you really are a saint, and you really are called to be separate from the rest of rebellious humanity.  The result is that you are called to grow in true righteousness - to live entirely for your new Lord.  This letter of Paul to the Roman Christians is God's letter to you!

So, once again: theology is not only for seminary students - it's for all saints, including you!  The Holy Spirit sends it to us through Paul.  We need to give our all to studying the theology of Jesus Christ and all that He means to us.



Jenny



thank-you Al. I am just going off to have a re-read of Romans.  I will read along with you.
I was impressed your comments re Paul choosing to be a "bondman" of our Lord Jesus.

As I have grown in the Lord so I have appreciated the iomportance of Paul to us all.  I thank God for him and that he said "Yes" to Jesus. He continued the race.

God Bless Pastor.

Al Moak

Thank you, dear Jenny, and may our God bless your reading!

Jenny

I read 3 chapters this afternoon Al...Will follow to chapter 7 tomorrow. I am trying to be a good girl.  I love Romans. When I first became born again it really spoke to me, still does...you know what I mean. ;)

I guess our Marilyn will be in later...Hi sis.

See you soon.
Goodnight, God Bless.
Jenny.

Nita

I will be here too.

I'd forgotten the meaning of "bondservant", Al.  Thank you for explaining it once again.  If a bondservant role is because of Loving the master and wanting to be His alone....then, as we know, we can only be bondservant to One.  There just is no way to serve the world system and Christ too.  Or to serve myself, for that matter.

I'll be reading and studying Romans with you.

Hi Jenny. :)


Jenny


Al I used the CEV.  wow...

"Now you are set free from sin and are slaves who please God." Romans 6:18.  I would rather be a slave to God than anything else.  "His burden is light" Yes?

                  I am dead to the power of sin. 6:11

These 2 verses speak loudly to me.

I will read ch 7 tomorrow.  Just taking it steady.

Hi Nita.

God bless brethren.

Al Moak

I thank our Father for sending y'all to the Romans folder!  May our God make each of us better bondslaves!

Jenny



Hey y'all, this "slave" thing is getting a bit tough at the moment...Please pray for me to withstand the onslaughts of the enemy.

Now we can serve God in a new way by obeying His Spirit , and not in the old way by obeying the written law. 7:6

gwen

Beautiful presentation, Al. I enjoyed it very much.

Pat

Oh, that I might be a bond servant as Paul was to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Thanks Al for this.


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Pat

Since it's May 1, I'm going to go through Romans again.

I'm going to use your studies, Al.


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Pat


Ritz, they are absolutely wonderful studies and what I've done tonight is copied and pasted Al's post above into Word and I've printed it out and it's on my coffee table.  I'm about to do the 2nd one now for tomorrow. 

Romans is such a great book and this will be the fourth time I've gone through these studies with Al.

The first time was on SeniorNet many years ago when he first put these on the net when Jack was still alive and both Jack and I went through the book of Romans together with Al's notes and then on this site, this will be the third time.

Thanks Al!


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Al Moak

Thanks so much for replying here.  It gladdens my heart that some are reading and studying His Word, and I pray just now that  it'll be greatly blessed to each of you.

Pat


It's a great study, Al.  I'm looking forward to going through these once more.


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Marilyn

I have just started Romans again this morning. I only read Chapter 1 so far.
"Good people take care of their animals, but even the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel" Prov. 12:10
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Jim D

#16
Quote from: Al Moak on October 20, 2004, 07:40:00 PM
.


[For that reason, then, this letter of Paul to the church at Rome is arguably one of the most important books of the Bible for every Christian.  In fact, if you could only read one book of the Bible, this is the one you should read.  Why?  Aren't all the books equally important, since they are all inspired?  Well certainly they are all inspired, and just as certainly they are all important, but in just this one letter from Paul is contained all the Bible's theology.  As you begin to understand this letter, you'll better understand the rest of the Bible as well! 



Amen, Al! Romans has all the essential Christian doctrines; man's depravity, sin nature, faith, justification, salvation, identification with/in Christ, sanctification, eventual glorification, God's attributes/character, etc., etc. This has long been my favorite New Testament epistle of Paul's!  :thumbsup:
"The law cannot condemn a believer, for Christ hath fulfilled it for him; divine justice cannot condemn him, for that Christ hath satisfied; his sins cannot condemn him, for they in the blood of Christ are pardoned." - Thomas Brooks

Al Moak

Thanks, UHS!  I'm more glad than you could know.  The subjects of this epistle are very much too little studied or understood in our day, so it's certainly a matter of rejoicing when one IS concerned about them.

Pat

Just wanted you to know, Al, that I'm starting Romans again.  I really enjoy this book.

And I'm using your notes to read along.

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