Romans Introduction and Chapter 1
Romans Outline: The outline is greatly taken primarily from notes provided by Bob Deffinbaugh (https://bible.org/seriespage/2-look-book-romans-11-17). This notation is truly for my benefit so that I can always reference back to his notes and not intended to use as a footnote for anyone reading this. As I am prayerfully wrestling with conflicting theologies which try to reconcile God's Sovereignty and man's free will; I will also be incorporating my thoughts and questions as I prayerfully ask the Holy Spirit to guide me through the instructions wonderfully provided in Romans. This will, in great, become a "place marker" or a "workbench" for me to capture my thoughts which I know evolve as I acquaint myself with related Scripture (letting Scripture define Scripture). However, I also recommend (as if...or in case.. anyone else will be reading these notes.) that anyone reading this would also choose to go directly to Bob's very thorough web link on Romans. I have not yet concluded that I agree with the whole of his theological view but I greatly respect his insight, and greatly appreciate the time he invests in sharing his obvious love and knowledge of the Scriptures, and almost always seek out his written biblical instruction when I am studying especially difficult texts of Scripture.
Romans 1:1-4 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God— 2 the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures 3 regarding his Son, who as to his earthly life was a descendant of David, 4 and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.
Romans 1:5-6 Through him we received grace and apostleship to call all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith for his name’s sake. 6 And you also are among those Gentiles who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.
Theme of Romans (the Gospel of Jesus Christ: the Righteousness of God Revealed.) as summarized in Romans 1:16 to 17 "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes; first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed - a righteousness that is by faith fro first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith".
(1) The Gospel Is the Revelation to Men of God’s Provision for Salvation (v. 16).
We are compelled to preach the gospel to men simply because it is the means by which men come to a knowledge of salvation. Paul wrote: “How then shall they call upon Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him whom they have not heard. And how shall they hear without a preacher?” (Romans 10:14). The only way men can come to salvation is by hearing the Gospel proclaimed. In addition, the Gospel itself is powerful to save. It is not our persuasiveness that saves men; it is the Gospel itself that is powerful.
(2) The Gospel Is the Revelation to Men of God’s Righteousness (v. 17).
The proclamation of the Gospel is also the presentation of the righteousness of God. We can therefore proclaim the Gospel with confidence, knowing first of all that it is the Gospel itself which has the power to save men, and not we ourselves, and second, that God is glorified in our proclamation even when men reject our message. Whenever we distort the Gospel of Jesus Christ we also diminish the righteousness of God as revealed in the Gospel. When we keep silent with the Gospel we are robbing men of the opportunity to hear God’s provision of salvation, and we are robbing God of the glory due to His name through the preaching of the Gospel.
As complicated and deep the message of Romans, it can also be summarized in the following categorical themes:
CONDEMNATION (1:18–3:20)
Man is brought to the realization that he is utterly and completely lost and destined to eternal condemnation due to his sin. The ‘righteousness’ which man offers to God as the work of his own hands is unacceptable to God. Every man is in rebellion against God, and demonstrates his rebellion by rejecting the revelation which God has given to man of Himself. There are those who, instead of worshipping the Creator, have chosen to worship the creation. Not only has this twisted the revelation of God in creation, this has also corrupted and perverted the use of God’s creation. All of this is ample evidence which justifies the condemnation of God (Romans 1:18-32).
Paul’s conclusion is summarized in chapter 3: “As it is written, There is none righteous, not even one. … Because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin” (Romans 3:10, 20).
JUSTIFICATION (3:21–5:21)
If man’s righteousness served only to condemn him before God, God’s righteousness in the person of Jesus Christ saves men from the wrath of God. What men could never do to please God, God provided in Jesus Christ. He satisfied all the requirements of the Law. He bore the penalty and punishment for man’s sins. He provided a righteousness acceptable to God. “But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe …” (Romans 3:21, 22a).
The principle of ‘justification by faith’ expounded by Paul in the third chapter is not in any way inconsistent with the teaching of the Old Testament. To demonstrate this, Paul, in the fourth chapter, used the example of Abraham to prove that even in the old dispensation men were saved, not on the basis of works, but on the basis of faith. Justification by faith is not only consistent with the past, it is persistent in the future. In chapter 5, Paul argues that God’s love in seeking us out for salvation while we were still His enemies assures us of the perseverance of our salvation now that we are His children.
