INTRODUCING.....ROMANS The Pilgrim’s Guide to the Bible No. 69

‘This epistle is the chief part of the New Testament and the very purest gospel. It can never be read or pondered too much, and the more it is dealt with, the more precious it becomes, and the better it tastes.’ (Martin Luther)

Paul’s letter to the Romans offers the most systematic account of the Gospel that we have from his pen. It examines the significance of the death of Jesus. But more than just theology, it exhorts us to live a Christian life. Paul reminds us that there are implications to our faith. The good news of Jesus is more than facts to believe – essential though these facts are - it is a life to be lived.

Paul’s purpose for writing is summarised in his opening remarks:

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. For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith."  (Romans 1: 16 – 17)

The Letter to the Romans provides the doctrinal basis upon which all of Paul’s epistles are written. It concentrates on the doctrines of sin and salvation. All people are sinners, but God graciously extends His offer of salvation to all who put their faith in Christ. Here we have, in its purest form, ‘the Gospel according to Paul’.

THE PROLOGUE (Romans 1: 1 – 17)

Paul’s opening remarks set the theme for the book. He introduces several key concepts:

Salvation: The Gospel brings us salvation. Paul tells us what we are saved from, but because life is a continuous process, he also reminds us of what we are saved to. We are saved from our past sins, from the power of sin in our present lives, and from the future potential of sin. We are saved to a new position, new life, and to live in the presence of God.

Righteousness: Just as God is totally moral, good and loving, through the Gospel, we are brought into perfect conformity to God’s standards. The righteousness of Christ is bestowed upon us.

Faith: Faith acknowledges our need for God, and our willingness to trust in Christ alone for salvation.

The book of Romans can be subdivided into three parts. Paul offers us a systematic analysis of the problem that the human race faces, and the solution to that problem. He follows this with a section that is directly specifically to his Hebrew audience. He concludes with some practical application – how to live out your faith.

Part 1)  THE ESSENCE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS (chapters 1:18 – 8:39)

a)    The Case for Condemnation  (1:18 – 3:20)

The Problem: All humans who have ever lived fall short of the holiness of God. Gentiles and Jews seek to justify themselves by using relative standards, but God’s standard is perfection. We need to understand the bad news (condemnation), before we can appreciate the good news (justification).

The Gentiles (1:18 – 32) are condemned because:

•          they have suppressed the knowledge of God that they have received from nature and their conscience. Ever since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.(1:20)

•       they have failed to glorify God or thank Him. (v.21)

•       their thinking has become futile and their hearts darkened (v.21).

•       they behaved like fools whilst claiming to be wise (v.22).

•       they exchanged the glory of God for images of mortal and worldly things. (v,23)

Consequently:

•       they have given in to sinful desires and sexual impurity (v.24).

•       they have exchanged the truth of God for a lie (v.25).

•       they have worshipped the created order rather than the Creator (v.25).

And so:

•       God has given them over to shameful lusts (v.26 - 27).

•       their minds have become depraved (v.28).

•       they have been filled with wickedness, greed and depravity (v.29ff)

The Jews are also condemned:

•       for failure to live according to the truth (2: 2 – 5)

•       for failure to demonstrate good works (2: 6 – 10)

•       for failure to be impartial (2:11 – 16)

•       for disobedience to the Law (2:17 – 29)

•       for failure to accept the teachings that God gives. (3:1– 8)

The consequences of these repeated failures to live by God’s standards are clear: everyone is guilty before God (3: 9 – 20)

‘all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.’ (3:23)

b) Justification – God’s solution to sin (3:21 – 5:21)

There is hope! Despite the human propensity for sin, God Himself has provided the solution. In this next section, Paul sets out to explain how God has made provision for the reality of human sin. Jesus is the solution. Through his death on the cross, sin has been defeated.

‘a righteousness apart from law has been made known.’ (3:21)

3:21 – 31: In Christ, God is both Judge and Saviour.

