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Introduction to Romans
Today, we're going to begin a study on what many consider to be the
greatest letter ever written. It was written by Paul and some say nothing else
written by man has had a greater impact on modern history.
The letter to the Romans is the basic handbook for Christianity. It has
influenced millions of people and changed history. A group of scholars once
made a list of the fifteen greatest books, books that were great based upon
their beneficial influence upon humanity. Included in this list were John
Wesley's Journal, Luther's 95 Theses, Augustine's City of God and John
Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress.
As his Journal reveals, Wesley was reborn while listening to Luther’s
preface to the Book of Romans whereupon he found his heart strangely
warmed.
Luther, a Catholic monk, began the protestant reformation after he finally
understood Romans 1:17, "The just shall live by faith," which opened his
eyes to the truth of justification by faith. "The epistle to the Romans is the
true masterpiece of the New Testament and the very purest gospel, which is
well worth and deserving that a Christian man should not only learn it by
heart, word for word, but also that he should daily deal with it as the daily
bread of men’s souls. It can never be too much or too well read or studied,
and the more it is handled the more precious it becomes, and the better it
tastes" (Martin Luther).
Augustine's City of God was founded on his study of the Book of Romans.
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Introduction to Romans
Augustine, a native of North Africa who had been a professor in Milan, Italy
for many years became a Christian because as he was weeping in the garden
of a friend contemplating his own wicked life of drunkenness and sexual
immorality he heard a child at play singing “Tolle. Lege. Tolle. Lege” which
in Latin means “Take up and read. Take up and read.” An open scroll of the
book of Romans just happen to be laying near him. The first passage to
catch his eye was Romans 13:
13 Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness,
not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. 14
Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about
how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.
Augustine would go on to become one of the early church’s most
outstanding theologians.
John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress was written after reading the Book of
Romans in prison. It became the bestselling book of all time, next to the
Bible.
So among the greatest books of the world, four (which come near the top of
the list) were all directly influenced by the Book of Romans.
All throughout history, God has used the book of Romans to influence
people's lives and I think the best way to approach the book of Romans is to
start by seeing it as a letter written to us.
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Introduction to Romans
Francis L. Patton, the late president of Princeton University said "The only
hope of Christianity is in the rehabilitating of the Pauline theology. It is
back, back, back, to an incarnate Christ and the atoning blood, or it is on, on,
on, to atheism and despair."
I don’t know if you have ever had to introduce someone, but it is a more
difficult task than you would think. However an even harder task is to have
to introduce yourself to a group of people who don’t know you that well, or
perhaps at all.
The first seventeen verses in the book of Romans are Paul’s introduction of
himself to the church at Rome. In that introduction he reveals a lot about
himself. His view of himself, his view of his message, his view of his
ministry and his view of his motivation are all revealed in his introduction.
I.
PAUL’S VIEW OF HIMSELF
Romans 1:1 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set
apart for the gospel of God--
Here Paul describes himself in three ways. His first description is to assign
himself a title that suggests humility and insignificance...Paul, a servant. If I
were to ask you to describe yourself in three ways, my guess is your first
description of yourself would be the primary way you saw yourself. If that’s
true, then Paul’s primary view of himself was as a servant of Jesus.
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Introduction to Romans
His second description is more of a practical description of his particular
role of service. Paul serves as an apostle (one chosen and sent forth).
His third description is as to the reason he serves in the capacity of his
second description. He was set apart by God for this purpose. There is
another irony here that is not evident in the English translation. The word
“set apart” is from the same root word for “Pharisee.” Paul would have
described himself previously as a Pharisee who had set himself apart from
others by following the law, but now God had taken that former Pharisee
and set him apart for the gospel of grace and Paul was uniquely set apart for
this purpose. As to his race and religion, he was a Hebrew…as to where he
was born and raised, he was Greek. and as to his station in life, he was a
Roman citizen (only one in five people in the Roman Empire were actually
Roman citizens). No one was better prepared to become an international
minister of the gospel than Paul. As it has been said, “God prepares us for,
what He has prepared for us.”
II.
PAUL'S VIEW OF HIS MESSAGE
2 the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy
Scriptures
Paul's message is the gospel. The word “gospel” was not a word that
originally held any particular religious sense. It simply meant “good news”
any kind of good news. Paul says several things about the gospel.
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Introduction to Romans
(vs. 1-2) First he says the source of the good news is God. The good news
finds its origin in God who swore a promise beforehand through the
prophets in the Scripture. He's talking about the Old Testament.
