Category: Romans

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Romans 1:18

The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness

The first reading of this verse raises two questions in my mind: What is the wrath of God? When is the wrath of God coming?

The wrath of God can’t sound pleasant to anyone who is an enemy of God. God is an all powerful deity, and the definition of ‘wrath’ is extreme anger. An extremely angry, all powerful deity is intense, and it certainly is intense when it comes to God. But the difference between the definition of wrath and God’s wrath is that God isn’t reacting out of a loss of emotional control. Instead, God has set up laws that guide us fallible humans into a stronger relationship with him. It is seen in the Old Testament that when the Mosaic laws weren’t followed, God would inflict his wrath upon people. At a few times in history, like at the city of Sodom (Genesis 19) or the threat to the city of Nineveh (Jonah), God’s wrath was supernatural and immediate. Paul believes that God’s wrath will once again come at the end of time at the ultimate judgement.

There are arguments made, however, that God’s wrath can be seen in the events that have taken place in history (even modern history), and events that are taking place now; that all the bad things that happen now are a result of God showing us a minuscule portion of his wrath that is to come on the day of judgement.

That’s a pretty sobering thought for almost everyone; the bad things and situations that happen to us on earth as a result of sin are but a blip of the suffering to come. But it also offer us hope that because of the Gospel, we have the opportunity to experience God’s grace and avoid his wrath and have an ever lasting relationship with him!

ASK YOURSELF: What difficulties do you have in your life? What difficulties do your friends and family have in their lives? What are you willing to do to help them see that a relationship with the one, true God will change their lives forever?

Dear God, I pray for the people in the world that are struggling to recognize you as a just God; capable of wrath but also of grace. Bring Christians across their path and open their eyes to see your love for them. Amen.

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Romans 1:17

For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”

This verse is a daunting one to study, as it contains a lot of theological concepts that are difficult to summarize in a 300-500 word blog post. As you may have noticed in the time jump between the blog post on v.16 and the blog post here, writing and finishing my exploration of v.17 has taken quite some time.

The ‘righteousness of God’ is spoken of in this verse. This term is found infrequently in the letter to the Romans but, according to Moo (1990) its importance outweighs its frequency, as it is a term that was only written by Paul in this letter. The real difficulty in this verse is interpreting what Paul means when he writes ‘the righteousness of God’. There seems to be many diverse interpretations for what ‘the righteousness of God’ is referring to, and each commentary and literature takes slightly different views on the topic. Once again, I refer to Moo, who concludes that ‘righteousness of God’ refers to the activity of God saving his people.

With this in mind, the verse could be paraphrased:
‘For in the gospel, God’s act of saving his people is revealed-a justification that by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”

The quote at the end of the verse is from Habakkuk:

Habakkuk 2:4

“See, the enemy is puffed up;
    his desires are not upright—
    but the righteous person will live by his faithfulness—

To put this verse into context, Habakkuk has been complaining to God about how Israel is going astray, and that the Babylonians are coming and they’re even worse. Habakkuk 2:4 is part of the Lord’s response to the author’s complaint about Babylon, and God is saying that those that are righteous can have faith that God will eventually overcome all the difficulties the righteous person is facing. Paul, however, uses the verse in Romans to say that in order to become righteous, you need to have faith. The connection between the meaning behind the source and the quote is that having faith in God means putting our sole trust in him, not our own abilities.

ASK YOURSELF: Do I have faith that God holds my life in my hands? Is my faith one that would be willing to drop everything I hold dear to follow the will of God?

Dear God, please strengthen my faith. Open my eyes to see that you have been faithful to me in my life. I pray for my family and friends that they will see in my a life that is been lived in faith. Amen.

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Romans 1:16

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.

A man ashamed of the gospel would not have been able to endure the hardships Paul went through (imprisonment, beatings and shipwrecks) and come out the other end with a continual passion for reaching the lost with the gospel. Paul was also facing social hardships, in that he had opposition of his teaching that God is for both Jews and Gentiles.