SANCTIFICATION (6:1–8:39)The doctrine of justification states that we are saved from the penalty of our sins. The doctrine of sanctification goes further in assuring us that we are also saved from the power of our sin nature. This means that God has not only provided a remedy for past sins, but has also made it possible to live a life which is pleasing to Him, through the power of the Holy Spirit.
In chapter 6 Paul urged the Christian to live a godly life on the basis of his position in Christ. Since we have died to sin in Jesus Christ, we should no longer live in sin. Since we have been raised to newness of life in Christ, we should live righteously before men and before God.
Romans 1:1-4 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God— 2 the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures 3 regarding his Son, who as to his earthly life was a descendant of David, 4 and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.
- In his introduction, Paul's identity cannot be separated from that of Jesus
- Paul also identifies the mission Christ has given to him. He understands himself to be "set apart" for the gospel—the "good news"—of God. This letter to the Roman Christians, in fact, is a thorough and carefully-constructed presentation of exactly what the gospel is and why it is so significant.
- The gospel of God is not a new thing that has popped up since Jesus' death and resurrection. Instead, the gospel had been promised by God long ago through what his prophets wrote in the "holy Scriptures." Paul's readers would have understood the holy Scriptures to include the books we refer to as the Old Testament.
- Paul has established the truth that Jesus was fully human (descendant of David) and also fully God. The resurrection of Jesus from death to life proves that He was more than just a man and established that He was in fact the Son of God. This was a declaration by the power of the Holy Spirit of God—"the Spirit of holiness"—that Jesus, as God's eternal Son, was in fact God.
Romans 1:5-6 Through him we received grace and apostleship to call all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith for his name’s sake. 6 And you also are among those Gentiles who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.
- It is through Jesus that Paul has received grace, which is unearned favor, as well as apostleship, which gives Paul the authority to speak on Christ's behalf.
- Paul has been sent by Christ, for the sake of Christ's name—or for the sake of His honor—to bring about the "obedience of faith."
That's a very specific phrase. Paul will be completely clear about what this does not mean. He has not been sent by Christ to get people to obey the law of Moses. He has been sent to bring about obedience to faith in Christ. In other words, Christ calls people to believe in Him. To refuse to believe in Jesus is to disobey that call. Believing is obedience, both in becoming a Christian and walking in Christ throughout our lives.
Theme of Romans (the Gospel of Jesus Christ: the Righteousness of God Revealed.) as summarized in Romans 1:16 to 17 "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes; first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed - a righteousness that is by faith fro first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith".
(1) The Gospel Is the Revelation to Men of God’s Provision for Salvation (v. 16).
We are compelled to preach the gospel to men simply because it is the means by which men come to a knowledge of salvation. Paul wrote: “How then shall they call upon Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him whom they have not heard. And how shall they hear without a preacher?” (Romans 10:14). The only way men can come to salvation is by hearing the Gospel proclaimed. In addition, the Gospel itself is powerful to save. It is not our persuasiveness that saves men; it is the Gospel itself that is powerful.
(2) The Gospel Is the Revelation to Men of God’s Righteousness (v. 17).
The proclamation of the Gospel is also the presentation of the righteousness of God. We can therefore proclaim the Gospel with confidence, knowing first of all that it is the Gospel itself which has the power to save men, and not we ourselves, and second, that God is glorified in our proclamation even when men reject our message. Whenever we distort the Gospel of Jesus Christ we also diminish the righteousness of God as revealed in the Gospel. When we keep silent with the Gospel we are robbing men of the opportunity to hear God’s provision of salvation, and we are robbing God of the glory due to His name through the preaching of the Gospel.
As complicated and deep the message of Romans, it can also be summarized in the following categorical themes:
CONDEMNATION (1:18–3:20)
Man is brought to the realization that he is utterly and completely lost and destined to eternal condemnation due to his sin. The ‘righteousness’ which man offers to God as the work of his own hands is unacceptable to God. Every man is in rebellion against God, and demonstrates his rebellion by rejecting the revelation which God has given to man of Himself. There are those who, instead of worshipping the Creator, have chosen to worship the creation. Not only has this twisted the revelation of God in creation, this has also corrupted and perverted the use of God’s creation. All of this is ample evidence which justifies the condemnation of God (Romans 1:18-32).
Paul’s conclusion is summarized in chapter 3: “As it is written, There is none righteous, not even one. … Because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin” (Romans 3:10, 20).
JUSTIFICATION (3:21–5:21)
If man’s righteousness served only to condemn him before God, God’s righteousness in the person of Jesus Christ saves men from the wrath of God. What men could never do to please God, God provided in Jesus Christ. He satisfied all the requirements of the Law. He bore the penalty and punishment for man’s sins. He provided a righteousness acceptable to God. “But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe …” (Romans 3:21, 22a).
