JOURNEYS THROUGH THE BIBLE #8. THE BOOK OF ROMANS 1. PAUL S EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS is cnsidered the preeminent dctrinal letter f the New Testament. Paul deals with prfundly deep themes, and sets a framewrk fr ur prper understanding f the remaining epistles. Authr - Paul, als knwn as Saul, was frm the tribe f Benjamin (Philippians 3:5) and was named fr Israel s first king. Saul is the Hebrew frm f the name; Paul is the Greek frm. We knw that he was a Rman citizen, claiming Tarsus f Cilicia (mdern Turkey) as his hmetwn (Acts 9:11; 21:39; 16:37; 22:25). He spent a great deal f his life in Jerusalem as a student f Rabbi Gamaliel (Acts 22:3) and was a member f the rder f Pharisees, the strictest f the Jewish religius grups (Philippians 3:5). Paul s Cnversin is recrded in Acts 9:23-25 and ccurred in abut 33-34AD. Accrding t church traditin, Paul was martyred just utside Rme n the Ostian Way during Ner s reign (54-68AD). 2. Paul s emphasis is basic Christianity frm the standpint f a sterilgical treatise. The epistle may be his intrductin f himself t them. His audience is the Christian cmmunity in Rme. He had apparently finished his missin activity in the eastern part f the Empire, and wanted t visit Rme n his way t Spain after first bringing an ffering t Jerusalem fr the needy Christians in that city (Rmans 15:23-28). Apparently the Rman cngregatin was primarily Jewish, but als cntained a significant number f Gentiles. Paul intrduces himself, summarizes the Gspel message, and declares his alliance with it (1:3-17). He explains the depravity f man and explains the necessity fr Gd s interventin n man s behalf (1:18-3:20). Gd s remedy fr us is t be saved by grace, thrugh faith in the finished wrk f Messiah. We are then justified befre Gd because f Jesus (3:21-5:21). He then discusses Spiritual Freedm, which includes freedm frm sin (chapter 6), freedm frm the cndemning pwer f the Law (chapter 7), and freedm t discver and embrace the lve f the Father (chapter 8). Dr. J. Stephen Chitty 1
He then expresses his lve fr Israel and explains their ultimate rle in Gd s plan (chapters 9-11:12). When Gd s plan is cmplete, they will be fully united with Gentile Believers (11:13-36). Paul spends cnsiderable time explaining the necessity f lving service t thers, unity within the bdy, especially between Jewish and Gentile Christians (12:1-15:13). In 15:22-16:27, the Apstles relates persnal greetings frm himself and his cmpanins and sends news f his planned itinerary. 3. The Date f writing is abut 57AD frm Crinth (Rmans 15:25, 26; 1 Crinthians 16:1-7). 4. Key Chapters Chapters 1-11 centers n sme cre spiritual beliefs abut rthdx Christianity. Chapters 12-16 reminds the Rman Christians abut the imprtance f spiritual behavir. 5. Key Verses There are s many magnificent verses in Rmans that space desn t allw us t cite them all. Here is the central verse, and a chapter that is arguably ne f the greatest in the entire Bible. Rmans 5:1 NASB Therefre, since we have been justified thrugh faith, we have peace with Gd thrugh ur Lrd Jesus Christ. Rmans 8:1-39 KJV There is therefre nw n cndemnatin t them which are in Christ Jesus, wh walk nt after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 2 Fr the law f the Spirit f life in Christ Jesus hath made me free frm the law f sin and death. 3 Fr what the law culd nt d, in that it was weak thrugh the flesh, Gd sending his wn Sn in the likeness f sinful flesh, and fr sin, cndemned sin in the flesh: 4 That the righteusness f the law might be fulfilled in us, wh walk nt after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 5 Fr they that are after the flesh d mind the things f the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things f the Spirit. 6 Fr t be carnally minded is death; but t be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against Gd: fr it is nt subject t the law f Gd, neither indeed can be 8 S then they that are in the flesh cannt please Gd. 9 But ye are nt in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if s be that the Spirit f Dr. J. Stephen Chitty 2