Salvation comes to everyone who believes. Salvation comes to everyone who put their faith and trust in Jesus. Having faith is not a work we do, but a response to God offering grace to our shameful, sinful lives. This salvation, Paul writes, goes first to the Jew then to the Gentile. What Paul means by this is the Jews still have ‘special relevance’ (Moo 1991) to the gospel. The promises that are fulfilled through the gospel were first given to Israel in the holy scriptures.

ASK YOURSELF: Am I ashamed of the gospel? What aspects of the gospel do I not understand the most that prevent me from wanting to share the good news with everyone I meet?

Dear God, please give me courage. Please give me wisdom. Thank you for providing opportunities for me to show love to others through my actions and the sharing of the gospel. May your name be praised in all the choices I make and everything I do. Amen.

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Romans 1:15

That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are in Rome.

Paul is eager to go to Rome and preach the gospel because he is obligated to the Greeks and non-Greeks, wise and foolish to do so (v.14). As Bower (1987) comments, the preaching of the gospel is not just the initial preaching mission, but the whole sequence of activities resulting in settled churches.

Paul’s eagerness comes from his God-given commission to preach to the Gentiles. Where does our eagerness come from to reach the lost? The basic answer is our eagerness comes because we are also called, from God, to reach and love the lost with a love that will point them towards God (John 15:12). I am aware of the reality of my own comfort sitting behind this desk, writing this blog post in a safe, non-threatening environment, rather than being on the forefront of ministry in a foreign location, or even just on the streets of my own city. I think the eagerness comes from the wisdom and knowledge of what’s at stake if we don’t fulfill what God is asking of us; people’s salvation.

John 14:6

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

We need to be praying for all Christians everywhere, that they will find their comfort and security in God, and receive their boldness from him to reach their lost friends and family, letting them know that God is eager to have a relationship with them.

ASK YOURSELF: What’s holding you back from being eager to reach the lost? What resources are there to help you gather the wisdom and courage for this vital mission?

Dear God, grant me wisdom. Grant me patience and an eagerness to evangelise in your name. I’m sorry for all the times I missed you placing me in front of people who desperately need you. Open my eyes for the next opportunity to share my story and all you’ve done for me. Amen. 

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Romans 1:14

I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish.

We will break this verse into three parts for exploration:

1. Why is Paul ‘obligated’?

Paul is not obligated directly to any human, but he is obligated to God (as he is set apart for the Gospel in v.1), and therefore he is obligated, through God to preach the Christian gospel.

2. Who are Greeks and non-Greeks?

It is thought (Moo, 1991) that ‘Greeks and non-Greeks’ refers to all of Gentile humanity, with the exceptions being the Jews. The original translation for ‘non-Greek’ is barbarian, which was seen, linguistically, to designate a lower class of people. Paul, here, is essentially saying ‘no matter the class or Gentile culture’. Remember also that Paul in v.13 is talking about his work among other Gentiles.

3. Who are the wise and the foolish?

The wise and the foolish is another way in which Paul is saying he is preaching to all Gentiles, not just those the of the ‘intellectual’, wealthy classes, but also those of the lower classes (whom the Greeks considered Barbarians to be)

It’s amazing that the gospel of Christ isn’t just for one class even today, as some might have you believe. The message that the best is yet to come is joyful music for the poor who don’t have anything on this earth to look forward. The message is harder to take for people in developed nations with earthly comforts, where they feel they have the best they can get now. But the message is just a relevant for them as they search for meaning and purpose here on earth. Our purpose is to bring glory to God and further his kingdom through the spreading of the gospel to the ends of the earth.

ASK YOURSELF: Do you find yourself avoiding a class or group of people because it might be ‘uncomfortable’ to interact with them? How do you think Jesus would act around the same people?

Dear God, please open my eyes to those around me that need you; whether they’re rich or poor, of my culture or foreign. Give me strength to love on those around me, even when they don’t love in return. Amen.

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Romans 1:13

I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that I planned many times to come to you (but have been prevented from doing so until now) in order that I might have a harvest among you, just as I have had among the other Gentiles.