The principle of ‘justification by faith’ expounded by Paul in the third chapter is not in any way inconsistent with the teaching of the Old Testament. To demonstrate this, Paul, in the fourth chapter, used the example of Abraham to prove that even in the old dispensation men were saved, not on the basis of works, but on the basis of faith. Justification by faith is not only consistent with the past, it is persistent in the future. In chapter 5, Paul argues that God’s love in seeking us out for salvation while we were still His enemies assures us of the perseverance of our salvation now that we are His children.
SANCTIFICATION (6:1–8:39)The doctrine of justification states that we are saved from the penalty of our sins. The doctrine of sanctification goes further in assuring us that we are also saved from the power of our sin nature. This means that God has not only provided a remedy for past sins, but has also made it possible to live a life which is pleasing to Him, through the power of the Holy Spirit.
In chapter 6 Paul urged the Christian to live a godly life on the basis of his position in Christ. Since we have died to sin in Jesus Christ, we should no longer live in sin. Since we have been raised to newness of life in Christ, we should live righteously before men and before God.
Chapter 7 addresses the struggle we all face with our new nature and our natural,sin nature. Although we know that we should live righteously, we simply cannot do it. What we know we should do, we don’t. What we desperately want to avoid, those things we somehow seem to do. The problem is that the flesh is weak and incapable of producing righteousness. The flesh is subject to the stronger power of sin which still dwells in the Christian. In order to live a life pleasing to God, there must be a new source of power.That power is not inherent in man. Just as a man or woman can do nothing to earn their salvation, so they can not produce righteousness in their lives, even as Christians. The solution to the dilemma is the provision of God in the person of the Holy Spirit. God has provided the Holy Spirit to produce in the life of the Christian practical righteousness.
He condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us. But we are not condemned who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit (Romans 8:1-4).
He condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us. But we are not condemned who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit (Romans 8:1-4).
DISPENSATION (9:1–11:36) |
Note: I've not really studied the implications of Israel and the Church so these "buttons" are place holders for continued consideration. Progressive Dispensationalism also seems to better represent the Church today. I wonder if God shakes His head at all these categorical definitions.
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The reason why so many Jews have not turned to faith in Jesus Christ as Messiah is because they rejected the truth that was presented to them through the prophets and those chosen to lead His people. To be fair to this outline, Bob Deffinbaugh presented that the reason that so many of the Jews had not turned to faith in Jesus is because God has not chosen them. The Scriptures make it clear that Israel was a chosen nation and the Israelites His chosen people. They were chosen because they were called as a people to fulfill His sovereign purposes which would not be thwarted. The New Testament expounds on the idea that many Jews trusted in the fact that they were the physical descendants of Abraham, but the history of the nation reveals that this has never been the basis for God’s choosing. God has chosen a small remnant, and to this remnant He will fulfill His promises. These unbelieving Jews chose NOT to trust in Christ as their Messiah. They sought to establish their own righteousness before God rather than to accept the righteousness which God had provided in Jesus Christ (Romans 10:3, 4). Chapter 10 assures us that all who call upon the name of the Lord for salvation shall be saved (v. 13). When I get to Chapter 9, I will most definitely revisit and will prayerful pour myself into understanding God's Sovereignty as it related to the mystery of His Sovereign will and man's free will. As of right now, if I hadn't been made aware of the theology of predestination AS IT asserts that God does not choose everyone to be saved, I would not (and have not) ever come to that conclusion by just reading the Scriptures. I hold true that the Scriptures do most definitely speak of predestination and while the intersection of God's sovereignty and man's free will may remain a mystery in understanding the complete details, I believe....