Beginning in Genesis with the pledge of a redeemer who would crush
Satan’s head, to the gracious promise given to Abraham’s seed, through the
sacrificial system of the Mosaic Law, to the prophecies of a coming Messiah
who would reign from the throne of David…in many different ways God
was foretelling the good news that "He's coming...that ultimate prophet, He's
coming...that sympathetic high priest, He's coming...the King of kings and
Lord of lords, the Redeemer of mankind…He’s coming! This good news is
about the person of His Son.
3 regarding his Son, who as to his human nature was a descendant of David,
4 and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the
Son of God by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.
(vs. 3-4) The next thing we can see about the Gospel is that its substance is
Jesus. The gospel is about a very unique person, Jesus Christ. That’s why
you have heard it said that Christianity is not a religion, it is a relationship.
A relationship to God through Jesus Christ.
What does Paul say here about Jesus Christ? Two things: As to His human
genealogy He is a son, or descendant, of David, but as to his true lineage He
is the Son of God. His resurrection from the dead proved this beyond dispute
according to Paul.
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Introduction to Romans
5 Through him and for his name's sake, we received grace and apostleship to
call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from
faith. 6 And you also are among those who are called to belong to Jesus
Christ.
(vs. 5-6) These verses reveal the scope of the gospel is the whole world and
the set purpose is the obedience that comes from faith and which seeks the
glory of Jesus.
What does he mean by the obedience that comes from faith? True obedience
can only come through faith; any other kind of obedience is merely
compliance. Just because you did or refrained from doing something the
Bible instructs or forbids does not necessarily mean you were obedient. For
example, a non-Christian can comply with the Biblical instructions but they
will never have obeyed them. Why? Obedience comes through faith. True
obedience only occurs when we trust Jesus to fulfill the desires of His Father
through us.
Some Christians sing the song Trust and Obey with their emphasis on the
back end. The real emphasis is on the front end. It’s not Obey and Trust,
but Trust and Obey. How did Abraham obey...by faith he obeyed. That’s
the only way. Trying to obey without trusting is merely compliance. So stop
trying to obey and start trusting to obey.
III. PAUL'S VIEW OF HIS MINISTRY
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Introduction to Romans
In the next few verses, verses 7 and following, we see Paul's relationship to
the Romans.
7 To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints:
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul never wrote one single epistle using the phrase “to the Christians at
wherever”, he always used the designation “saints”. This term “saints”
never really caught on for some reason (except apparently when we were
marching) and now it’s been co-opted by the Mormons. We are
uncomfortable referring to ourselves as saints because we have met us and
we think you have to act like a saint to be called one. However, the way
Paul uses the term all you have to do to be called one is to be one. If you are
a Christian, you are a saint…it has absolutely nothing to do with your
behavior. What would happen if we were to start using that phrase? The
community would think we were a bunch of whackos. Imagine if I were to
see you at the store…
And finally at the end of this long introduction Paul says "grace and peace to
you." That's a common phrase and you see it in every one of Paul's
letters...and always in that order, grace, then peace. The only way to
experience God’s peace is to first experience God’s grace.
8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your
faith is being reported all over the world.
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Introduction to Romans
He begins with a compliment and says I thank God for you. People are
more apt to listen to you and allow you to build something into their lives
when they feel appreciated. You build people up by lifting people up with a
word of gratitude, a sincere compliment. That's the secret of bringing out
the best in other people.
Notice the reputation of this church, "... because your faith is being reported
all over the world." The church in Rome had a world famous faith. What do
you think a church ought to be famous for? Most churches are famous for
the three “B’s”: bodies, bucks and buildings. But sometimes I wonder “who
are the famous churches in heaven”? Does famous here translate into
famous there? Or is there other criteria used there that we don’t apply here.
By that I mean if an angel were to visit us today and we were to ask the
angel which churches in the United States are the most famous churches in
heaven, I would bet we would all be surprised by the answer.
How awesome would it be to be famous because of your faith…to be world
renown as someone who simply trusts Jesus? The reputation of a church is
the reputation of its people. Whatever we are as we move out into the
community is what our reputation as a church will be.
9 God, whom I serve with my whole heart in preaching the gospel of his
Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you 10 in my prayers at all
times; and I pray that now at last by God's will the way may be opened for
me to come to you.
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Introduction to Romans
Why does Paul want to get to Rome? The church in Rome had apparently
been founded without a founder and that caused Paul to become concerned
with the foundation. Of course, Roman Catholicism holds that Peter
founded the church in Rome, but that cannot be proved from the New
Testament evidence and, in fact, seems doubtful for several reasons. Paul
wrote in chapter 15:
20 It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was
not known, so that I would not be building on someone else's foundation.