Gd dwell in yu. Nw if any man have nt the Spirit f Christ, he is nne f his. 10 And if Christ be in yu, the bdy is dead because f sin; but the Spirit is life because f righteusness. 11 But if the Spirit f him that raised up Jesus frm the dead dwell in yu, he that raised up Christ frm the dead shall als quicken yur mrtal bdies by his Spirit that dwelleth in yu. 12 Therefre, brethren, we are debtrs, nt t the flesh, t live after the flesh. 13 Fr if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye thrugh the Spirit d mrtify the deeds f the bdy, ye shall live. 14 Fr as many as are led by the Spirit f Gd, they are the sns f Gd. 15 Fr ye have nt received the spirit f bndage again t fear; but ye have received the Spirit f adptin, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with ur spirit, that we are the children f Gd: 17 And if children, then heirs; heirs f Gd, and jint-heirs with Christ; if s be that we suffer with him, that we may be als glrified tgether. 18 Fr I reckn that the sufferings f this present time are nt wrthy t be cmpared with the glry which shall be revealed in us. 19 Fr the earnest expectatin f the creature waiteth fr the manifestatin f the sns f Gd. 20 Fr the creature was made subject t vanity, nt willingly, but by reasn f him wh hath subjected the same in hpe, 21 Because the creature itself als shall be delivered frm the bndage f crruptin int the glrius liberty f the children f Gd. 22 Fr we knw that the whle creatin graneth and travaileth in pain tgether until nw. 23 And nt nly they, but urselves als, which have the firstfruits f the Spirit, even we urselves gran within urselves, waiting fr the adptin, t wit, the redemptin f ur bdy. 24 Fr we are saved by hpe: but hpe that is seen is nt hpe: fr what a man seeth, why dth he yet hpe fr? 25 But if we hpe fr that we see nt, then d we with patience wait fr it. 26 Likewise the Spirit als helpeth ur infirmities: fr we knw nt what we shuld pray fr as we ught: but the Spirit itself maketh intercessin fr us with granings which cannt be uttered. 27 And he that searcheth the hearts knweth what is the mind f the Spirit, because he maketh intercessin fr the saints accrding t the will f Gd. 28 And we knw that all things wrk tgether fr gd t them that lve Gd, t them wh are the called accrding t his purpse. 29 Fr whm he did freknw, he als did predestinate t be cnfrmed t the image f his Sn, that he might be the firstbrn amng many brethren. 30 Mrever whm he did predestinate, them he als called: and whm he called, them he als justified: and whm he justified, them he als glrified. 31 What shall we then say t these things? If Gd be fr us, wh can be against us? 32 He that spared nt his wn Sn, but delivered him up fr us all, hw shall he nt with him als freely give us all things? 33 Wh shall lay any thing t the charge f Gd's elect? It is Gd that justifieth. 34 Wh is he that cndemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, wh is even at the right hand f Gd, wh als maketh intercessin fr us. 35 Wh shall separate us frm the lve f Christ? shall tribulatin, r distress, r persecutin, r famine, r nakedness, r peril, r swrd? 36 As it is written, Fr thy sake we are killed all the day lng; we are accunted as sheep fr the slaughter. 37 Nay, in all these things we are mre than cnquerrs thrugh him that lved us. 38 Fr I am persuaded, that neither death, nr life, nr angels, nr principalities, nr pwers, nr things present, nr things t cme, 39 Nr height, nr depth, nr any ther creature, shall be able t separate us frm the lve f Gd, which is in Christ Jesus ur Lrd. 5. Key Peple Paul the Apstle - Thugh we are intrduced t Paul in Acts and becme acquainted with his ministry style and bjectives, Rmans is the first f the Pauline Epistles that give us a deeper lk int the heart f this great Man f Gd. Dr. J. Stephen Chitty 3