Chapter 11 draws the whole thing together by stressing the purpose of God in Israel’s rejection. God intended that the Jews would reject Messiah in order to save multitudes of Gentiles. But the salvation of the Gentiles will in turn provoke the Jews to jealousy which will incline them back to their Messiah. God is not through with Israel, but will in days to come restore them to their former place and will fulfill all the promises He made to them through the prophets. The rejection of the Jews has brought about the acceptance of the Gentiles; and the acceptance of the Gentiles will, in the providence of God, turn the Jews back to their Messiah. God is working all things together for our good and His glory! Did God harden their hearts or selectively not choose some of the Jews to serve this purpose? Again, I submit that God is sovereign and in control. But again, the Scriptures make it known in both the Old and New Testaments that God knows and searches our hearts and He knew that not everyone would respond to His plan of salvation. He shows in the Old Testament that His plan was to always bring in the Gentiles. The Jews even in the Old Testament were to be a light to the surrounding nations. We know by studying the earthly lineage of Jesus, that there were Gentiles in His blood line. To question God's perfect plan as to why He chose to do things the way He did can only be answered not on this side of heaven. But knowing that He always planned to include the Gentiles tells me that even if the Jews had not rejected Him (not withstanding the prophecies foretelling of His plan), that their acceptance of Jesus would have been a fantastic light to the Gentiles. But God does know our hearts and knows the pervasiveness and power of pride that is harbored in the hearts of men it was not greater than the plans of God!
APPLICATION (12:1–16:27)
Paul moves to the practical outworking of righteousness in the life of the Christian. The initial response of the Christian to the grace of God should be the dedication of himself to God as a living sacrifice. The only reasonable act of worship is that which begins with the sacrifice of self in devoted service to God. Since every Christian has a different capacity for service due to differing spiritual gifts, the Christian must first of all exercise his renewed mind in the contemplation of the capacities for service which God has given and then devote himself to those ministries.
Beyond our commitment of self-sacrifice and service in the area of our gifts, we also have responsibilities to the body of our Lord in general. We are exhorted to love one another, to rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep (Romans 12:15). Not only are we responsible to ‘one another’ we have an obligation to those who are our enemies. To these we are obliged to avoid retaliation and to do good to those who oppose us (Romans 12:17-21).
Our obligation is one that I view in concentric circles of responsibility. The center of our obligation is to God, in self-sacrifice and service. The ripple effect extends to the exercise of our gifts, the service of the brethren, even kindness to the lowly and our enemies. Beyond this there is the sphere of responsibility which we have to society and human institutions. We are obliged to express our submission to God by being obedient to the government which God has ordained. In addition to legal obligations, such as obeying the laws of the land and paying our taxes, we have moral obligations as well. Even when the state may legalize immorality, it is the obligation of the Christian to abstain from the evils of drunkenness, sensuality and lust (Romans 13:8-14).
The righteousness of God is to be exhibited in the lives of the saints in all of these areas previously mentioned, in personal service to God, in the exercise of our spiritual gifts, in ministry to one another, in kindness to all men, in obedience to the state and in keeping the moral law. In addition to these ‘clear cut’ responsibilities, the Christian is to demonstrate righteousness in what might be called the ‘gray’ areas of life—that is in the areas of dispute between Christians. How, for example, should a Christian respond to another brother who feels strongly that it is wrong to eat meat, or to one who feels it is wrong to drink wine? How should we relate to a believer who has strong convictions which we think have no biblical basis? Paul’s answer in chapter 14 and the first six verses of chapter 15 is that we should accept the ‘Weaker brother’ and conduct ourselves in such a way as to build him up and encourage him rather than to criticize, condemn and change him. The law of love dictates that we should avoid the exercise of any right which will cause another brother to stumble in his faith.
Romans 1:18- 32 God's Wrath Against Sinful Humanity
Paul launches into an explanation of why God is right to condemn sinful humanity:
How does God respond to this? God expresses His wrath in a surprising way:
- God is sovereign and His plans and purposes will not be thwarted or changed regardless of man's decision to be obedient to Him or not. He reigns and is in control!
- God invites man to live in loving relationship with Him and to be included and instrumental in being used to carrying out His plans and purposes. I'm convinced that we only know what we know about God because He has chosen to make Himself known through His revelation. And He, through His grace and mercy, allows us the privilege of sharing the Gospel with others and, as Paul testifies, no one will know unless someone tells them. But, I also believe that God is not limited by our limitations and while He compels us and commands us to "go", He reveals Himself to those who have not been told by someone in many other ways. He is the Someone that speaks directly into the heart of the lost. It is our privilege and need to share the Gospel with others; not God's dependence and limitation.
- God knows each of us by name and has chosen us before the foundation of the world. Man's fall was not a surprise to Him. He had a sovereign plan in place even before He spoke Creation into existence and breathed life into our lungs.
- I believe that God is Sovereign and in His grace and mercy, desires that no one should perish and He compels us through the working of the Holy Spirit to tender our heart so that we respond to His invitation. And in His perfect plan, He has allowed those to reject Him in this life, to live without Him in the next. I cannot understand why anyone would reject His invitation, but I have seen men suppress the truth in favor of living their lives as lord over their own choices.