Furthermore in his sending of greetings to various individuals involved in
the church of Rome it would seem to be a major faux paux to not send a
greeting to Peter if he was in Rome as the church’s founder.
11 I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make
you strong—12 that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each
other's faith. 13 I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that I planned
many times to come to you (but have been prevented from doing so until
now) in order that I might have a harvest among you, just as I have had
among the other Gentiles.
Notice he says, "I long to see you so that I can impart to you some spiritual
gift." What does he mean by “I want to impart a gift”? The key is the word
"impart". It simply means share. He means "I want to come and share my
spiritual gift." He wanted to share his gift of preaching.
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When spiritual gifts are shared two things happen. "...it will make you
strong..." -- that's the first thing that will happen when we share our gifts
with each other. The second thing the reciprocity of encouragement that
comes from sharing "... you and I may be mutually encouraged by each
other's faith.... Paul strengthened them by sharing his gift and then received
encouragement as he observes them benefit from his gift. Every one of you
has a gift, a special ability that God gave you when you became a Christian.
You may be unaware of it. You may not even know what it is. But as you
begin to live the Christian life and begin to serve Him in any way it will
become evident. As you use your gift, people are strengthened and people
are encouraged.
IV. PAUL'S VIEW OF HIS MOTIVATION.
14 I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the
foolish. 15 That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who
are at Rome. 16 I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of
God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for
the Gentile.
These are the three great "I am-s” of Paul.
v. 14 "I am obligated"
v. 15 "I am eager (ready)"
v. 16 "I am not ashamed".
v. 14 "I am obligated"
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Introduction to Romans
How is Paul obligated or indebted? I’ve noticed that when my bank gives
me money they seem to feel that I have an obligation to pay them back.
Some believe that Paul’s point here is one of a debtor’s ethic. God’s has
paid so much for me that I am now under obligation to pay Him back out of
gratitude. But note Paul does not refer to his obligation as being to God, but
to the Greeks and non-Greeks, the wise and the foolish.
Another way to be in debt is for someone to entrust you with something they
want given to someone else. If you entrusted me with a thousand dollars for
Ryan, I am under obligation to see that he gets it...unless of course he never
knows about the provision in the first place and then it’s a completely
different ballgame. Who is my obligation to? Ryan!
God had entrusted Paul with the gospel and Paul was obligated to dispense
the good news to the Greeks and non-Greeks. Did you know that Paul was
not the only one entrusted with the gospel? The Lord entrusted you and I as
well. We also have this obligation.
If the Lord gave you the secret to the cure for cancer, would you keep it a
secret or would you be somewhat obligated to share it with cancer patients?
If we have Christ in our lives aren’t we responsible to share Him. The
greatest thing you could do for somebody is to share the gospel with them.
But it's not just enough to be obligated. The right obligation with the wrong
attitude will not reach them.
v. 15 "I am eager (ready)"
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That’s why Paul also said in verse 15, "I am eager to preach the gospel to
you who are at Rome." Paul did not view his commission just a duty, he
considered it to be a privilege. Since he consider it to be a privilege
obviously…
v. 16 "I am not ashamed".
"I am not ashamed" is emphasis by understatement. (Like when we say
"Hey, she's not a bad looking" meaning she is good looking!) Paul's talking
about his confidence. When Paul said "I'm not ashamed" he meant he was
proud and confident. Isn’t this one of the reasons we are, truth be told,
somewhat reluctant to share the gospel? We are slightly embarrassed by it,
we have lost sight of the great privilege, and so we treat it only as some
awkward duty.
Why do you think that is? Because not everyone with whom we are
obligated to share it feels like it’s really good news…some hardly even
consider it news at all. To share this good news is to confront someone with
their helplessness…it is to pierce their stubborn pride…it is to confront their
selfishness and we know that in sharing it we may become an object of scorn
and mockery. The world will try to make you ashamed of sharing the gospel
just as it tried to make Paul ashamed to share the gospel.
But Paul was not ashamed when he was imprisoned in Philippi, he was not
ashamed when he was chased out of Thessalonica, he was not ashamed
when he was smuggled out of Berea, he was not ashamed when he was
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Introduction to Romans
laughed out of Athens, when he was beaten five times, when he was stoned
twice, or when he was left for dead once.