Paul writes his brief explanation for not being able to come to Rome sooner. We don’t know how long Paul had been promising to come to Rome, and we are aware he had friends in Rome (some are listed in Ch. 16). They may have been pleading with Paul to come and minister there as soon as he could. What is the harvest the Paul wants to have among the Romans? Although harvest could refer to money to fund his missionary journey to Spain, it is more likely that he is referring to a spiritual harvest; the building up of the Christians and preaching of the Gospel. The last clause in the verse ‘as I have had among the other Gentiles’, gives indication that Paul saw the Roman church as a Gentile church, even though many times in the letter Paul is giving teaching to the Roman Jews. From v.1 we know that reaching the Gentiles was Paul’s God-given commission.

ASK YOURSELF: When was the last time you saw a real harvest in your Church? What makes an effective, long lasting, continual harvest?

Dear God, please give myself strength; please give my local Pastors strength; please give Pastors around the world strength to always be reaching out to the lost without a regard for their personal desires for achievement and earthly comfort. Amen.

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Romans 1:12

— that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith.

For context, vv.11-12 reads:

Romans 1:11-12

I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong – that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith.

V.12, which reads as a sort self-made of ‘correction’ to what Paul wrote in v.11, is making a expansion. Although in v.11 Paul is talking about his visit being about giving to them, as if they need something from him, his expansion is that he too needs something from them; to be encouraged by their faith. Although this can be seen as pandering from Paul, we have no reason not to judge his heart as genuine. Why would Paul need encouragement from the Roman’s faith? Christians are a group of people who have a uniting cause; bringing glory to God and furthering the gospel to the ends of the earth. Christians are meant to do that work together (Romans 15:5). And working together involves mutual encouragement. Although our ultimate encouragement comes from the love of God, I believe God uses us to show his love to one another.

Another important note in this verse is that Paul isn’t seeing himself as higher than those he is writing to. He acknowledges that he has a special assignment from God (Romans 1:1), but that doesn’t make him any less of a human than his fellow believers. This humble attitude is an important lesson that we can take away. No Christian is ‘better’ than any other Christian. We all fall very short of God’s level of perfection. It is our faith in Jesus Christ that allows us to be a Christian, and it is this faith that helps us realize how helpless we all are under our own strength.

ASK YOURSELF: Who can you call or message and encourage today? What method of encouragement is going to mean the most to that person?

Dear God, I pray that you will give me the courage and wisdom to not only share the gospel myself, but also support the Christians around me. I thank you for the opportunities I have to provide encouragement, and I pray as a church we continue to make choices that put your name forward above our own. Amen.

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Romans 1:11

I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong —

Paul says he wishes to see the Christians in Rome to impart on them a spiritual gift that will make them stronger. If someone came to me and said they have any gift, let alone a spiritual gift, that would make me strong, my guard would go up. What is this spiritual gift that Paul is referring to? There has been considerable thought from theologians focused on this verse since it was written, with a number of different possibilities proposed. In his first letter to the Corinthians, written before the letter to the Romans, Paul writes a passage about spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12:1-11), in which he says:

1 Corinthians 12:8-10

To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues.

Is it one of these spiritual gifts that Paul wants to bring to the Romans? Some commentators (Moo), believe that Paul doesn’t know what spiritual gift he’ll bring until he travels to the Romans and sees what their needs are. Longnecker and others believe that the spiritual gift is the letter to the Romans itself, and a deeper understanding of the Gospel. Of course, Paul could be intending for all the above; his gifts are the letter and his preaching of the Gospel and whatever other blessings he can give when he finds out the needs of the local Roman church.

ASK YOURSELF: What are your spiritual gifts? How do we find out what our spiritual gifts are and how to apply them for the furthering of the Gospel?

Dear God, I pray that you soften my heart and open my eyes to see the opportunities you are placing in my life to reach others with love; seeing what their needs are and self-sacrificially meeting those needs. Amen.