- What I do know for sure is that God chooses us first and He loves us first...which means He allows us a choice to respond. Without His pursuit of us, because of the fallen nature of our hearts, we would not seek Him out. We choose Him ONLY because He chose us first. If God in His sovereignty does not choose everyone because this serves His purposes (I humbly submit that He does not need my buy-in or approval and the truth of this great mystery will prevail regardless of which side of Calvenism I stand on), I know that He is completely just in His actions and judgment. But of those who are truly believers, I can say with absolute certainty that 100% of those believers came to faith because they were chosen first by God. None were capable of choosing God first.
Chapter 11 draws the whole thing together by stressing the purpose of God in Israel’s rejection. God intended that the Jews would reject Messiah in order to save multitudes of Gentiles. But the salvation of the Gentiles will in turn provoke the Jews to jealousy which will incline them back to their Messiah. God is not through with Israel, but will in days to come restore them to their former place and will fulfill all the promises He made to them through the prophets. The rejection of the Jews has brought about the acceptance of the Gentiles; and the acceptance of the Gentiles will, in the providence of God, turn the Jews back to their Messiah. God is working all things together for our good and His glory! Did God harden their hearts or selectively not choose some of the Jews to serve this purpose? Again, I submit that God is sovereign and in control. But again, the Scriptures make it known in both the Old and New Testaments that God knows and searches our hearts and He knew that not everyone would respond to His plan of salvation. He shows in the Old Testament that His plan was to always bring in the Gentiles. The Jews even in the Old Testament were to be a light to the surrounding nations. We know by studying the earthly lineage of Jesus, that there were Gentiles in His blood line. To question God's perfect plan as to why He chose to do things the way He did can only be answered not on this side of heaven. But knowing that He always planned to include the Gentiles tells me that even if the Jews had not rejected Him (not withstanding the prophecies foretelling of His plan), that their acceptance of Jesus would have been a fantastic light to the Gentiles. But God does know our hearts and knows the pervasiveness and power of pride that is harbored in the hearts of men it was not greater than the plans of God!
APPLICATION (12:1–16:27)
Paul moves to the practical outworking of righteousness in the life of the Christian. The initial response of the Christian to the grace of God should be the dedication of himself to God as a living sacrifice. The only reasonable act of worship is that which begins with the sacrifice of self in devoted service to God. Since every Christian has a different capacity for service due to differing spiritual gifts, the Christian must first of all exercise his renewed mind in the contemplation of the capacities for service which God has given and then devote himself to those ministries.
Beyond our commitment of self-sacrifice and service in the area of our gifts, we also have responsibilities to the body of our Lord in general. We are exhorted to love one another, to rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep (Romans 12:15). Not only are we responsible to ‘one another’ we have an obligation to those who are our enemies. To these we are obliged to avoid retaliation and to do good to those who oppose us (Romans 12:17-21).
Our obligation is one that I view in concentric circles of responsibility. The center of our obligation is to God, in self-sacrifice and service. The ripple effect extends to the exercise of our gifts, the service of the brethren, even kindness to the lowly and our enemies. Beyond this there is the sphere of responsibility which we have to society and human institutions. We are obliged to express our submission to God by being obedient to the government which God has ordained. In addition to legal obligations, such as obeying the laws of the land and paying our taxes, we have moral obligations as well. Even when the state may legalize immorality, it is the obligation of the Christian to abstain from the evils of drunkenness, sensuality and lust (Romans 13:8-14).
The righteousness of God is to be exhibited in the lives of the saints in all of these areas previously mentioned, in personal service to God, in the exercise of our spiritual gifts, in ministry to one another, in kindness to all men, in obedience to the state and in keeping the moral law. In addition to these ‘clear cut’ responsibilities, the Christian is to demonstrate righteousness in what might be called the ‘gray’ areas of life—that is in the areas of dispute between Christians. How, for example, should a Christian respond to another brother who feels strongly that it is wrong to eat meat, or to one who feels it is wrong to drink wine? How should we relate to a believer who has strong convictions which we think have no biblical basis? Paul’s answer in chapter 14 and the first six verses of chapter 15 is that we should accept the ‘Weaker brother’ and conduct ourselves in such a way as to build him up and encourage him rather than to criticize, condemn and change him. The law of love dictates that we should avoid the exercise of any right which will cause another brother to stumble in his faith.