Why wasn’t Paul ashamed? Three reasons why Paul was not ashamed of the
Gospel:
(16 I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the
salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. )
Because “it is the power of God for salvation"
He says I'm proud of the good news because it is the only thing that has the
power to change lives.
17 For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed,
Because “it reveals the righteousness from God.”
The word "Righteousness" is used 92 times in the New Testament and 34 of
those times are in the book of Romans. Righteousness means "a right
relationship to God".
Let me give you an overview -- a bird's eye view -- of the book of Romans.
There are five key divisions:
Romans 1:1-3:20
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The Problem of Righteousness: Our Condemnation Because Of Sin.
He starts with the bad news and the bad news is our problem with
righteousness is that we don’t have any... which is why we need to be saved.
Romans 3:21-5:21
The Provision of Righteousness: Justification that Results in Salvation
The good news: We can be saved, but only because God has made provision
for us in the person of His Son.
Romans 6:1-8:39
The Power of Righteousness: Our Sanctification that Reveals Salvation.
How do I live the Christians life? He talks about the new life of a believer
and what happens after we’re saved. The believer must know his position in
Christ, reckon it as true, and present himself to God as dead to sin but alive
to God in Jesus Christ.
Romans 9:1-11:36
The Program of Righteousness for Israel: The Sovereignty of God in
Vindicating Israel
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This is a little parenthetical section which talks about the relationship
between nation of Israel and the church. Why God chose Israel as the
chosen people and what is in store for their future.
Romans 12:1-16:27
The Practice of Righteousness: The Outworking of Righteousness
Through Our Service to Christ
This is the practical part of Romans. It deals with what we're saved to do,
our conduct and our character and how we are to serve God.
(17 cont) a righteousness that is by faith from first to last,
Because “it is by faith from first to last.”
Paul says it's completely by faith from beginning to end.
(17 cont) just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith."
Paul ends this section by quoting Habbakuk 2:4 "The righteous will live by
faith." Three books of the New Testament pay tribute to this verse. Here in
the book of Roman’s the emphasis is on “the righteous”, in the book of
Galatians the emphasis is “will live” and in the book of Hebrews the
emphasis is “by faith”. Those who are right with God live by faith.
However, please note it does not say “By faith live to become righteous.”
Rather, the righteous will live by faith.
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LIFE APPLICATION:
We can learn a lot from Paul's example. We learn a lot that applies to our
own life. How can you make an impact?
1. Clarify the priority of your relationship to Jesus.
We tend to act in accordance with the primary way in which we view
ourselves. Paul says, "I'm a servant of Christ." That is his primary view of
who he is…is that how you see yourself? The greater our sense of calling;
the clearer our sense of purpose and direction.
2. Concede the importance of other people (both those you minister
to and those through who you are ministered).
You can't make it in the Christian life by yourself and you were never meant
to make it by yourself. I meet people all the time who say I can be just a
good of a Christian without going to church. Paul’s answer is “No, you
can’t”, because Christianity is not about what we do in solitude, but what we
do in community.
Paul says, we need to be together so we can encourage each other and
strengthen each other. Here’s the problem with what some folks are
saying…they claim to love the groom, but they are not interested in His
bride. People may occasionally patronizingly say, “I like your Jesus, I don’t
like His church.” This is essentially what Gandhi said about the people of
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God. Now no one knows better than Christians that sometimes the bride of
Christ is more like a bridezilla, but how can people love the groom and
ignore the bride. If you told me, “Jeff, I like hanging with you but I can’t
stand to be around Kelly, how do you think that would make me feel? Some
people by their lack of interaction with the body of Christ are telling Jesus
that very thing. “Hey, Jesus, I love you, but I can’t stand to be around your
bride.” He loves His bride and if you love Him you will love what He loves.
3.
Consider your motives, or lack thereof, for sharing the gospel.
The things Paul said about his motivations, every Christian should also be
able to say the same thing. Paul said he was obligated, eager, and boldly
confident.
If I can’t say I feel obligated, is it because I feel inconvenienced to share it?
If I can’t say I feel eager, is it because I feel lazy and indifferent. Sometimes
I find I have the eagerness to share the gospel as Jonah had to preach to the
Ninevites!
If I can’t say I’m boldly confident to share it, is it because I feel ashamed.
And if I feel inconvenienced, indifferent, and ashamed, might I not need to
work some more on that whole clarifying the priority of my relationship to
Jesus thing? Those whom God uses to communicate His heart to men are
those who have a heart for God. Look, Life is short, death is sure, sin the
cause, Christ the cure! This is not our obligation, this is our great privilege!