Three crucial words are used in this passage:

Justification: the believer in Christ is declared righteous by the holy God, not because of his own efforts, but  because of what Christ has done.

Redemption: through his death, Jesus has paid the ransom price of sin by purchasing believers out of slavery to sin and setting them free from the penalty of sin.

Atonement (Propitiation): the blood of Jesus has satisfied the demands of a righteous God, who cannot overlook sin. In Christ, God has paid the price of human sin.

Justification is granted to us:

•             by grace: God’s love freely shown to us (v 21 – 24)

•             by blood: the means of our salvation (v 25 – 26)

•             by faith: the condition of salvation (v 27 – 31)

An Illustration of Righteousness

Chapter 4 offers us the example of Abraham to consider. He is justified by faith. As the father of the Hebrew nation, he is a figure who is looked upon with deep respect. Yet not even Abraham can be saved on his own merits – salvation is granted solely through the work of God.

•       4:1 – 8          righteousness, not good works

•       4: 9 – 12      righteousness, not circumcision

•       4: 13 – 15    righteousness, not Law.

•       4: 16 – 25    righteousness comes by faith.

We may well ask: why Abraham? Abraham lived 2000 years before the coming of Christ, so why does Paul use him as an example of righteousness? Abraham is considered to be the father of the Hebrew nation and is held in very high regard as a man of faith. The letter to the Hebrews also cites him as a great example of faith. Paul uses the example of Abraham to show that even such a good man could not be saved either by good works, or by being circumcised, or by the Jewish Law. It is only through faith in God that anyone can be saved. Abraham did not have the benefit of knowing about the saving work of Christ on the cross, but he did know the absolute importance of faith. We today, have the advantage over Abraham, that we know how God has brought about our salvation. Christ’s once for all sacrifice upon the cross is for all people of all time and all places. So, Paul can cite Abraham as an outstanding example of a man of faith.

The Benefits of Righteousness (5: 1 – 21)

Because of Christ’s sacrifice of himself on the cross, we are granted the privilege of a new relationship with God. Justification leads to reconciliation between God and man. No longer are we ‘at odds’ with God. We can now experience “peace” with God.

“At just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.” (5:6)

The love of God

•       Cannot be earned        (v.6 – ‘we are powerless to earn it’)

•       Is freely bestowed        (v.8 ‘while we were still sinners’)

•       Is endless                      (v.9 ‘how much more will we be saved’)

Righteousness leads to:

•       Peace with God                      (v. 1 – 2)

•       Joy in tribulation                     (v. 3 – 8)

•       Salvation from God’s wrath (v. 5 – 9)

Note the contrast between righteousness and condemnation (v.12 – 21)

c)    Sanctification: God’s Righteousness in our lives (6:1 – 8:39)

Having been granted our salvation, Paul moves to his next point. He talks about the permanent nature of our transformation. We are sanctified. This means that God’s holiness is conferred upon us in order that we can continue to live in the strength and power of Christ. Of course, we are still human, so this process of sanctification is ongoing. We can never sit back and say that we have made it, but the essential change in us is permanent. We have been raised to a new life, in Christ. This is expressed in the following ways:

Our relationship to sin

6: 1 – 14            We are dead to the principle of sin

6: 15 – 23         We are dead to the practice of sin. Instead of being held in bondage to sin, we become slaves of righteousness.

Our freedom from the Law

7:1–25 Chapter seven speaks of our emancipation from the law. We are freed from the power of the law over us, because Jesus has rescued us from sin, even though the consequences of sin still exhibit themselves in my human nature. So Paul can write:

‘I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.’ (7:25)

The Spirit is at work in us.

8: 1 – 39   The Holy Spirit indwells and empowers every believer.

8: 1 – 11   The Spirit delivers us from the power of the flesh.

‘You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you.’ (8:9)

8: 12 – 17          The Spirit makes us children of God.

8: 18 – 30          The Spirit assures us of future glory. All Christians can look forward to a time when they will be conformed to Jesus.

