Romans - Intro

God has called all of His people to be communicators. All who are in Christ are called into some form of ministry. As ministers of the grace of God, all of us, pastors, deacons, and lay people are commissioned with the challenge to communicate our faith to individuals, to groups, to classes, and to congregations.

While Paul is known to be the author of at least 13 New Testament epistles, Romans is considered his master work. While this book is displayed first among the NT epistles, it was his sixth work. It was during his second visit to Corinth that he wrote the letter to the church in Rome, and sent it by a woman of Corinth who was to journey there. It is thought the book was penned by Paul in 58 AD.

Four years later Paul himself went to Rome as a prisoner. Paul was not the founder of this church and it had existed for some time before his letter arrived. We know from Acts 2:10 which lists by name many who were in Jerusalem when the gift of the Holy Spirit was given, that in that group (but not named) were “strangers from Rome”. The letter was quoted in the writings of Polycarp, the disciple of John, in the second century. The letter is the most systematic of all the epistles, and it expresses the great doctrine that was the basis of the Reformation 1400 years later. That doctrine was the justification of the sinner by faith. 

The book falls into two sections:

• The world is under sin and condemnation.

• The world is to be changed and will come under grace.

Paul exposes the depraved nature of mankind which has ruled from the fall of Adam onward. He teaches us the nature of salvation from that original sin nature which is the gift of God of His only begotten son, Jesus Christ. In chapters 1-7 he builds upward his teaching to a conclusion in chapter eight, where the Apostle focuses on our life in the Holy Spirit, a main benefit of the gospel. In Christ, we are no longer under any condemnation when we receive the Spirit, who lives and works in us for the Lord's glory.

Paul wrote to the Roman church to announce he would soon visit and also to announce his hope to journey to Spain. But the letter was far more than just a travel agenda. Paul was intent on showing the church members how their understanding of the gospel needed to be enlarged to incorporate God's great plan of redemption, set up to include the Gentile world as well as the world of the chosen people, the Jews.

No other letter goes so deep into the mind of God as to His plan from the foundation of the world as Romans. 

THE GOSPEL OF GRACE FOR THE GENTILES

Application: The student will compare the consequences to those who reject the gospel of God.

THE VIRGIN BIRTH, THE SINLESS LIFE, THE CRUCIFIXION,

THE THREE DAYS IN THE TOMB WHILE HIS WORK CONTINUED IN LEADING CAPTIVITY CAPTIVE, THE RETURN TO HEAVEN, THE LEAVING A NEW COMFORTER FOR BELIEVERS, ALL ARE THE GOSPEL JESUS COMMISSIONED FOR THE CHURCH.

THESE THINGS ARE OUR TESTIMONY TO THE LOST WORLD

WHICH BEGAN WITH THE GIFTING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IN TONGUES OF FIRE IN JERUSALEM.

IT BROUGHT THE FIRST SERMON OF THE NEW CHURCH PREACHED BY PETER IN ACTS 2 WHERE ALL WHO WERE THERE HEARD THE GOSPEL IN THEIR OWN LANGUAGE.

AN EXAMPLE WAS PROVIDED THAT DAY OF THE POWER OF THIS GOSPEL AS 3,000 SOULS WERE SAVED.

ACTS 2:10 REVEALS TO US THAT “STRANGERS OF ROME” WERE THERE TO HEAR THIS NEW GOSPEL.

THERE WERE ALREADY CHRISTIANS WITHIN ROME SUCH AS PRISCILLA & AQUILLA WHO LED A HOME CHURCH.

PAUL WROTE HIS MAGNIFICENT LETTER TO THE EARLY ROMAN CHURCH FROM CORINTH AND GAVE IT TO PHOEBE TO DELIVER AS SHE LEFT FOR ROME ON BUSINESS.

THIS LETTER IS ONE TO DESCRIBE THE RESCUE OF LOST SOULS FROM THE DEPRAVITY OF SIN TO THE CONDITION OF SALVATION WHERE HEARTS BROKEN IN SLAVERY TO THAT SIN ARE HEALED ETERNALLY BY THE CALLING OF GOD.

THIS RESCUE OPERATION IS KNOWN AS GRACE, AND ONLY BY GRACE ARE WE SAVED THROUGH FAITH AND NOTHING ELSE.

IN THIS LETTER PAUL WRITES OF HOW MAN IS RECONCILED TO GOD, HOW JEWS ARE AS MUCH AS GENTILES IN NEED OF GOD’S SAVING, AND HOW JEWS AND GENTILES ARE CONSIDERED EQUALLY BEFORE GOD IN THE GOSPEL.

THE TEACHING HERE IS AMONG THE DEEPEST IN THE ENTIRE NEW TESTAMENT.

IN THESE CHAPTERS WE WILL CONSIDER THE MESSAGE GOD GAVE PAUL FOR US.