Phebe - prbably delivered the letter frm Crinth t the Rmans (16:1, 2). 7. Key Places Rme - the lcatin f the church t which Paul was writing. Rme was the capital f the empire and the center f culture and plitics. A city f nearly a millin inhabitants, it has been said that if Rme held the percentage f the wrld s ppulatin tday that it held in 60AD, the mdern city wuld bast ver 100,000,000 residents. Crinth - a prminent city in Greece f perhaps 250,000 citizens. This was the city frm which Paul wrte t the Rmans. Jerusalem - is a scheduled stp by Paul n his way t Rme. Spain - is the ultimate destinatin f Paul n this lengthy trip that included a stp in Rme. 8. Key Themes The depravity f mankind - Paul explains the depth f man s sinful depravity, and pints ut the nly remedy is the atning wrk f Christ Jesus. This sacrifice is effective nly if man is willing t embrace it. It is imprtant t nte that Paul s emphasis n depravity desn't imply that men in particular r mankind in general is necessarily as bad as we can be, but rather that we are as bad ff as we can be. There is abslutely nt ne shred f gdness we can rely n t gain the favr f Gd (Rmans 1-3). The Wrk f Salvatin - begins and ends with the initiative f Gd. The salvatin f man will be cmpleted by the wrk f the indwelling Hly Spirit (Rmans 8). The Wrk f The Hly Spirit - He is the key element in Gd s wrk f sanctificatin in ur lives. Rmans 8 details the dynamics f His presence within us. Sterilgy - is defined as the study f the dctrine f salvatin. Key cncepts in Rmans include: Electin and Predestinatin - (Rmans 9:10-13) Gd has chsen thse wh receive eternal life t be cnfrmed t the image f Christ. Calvinists believe this decree is a matter decided by Gd alne. Arminians believe this divine chsing by Gd is a decisin based n His freknwledge f ur acceptance r rejectin f Christ. Dr. J. Stephen Chitty 4
Justificatin - (Rmans 4:25; 5:18) - Thrugh the ministry f the Messiah, Gd declares us nt guilty; we stand in Christ s perfect righteusness befre the Father. Atnement - (Rmans 3:25) - We n lnger face punishment fr ur sin because the sacrifice f Christ is the full satisfactin (aka prpitiatin - see 1 Jhn 2:1, 2, KJV) fr ur sinful behavir. The debt has been satisfied. Redemptin - (Rmans 3:24; 8:23) - We are free frm the penalty and pwer f sin because Christ has paid the debt fr ur transgressin. Sanctificatin - (Rmans 5:2; 15:16) - We are nt nly psitinal in Christ, we are als being changed int His likeness as we grw in grace. Glrificatin - (Rmans 8:18, 19, 30) - My ultimate state will be perfectin in Christ, spirit, sul, and bdy (1 Jhn 3:2). 9. The Cntents f Rmans The Intrductin - 1:1-15 The Theme: The Gspel f Christ Jesus (1:16, 17) Mankind stands cndemned (1:18-3:20). Gentiles are Lst (1:18-32). Jews are Lst (2:1-47). All men are Lst (3:9-20). Justificatin is prvided nly thrugh Jesus Christ - (3:21-5:21). The surce f righteusness is faith in Jesus Christ (3:21-31). The example f righteusness is Abraham (4:1-25). The blessing f righteusness is peace with Gd (5:1-11). Dr. J. Stephen Chitty 5
The gift f righteusness is eternal life (5:12-21). Sanctificatin is the result f the Hly Spirit s wrk (6:1-8:39). The Restratin f Israel (9:1-11:36) Believers are encuraged t live hly lives (12:1-15:13). Greetings, Blessings, and Cnclusin (15:14-16:27) Wrth nting Rmans cntains the famus Rman s Rad plan f salvatin used by sul-winners fr hundreds f years. Rmans 3:23 - All have sinned. Rmans 6:23 - The penalty fr sin is death. Rmans 5:8 - Jesus died in ur place. Rmans 10:8-10 T be saved, we must believe in Jesus and agree with Him abut ur sin. Remember the Tenses f Salvatin. We were saved immediately frm sins penalty - this is called Justificatin. We are being saved prgressively frm sin s pwer - this is called Sanctificatin. We shall be saved ultimately frm sin s presence - this is called Glrificatin. When reading Rmans: Take nte f ur imprved standing as Children f Gd! Dr. J. Stephen Chitty 6
As sinners, we are: hpelessly lst (5:9). slaves t sin (5:12, 15, 21). spiritually dead in ur sins ((5:12, 16, 21). trapped by the Law (5:20). As Gd s children, we are: fund and rescued (5:8). righteus servants f Gd (5:18). we have eternal life (5:17, 21). we live by Grace (5:20). Remember that Rmans is arguably ne f the mst influential bks f the New Testament. Martin Luther and Jhn Wesley each give this epistle credit fr the great wrk f Gd in their lives. Lk fr Paul t make use f a style f writing called a diatribe. In this literary frm, the teacher attempts t cnvince the student f a truth by an imaginary cnversatin. In this frm we find rhetrical questins, crrected cnclusins, and bjectins, as well as affirmatins. Dr. J. Stephen Chitty 7