8: 31 – 39          The Spirit assures us of our final victory. We are ‘more than conquerors’. Our place in heaven is assured.

Part 2)   ISRAEL: PAUL’S SPECIAL SECTION (9–11)

In chapters 9 – 11, Paul deals with the situation of his own people – the Hebrews. Why is it that his own nation, amongst whom Jesus was born and lived, fails to recognise him as Messiah?

9: 1 – 5:         Paul sorrows at the lack of faith in his own people. He writes with sadness. The Jews are God’s chosen people. They have received the OT Covenant, the service of the Temple, and the Law. They have known the presence of God’s glory, the patriarchs, and the Messiah is descended from the Jewish royal line. God has a special place for the Jews.

But:

•       Not all the Jews have rejected Jesus. The early followers of The Way were all Jewish.

•       Racial descent from Abraham does not automatically make you a child of Abraham – there has always been a process of selection – Paul calls it election (9:11) – whereby some were chosen and some rejected. E.g. Isaac not Ishmael, Jacob not Esau.

•       Paul is asserting that we have no right to question the judgment of God. ‘Who are you, O man, to talk back to God?’ (9:20). The clay cannot talk back to the potter. God has the right to do what he wants with man.

•       But the rejection of the Jews need never have happened. They tried to get into a right relationship with God by pursuing the law, whilst the Gentiles accepted salvation as a gift from God. (9: 30 – 31)

•       Chapter 10 demonstrates how Christ is the fulfilment of the law given by Moses, which is expounded by Isaiah.

•       The real nation of Israel lies in the righteous remnant – those who remain true to God (11:1-10)

•       The Gentiles have no right to boast. (11: 17 – 21). We are only grafted in to God’s family because there is a family to be grafted in to!

In these chapters, Paul is telling us to leave things that we cannot understand to God. He knows best!

‘Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! "Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counsellor?" "Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him?" For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.’ (11: 33 – 36)

Part 3)    RIGHTEOUS LIVING         CHAPTERS 12 – 16

Therefore......

Whenever we come a ‘therefore’ in Paul’s letters, something significant is about to be said. Having given us a comprehensive account of the meaning of Christ’s death, Paul proceeds to offer us some practical application. There are consequences to belief. What we believe must be expressed in how we live our lives.

Therefore... in view of God’s mercy, I urge you to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God. Do not be conformed to the pattern of this world, but be transformed...(12:1-2)

Paul spells out what this means:

Christian Duties

12: 1 – 2            We have responsibilities towards God.

12: 3 – 21          We have responsibilities towards other people.

‘Overcome evil with good.’ 12:21)

13: 1 – 7            Our attitude to those in authority. We are citizens of two kingdoms. Being a Christian does not exempt us from being responsible citizens on earth.

13: 8 – 14          Responsibilities towards our neighbours. We must love our neighbours, especially as the time of God’s kingdom draws closer.

Christian Liberties

14:1 -12             Ultimately, we should never use our liberty to cause another person to stumble. Be considerate in approaching others. Think of their needs before our own. Paul takes the examples of dietary laws and the keeping of special days. On such issues, there may be more than one way of interpreting the rules. We must not look down on others, simply because they have a different interpretation of these secondary issues, because we will all stand under God’s judgment.

14: 13 – 23        Be concerned for one another. We have a responsibility for practical care for each other.

‘Let us make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.’ (v.19)

Christian Life-style

15: 1 – 13 As Paul comes towards the end of his letter, he sets out the marks of a Christian approach to life. He is appealing for unity within the Christian community.

·      help the weak (15:1)

·      don’t just please yourself (15:1)

·      learn from the Bible (15:4)

·      discover a common mind (15:5)

·      accept each other (15:7)

·      know peace and joy (15:13)

·      share a growing hope, as you seek to express God’s hope in joy and peace (15:13)

CONCLUSION

15: 14 – 16:27          Paul ends with some personal remarks, and outlines his future plans, before sending personal greetings to his friends.