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Romans 1:9-10

God, whom I serve in my spirit in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you in my prayers at all times; and I pray that now at last by God’s will the way may be opened for me to come to you.

In a continuation of his prayer for the Romans, Paul prays that he will be accepted by the Romans and be able to come and visit them in person to minister to them. Paul was a missionary commissioned by God to reach the lost (specifically for Paul the Gentiles). That call to be a missionary hasn’t closed for today, and there are thousands of people working across the globe, away from their home towns, in bible translation, medical assistance, church planting, child care and the list goes on. Missionaries do what they do for the glory of God; to tell about God’s love, utilizing the God given skills they have. Paul was a missionary using his gifts of teaching to reach a wide number of early churches, most of which were most likely collections of house churches. For a detailed itinerary of Paul’s missionary travels, read the book of Acts, but in summary we know that Paul in his life traveled from as far east as Jerusalem and Antioch (Syria) to as far west as Rome.

When Paul is writing to the Romans, it is believed he is staying in Corinth (Greece) during his third missionary journey.

How can I, sitting in my home town at my office job have the same effect as Paul, who was travelling to almost everywhere he could get to with the message of the Gospel? I know sometimes use the excuse of ‘I’ll support the international missionaries with my prayer, and that’ll be enough’. Enough for what? We, as Christians are all called to be missionaries, no matter where we are. I don’t think it’s a case of ‘I feel God calling me here’ or ‘I feel God calling me there’. I believe God calls you wherever you are to be a missionary. If your skill is international relations or languages, then God is calling you to minister in that area. If your skills are in accounting or window cleaning, than God is calling you to use those skills for the glory of him and the furthering of his Kingdom.

ASK YOURSELF: What are your gifts and abilities? How can you use those gifts to be a missionary?

Dear God, I pray that you will help me to always put you ahead of my own desires for earthly comfort and welfare. Give me the desire to reach the lost. Thank you for blessing me with the skills and abilities you have given me. Help me to see the opportunities to love others.

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Romans 1:8

First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world.

It is noted that most ancient greco-roman letters began with a thanksgiving and a prayer section. Paul follows this pattern in most of his letters, and vv.8-12 is Paul’s thanksgiving and prayer messages to the Romans. One can see, here in v.8, that Paul doesn’t know the Romans personally because the thing he thanks God for is that the Romans’ faith being reported all over the world. Furthermore, there is a continuing theme of Paul wanting to build good rapport with the Romans, as one of his purposes in writing is to admonish some of their matters of theology, while still maintaining that both he and the Romans share a faith in Jesus Christ as the Messiah.

How does giving thanks to God… work?  There seems to be differences from church to church and even household to household about whether people begin their prayers as ‘Dear God’ or ‘Dear Jesus’. Is either a theologically correct way of praying?Paul here in v.8 says ‘I thank my God through Jesus Christ’. That would imply, as Douglas Moo writes, that ‘[it is] an indication that Christ is the one who has created the access to God for such thanks to be offered.’  Looking in the Bible, all the prayers in the Old Testament are directed to ‘Lord’ or ‘God’, because Jesus had not come to earth yet. In the New Testament, which is mainly made up of letters from Paul, there seems to be a bit more of a split between praying to ‘Jesus’ or ‘God’. The Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13), which is the Jesus tells his followers to pray, begins with ‘Our Father in Heaven,’- that is God. When we pray to Jesus or the Holy Spirit, we are ultimately still praying to God, because they are all part of the trinity. As John Piper says, ‘Pray to God the Father in the power of God the Spirit, by the authority and the merit of God the Son’. For more on this topic, check out ‘Should I Pray to the Father, the Son, or the Spirit?‘ on Desiring God’s website.

ASK YOURSELF: How is your prayer life? Are you in constant conversation with God throughout your day?

Dear God, I pray that you will help me see the beauty and wonder that is a relationship with you. Thank you for everything you bless me with. Please help those around me to see you as the source of their blessings. Thank you for everything you do to point me towards a reliance on you. Amen.