Romans 1

== Romans 1:1 ==
1Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,
Paul is the author. He is a servant of Jesus Christ as all faithful Christians are. He was called to be an Apostle by Jesus directly (Acts 9). Separated or made holy for the purpose of preaching the good news from God.
== Romans 1:2 ==
2(Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,)
This good news, what is commonly called the gospel or the teachings of the New Testament were promised by the OT prophets. This promise was recorded by them in the OT scriptures.
== Romans 1:3 ==
3Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh;
This good news is about God’s Son, Jesus Christ, who is the Lord of all Christians. Jesus was physically descended from king David of the Israelites.
See 2 Samuel 7:12-16; Psalm 132:11; Isaiah 11; Jeremiah 23:5-6
== Romans 1:4 ==
4And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:
Jesus Christ was declared to be the Son of God according to the prophecies when Christ was raised from the dead.
== Romans 1:5 ==
5By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name:
Paul and others had received grace, the gospel message of Christ, and his office (an Apostle) so that among all nations there would be obedience to the faith.
== Romans 1:6 ==
6Among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ:
Christians are the “called” of Jesus Christ. We know of course that it is the gospel itself that does the calling (2 Thess. 2:14; Rom. 10:17).
== Romans 1:7 ==
7To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul is writing to the Christians in Rome and gives his general salutation.
== Romans 1:8 ==
8First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.
Paul is thankful to God through Christ (noting how we should pray – no one prays TO Jesus, one prays THROUGH Jesus who is our only intercessor to God).
The faith of the Roman Christians was spoken of throughout the whole kosmos.
== Romans 1:9 ==
9For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers;
God knows that Paul always prays for the church at Rome.
== Romans 1:10 ==
10Making request, if by any means now at length I might have a prosperous journey by the will of God to come unto you.
His prayers include being able to come visit them.
== Romans 1:11 ==
11For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established;
An interesting verse. This church is already established. It contains faithful Christians. Yet they could not perform miracles (no direct indwelling of the Holy Spirit). Not only that, this congregation is obviously already founded, but still needed to be established. That is a necessary and essential distinction to make.
== Romans 1:12 ==
12That is, that I may be comforted together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me.
In establishing them he helps them grow so that they can comfort one another by the faith they would then share.
== Romans 1:13 ==
13Now I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that oftentimes I purposed to come unto you, (but was let hitherto,) that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among other Gentiles.
Paul has set in his mind to come to them before but was prevented from doing so. He wanted to come to them that he could have some success preaching the gospel like he’d had among other cities.
== Romans 1:14 ==
14I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise.
Paul feels he owes both the learned (Greeks) and unlearned (Barbarians), those with wisdom and without it.
== Romans 1:15 ==
15So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also.
What he owes is the preaching of the gospel. Note that he is ready to preach the gospel to even those who are Christians who are at Rome, even though they’ve already heard enough of it to become Christians. There is more to the gospel than just becoming a Christian. A teacher must then teach them to observe ALL things that Christ commanded after they have been immersed into Christ (Matt. 28:19).
== Romans 1:16 ==
16For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
Paul is not ashamed of the good news concerning Christ. It is God’s power UNTO salvation. This is an important phrase here. It would be silly for me to ask for directions unTO Austin if I am already in Austin. The gospel is powerful because it gives us directions on how to get to salvation. But only to those who believe it. If I don’t believe that the map is true, I’m not going to follow it. That is where faith comes in. I trust God’s Word. I trust the map He gave us.
Paul here makes the first of many references to the Jews and non-Jews (Greeks). This was the command from Jesus (Acts 1:8) and prophesied by Isaiah (Isa. 2:3). It’s interesting because earlier he referred to the Greeks as the learned (in contrast to Barbarians). Now he contrasts them to the Jews, implying that the Jews are unlearned. He’ll revisit this comparison later in the letter.
== Romans 1:17 ==
17For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
The gospel reveals the righteousness of God. It is a revealed faith (the faith system, not the individual faith). Those who are just (righteous, law abiding) live according to that faith system (a phrase I will use to distinguish it from individual faith – don’t get all crazy on me here).
== Romans 1:18 ==
18For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
God’s wrath is revealed against those who do not live according to that faith system, who do evil things and who believe the truth but do not live by it.
We’ll see in a bit that Paul is referring still to the two classes, Jew and Gentile.
== Romans 1:19 ==
19Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.
Anything that is possible and permissible to know about God is evident to them because God showed it to them.
== Romans 1:20 ==
20For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
God showed the truth of Himself through His Creation (a typical argument by Creationists against the Atheist and against the argument about that lonely dude out in Africa or wherever that supposedly has never heard the gospel). Both God’s omnipotence and divinity are shown through Creation and none have any excuses why they haven’t sought God.
== Romans 1:21 ==
21Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
God is speaking here of those who knew God (the Jews). They did not glorify God nor did they thank Him for what He did for them. They became vain in their imaginations, meaning that at one time they weren’t. This is parallel to the idea of becoming by nature children of wrath. Their foolish heart was darkened implies that at one time it had been full of light (knowledge/truth). This is those who had hold of the truth but did not obey it.
More on this as we progress through the letter.
== Romans 1:22 ==
22Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
This is the self-righteousness of the Jew. Note that they became fools. Meaning that at one time they weren’t. Under righteous leaders like David and Solomon is an example of this.
== Romans 1:23 ==
23And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.
How often do we see the Jews turning from Jehovah God to worship idols throughout the OT. If I can make something, I’m greater than that something. I would never be so foolish as to worship a thing I had made with my own hands. It is beyond me to understand how any human would do so.
== Romans 1:24 ==
24Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:
God does not force obedience. He let the Jews choose their path.
== Romans 1:25 ==
25Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
This is what I said above. How could any man worship a thing he made with his own hands. These men, the Jews, who had essentially direct communication with God, who had amazing, miraculous things done for them time and again, still changed the truth of God into a lie. This implies, of course, that at one time they worshipped the True and Living God.
== Romans 1:26 ==
26For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:
God allowed them to choose evil desires. As they turned from the true God to false gods, so they turned from the true purpose of themselves to unnatural uses.
== Romans 1:27 ==
27And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.
Homosexuality is evil, sinful, unseemly, unnatural, erroneous, and so on. Homosexual advocates who claim to be Christians need to read these verses and get a clue.
== Romans 1:28 ==
28And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;
Again, retaining God implies that He started there then they didn’t keep Him there. Rejecting God led to all other kinds of sin (things which are not “convenient”, fit, appropriate, right).
== Romans 1:29-31 ==
29Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,30Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,31Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:
A list of sins which we will undoubtedly return to at some point in this study.
== Romans 1:32 ==
32Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.
These men know the judgment of God. They’d seen it against Egypt, against Babylon, the Medo-Persians, the Greeks, and every wicked nation they encountered on the way from Egypt to Palestine, and every wicked nation they overthrew in the land God promised them. They knew! and still they rejected God and committed things worthy of death and had pleasure in doing them.
It is important to understand the foundation of Paul’s letter here in his introduction, to understand the foundation that is a discussion of Jews and Gentiles with relationship to the gospel.
In Truth and Love.
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