Romans 1:18- 32 God's Wrath Against Sinful Humanity
Paul launches into an explanation of why God is right to condemn sinful humanity:
- People suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them (vs 18-19)
What does it mean to suppress the truth? In their wickedness people push away the truth and they intentionally stifle the truth. Although God has made His existence plain to everyone, the wicked refuse to acknowledge the truth foolishly hoping that there will be no accountability for their actions or for believing a lie. - Since the creation of the world, God's invisible qualities - His eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly seen....people are without excuse (vs 20)
- Since they rejected God as Creator, they refused to give Him thanks as their provider (vs 21)
- They see themselves as wise and congratulate themselves for their wisdom in seeing the world without God in it and, instead, become fools, unable to understand the basic truths of the universe because they have eliminated the possibility that God is the source of it all. Their hearts become darkened...unable to see the truth because of their stubbornness (vs 22)
- And foolish as they are, instead of acknowledging God as God, they submitted themselves to idols made in their own image - self-sufficiency, false security, prideful view of themselves. They begin to worship what God has made instead of Him. (vs 23). They exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator (vs 25).
How does God respond to this? God expresses His wrath in a surprising way:
- He gives them over to the unchecked expression of their own sinful desires. God refrains from keeping them from themselves but allows them to follow their own evil bent, to their own destruction and degradation (vs 24)
- Since they continue to refuse to acknowledge God, He gives them up to debased minds, resulting in their indulgence in every kind of sin imaginable. (vs 28)
- In addition to the sins (the lusts of the flesh) that are most commonly mentioned, take a look at what else He considers as wicked:
- evil
- greed
- depravity
- envy
- murder
- strife
- deceit
- malice
- gossip
- slanderers
- God-haters
- insolent
- arrogance
- boastful
- invent ways to do evil
- disobedient to parents
- are without sensitivity and compassion (no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy)
- encourage and approve of others who practice such wickedness
Summary notes and thoughts from First5 - Romans, Day 1:
In Romans, Paul systematically builds a case to show that by nature all people are born spiritually dead and alienated from God (Romans 6:23). Consequently, we deserve the wrath of God (Romans 1:18). [By nature, we are born spiritually dead - but we were created in God's image. It is only because of sin that that image as tarnished. This shows what His hope in creation was - perfect union, that all the world would be able to live in His presence. It is the presence of sin that our nature is subject to self-centeredness, pride and rebellion against God. This nature causes us to be subject to "the god of this age that blinds the minds (2 Cor 4:14). Good thing God is in the business of giving sight to the blind. The question is - would He choose to leave/allow people to be blinded?]
But God does not leave His people w/o hope. God makes a way for His people to know Him through creation and a way for them to receive right standing before Him through Jesus. [So because God reveals His invisible qualities - His eternal power and His divine nature - so that they are clearly seen - sot that people are w/o excuse. But this also means that are NOT without hope.]
The unbelieving Romans stood in judgement, not because of their unbelief or unbelief about Jesus. These people stood condemned because they rejected the revelation God had given through His creation. [Anyone that considers creation will realize that it bears witness to a Divine Designer. But the wickedness of men suppress the truth - they suppress the conviction that is nawing at their heart - Heb 11:1 ESV "faith is the conviction of things not seen".
John 16:8 "And He (the Holy Spirit), when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment;"
In Romans, Paul systematically builds a case to show that by nature all people are born spiritually dead and alienated from God (Romans 6:23). Consequently, we deserve the wrath of God (Romans 1:18). [By nature, we are born spiritually dead - but we were created in God's image. It is only because of sin that that image as tarnished. This shows what His hope in creation was - perfect union, that all the world would be able to live in His presence. It is the presence of sin that our nature is subject to self-centeredness, pride and rebellion against God. This nature causes us to be subject to "the god of this age that blinds the minds (2 Cor 4:14). Good thing God is in the business of giving sight to the blind. The question is - would He choose to leave/allow people to be blinded?]
But God does not leave His people w/o hope. God makes a way for His people to know Him through creation and a way for them to receive right standing before Him through Jesus. [So because God reveals His invisible qualities - His eternal power and His divine nature - so that they are clearly seen - sot that people are w/o excuse. But this also means that are NOT without hope.]
The unbelieving Romans stood in judgement, not because of their unbelief or unbelief about Jesus. These people stood condemned because they rejected the revelation God had given through His creation. [Anyone that considers creation will realize that it bears witness to a Divine Designer. But the wickedness of men suppress the truth - they suppress the conviction that is nawing at their heart - Heb 11:1 ESV "faith is the conviction of things not seen".
John 16:8 "And He (the Holy Spirit), when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment;"