Romans

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Romans is one of the most thorough explanations of Christianity in the Bible. Paul, as an expert teacher of the scriptures even before accepting that Jesus Christ is the Messiah, puts together Old Testament scriptures explaining the ministry of Jesus Christ and Christianity.

There are two types of righteousness in this letter. Self-righteousness that really plagued the Jews. This led to self-righteous works that disregarded the words of God, while they sought to establish their own form of righteousness and godliness.

The other righteousness is God’s righteousness. It is revealed through the words of God and always leads to the person of Jesus Christ. Faith, or trusting God’s words, is how God’s righteousness is applied to a person’s life. And if there were no words of God to believe, God accepted someone seeking after the righteousness of God such as Elihu describes in Job.

Gospel is defined as preaching of Jesus Christ (1:1-7)

• Paul introduces this letter and right off the bat does two things we need to understand.
• Paul does not separate Old Testament doctrine from the New Testament. On the contrary, Paul links them together and highlights where every New Testament principle came from in what we know as the Old Testament.
  • Look at verse 2. This is what Israel’s prophets and scriptures were moving toward.
  • There are between 75 and 85 times Paul explains the gospel and Christianity with the Old Testament in this letter to the Romans. In fact, there is not a single thing Paul advocates as Christianity without referencing the Old Testament.
• Second, Paul doesn’t limit the gospel to the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
  • That narrow definition of the gospel came about recently, in the 19th century under Moody and much more so in the 20th century under Billy Graham. But the gospel in the scriptures means good news from God. And that is a very broad umbrella that includes judgment of secret sins, it includes things Abraham was told early on, it includes Isaiah’s report that was not believed, it includes Nahum’s prophecy, etc.
  • There is one gospel and it’s defined as the preaching of Jesus Christ. That includes his miracles, teachings, death and resurrection, fulfillment of prophecies, and future coming. This is why Mark begins his book saying, The beginning of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul’s desire to continue to spread the gospel (1:8-17)

• Paul states his desire to be in Rome and preach the gospel to the Romans in 1:8-17 even though Paul said their faith in Jesus Christ was already talked about in the whole world.
• Really, the rest of chapter 1 continues under the gospel umbrella because the grace of God teaches men to live godly and holy lives. When people ignore God’s word and therefore God’s righteousness they end up in subnatural filth.

Gospel begins with a warning of condemnation to sinners (1:18-3:31)

• Gospel begins with the revelation of man’s current standing before God before he begins listening to the voice of the LORD. For the next 2 ½ chapters Paul will explain that everyone is a sinner and guilty before God.
• Gentile sinners 1:19-32
• Jewish sinners 2:1-29. But then Paul moves to Jews who believe themselves to be teachers of God. They also believe themselves to be possessors of righteousness which justifies them because they are Jews. Paul will dismiss both of those misconceptions.
  • They believe themselves to be judges, but do the things they judge.
  • To the Jew first then to the Gentile (vss 9-11). 
  • Some Gentiles keep the law without having the law (vss 13-15). Doers, not hearers is what James said as well in James 1:22.
  • 2:17-23 is the mindset of the Jew. We’re good because we’re Jews and God treated us special. But that’s not how God views the Jews at all.
  • 2:24-29 is the gospel’s view of the Jew resting in his Jewishness.
  • Verse 29 deals with heart and spirit matters just as Jesus preached about these things in the sermon on the Mount: You’ve heard it said this way, but I say if you do this in your heart you’re messed up. Jesus fought with the self-righteous Pharisees about their dark hearts.
• What advantage did the Jews have then? (3:1-31)
  • If we’re all the same before God, what was the point of being a Jew? Because the Jews had the words of God.
  • Then if wickedness highlights the righteousness of God, then why not just be wicked? And why would God be judging anyone for wickedness if it’s making more of his righteousness? Well, it’s not. None of that is true. Fact is all are sinners, Jews and Gentiles, and that does nothing to help the righteous judgemtnt of God. (vss 5-18)
  • The law is for the wicked, but the law is holy and good. But the law also does not justify anyone. Faith in Jesus Christ justifies the sinner. The law was that schoolmaster to bring Israel to Christ. (vss 19-31).