COMMENTARY. This Letter was written by Paul to the church in Rome, and its whole stress is on ‘the Good News of God'. It commences with a description of that ‘Good News (Gospel) of God', which is what the letter will be all about, and it stresses that there are two important things to bear in mind... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Which he promised beforetime through his prophets in the holy scriptures,' Paul was concerned to stress that this Good News of God had not arrived unannounced. It had been promised beforetime through the prophets in the Holy Scriptures (the Old Testament). Thus it was not something novel, but was... [ Continue Reading ]
THE GOOD NEWS OF GOD (1:2-6). What that ‘Good News of God' was is now made clear, as is the fact that it had been promised beforetime through God's prophets in the Holy Scriptures. In other words Paul was stressing that this Good News was not some novelty like many of the ideas that were spreading... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Concerning his Son, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh,' This message was ‘concerning His Son'. The phrase ‘His own Son' contains within it the certainty of Christ's Godhood. Compare John 5:17 where Jesus, speaking of God as ‘His own Father', was seen as having thereby made a... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Who was declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead; even Jesus Christ our Lord,' For His greater manifestation came in that He was powerfully declared (or, more strongly, ‘appointed' - see the use in Acts 10:42; Acts 17:31) to be... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Through whom we received grace and apostleship, unto obedience of faith among all the nations, for his name's sake, among whom are you also called to be Jesus Christ's.' And, says Paul, it is through ‘Jesus Christ our LORD' that ‘we' (the Apostles) received ‘grace and Apostleship' with the aim in... [ Continue Reading ]
THE RECIPIENTS OF THE LETTER (1:7). After the long but important description of the purpose of the letter, we now learn who are to be its recipients. It is addressed to the church in Rome. ‘To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and... [ Continue Reading ]
‘First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is proclaimed throughout the whole world.' He wants them first of all to know that he thanks ‘my God' through Jesus Christ for all of them, because he is aware that their faith is spoken of throughout the world. ‘My God' bring... [ Continue Reading ]
PAUL EXPLAINS TO THE ROMAN CHRISTIANS HIS DESIRE TO SEE THEM AND THE REASON FOR IT (1:8-12). Paul stresses to the Roman Christians that he thanks God for the effectiveness of their testimony and unceasingly prays for them, desiring to meet up with them so that he can share with them in discussions... [ Continue Reading ]
‘For God is my witness, whom I serve in my spirit in the gospel of his Son, how unceasingly I make mention of you, always in my prayers,' The use of this minor oath, calling on God as his witness, confirms how desirous Paul was to win the hearts of the Roman church. He was aware that many voices cam... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Making request, if by any means now at length I may at some time be prospered by the will of God to come to you.' And his continuing request to God is with a view to at last being able to visit them ‘by any means'. It is quite clear that he has a real sense of the urgent need that there is for him... [ Continue Reading ]
‘For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift, to the end you may be established,' And we now learn why he wants to go to Rome. It is because he wants to ensure that they are established as a result of the impartation to them by him of ‘some spiritual gift', that is, a gift c... [ Continue Reading ]
‘That is, that I with you may be comforted in you, each of us by the other's faith, both yours and mine.' But lest they misunderstand him and feel that he is being arrogant, he immediately qualifies his words by pointing out that he does not just see himself as the giver, and they as the recipients... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And I would not have you ignorant, brothers and sisters (brethren), that many times I purposed to come to you (and was up until now hindered), that I might have some fruit in you also, even as in the rest of the Gentiles.' Lest they feel that his protestations about his wanting to visit them are ra... [ Continue Reading ]
PAUL DESCRIBES HOW HE FEELS A SENSE OF INDEBTEDNESS TO PROCLAIM THE GOOD NEWS TO ALL, INCLUDING THOSE IN ROME, AND GIVES THE ESSENCE OF THAT GOOD NEWS. IT IS THE POWER OF GOD UNTO SALVATION TO ALL WHO BELIEVE (1:13-17). The burden that Paul has to proclaim the Gospel is well brought out here. He fe... [ Continue Reading ]
‘I am debtor both to Greeks and to Barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish.' Indeed he feels under a great burden of debt to all men. He has received such a wonderful revelation and commission from God that he recognises that it has put him under an obligation to share it with others. It is... [ Continue Reading ]
‘So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.' And it was this great burden of indebtedness that made him ready, and even eager, to proclaim the Good News to those who were at the heart of the empire in Rome. This was, however, subject to divine permission.... [ Continue Reading ]
‘For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one who believes; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.' That readiness to proclaim the Gospel was in no way diminished by the thought that Rome might mock his Good News, and see him as ridiculous. Indeed he p... [ Continue Reading ]
‘For within it is revealed a righteousness of God from faith, unto faith, as it is written, “But the righteous will live by faith.” ' We should note immediately here the co-relation between ‘salvation' and ‘the righteousness of God'. The Good News is ‘the power of God unto salvation (Romans 1:16) -... [ Continue Reading ]
THE WRATH OF GOD IS REVEALED FROM HEAVEN BECAUSE OF MAN'S UNGODLINESS AND UNRIGHTEOUSNESS (1:18-21). In stark contrast to the righteousness of God being revealed (Romans 1:17), we have the wrath of God revealed from Heaven (Romans 1:18). The point is that those who fail to respond and receive the r... [ Continue Reading ]
‘For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hinder the truth in unrighteousness,' ‘For --.' This connecting word immediately lets us know why God has revealed His salvation and His righteousness. It is because of what man had become in his u... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Because that which is known of God is manifest in them, for God manifested it to them.' God's wrath is revealed against such people because they have no real excuse for not seeing the truth. For what is known of God is manifest (made clear) in them, because God has manifested it (made it clear) in... [ Continue Reading ]
‘For the invisible things of him since the creation of the world are clearly seen, being perceived through the things which are made, even his everlasting power and divinity, that they may be without excuse,' For what makes man totally inexcusable is that ‘the things that are made' reveal to the ope... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Because that, knowing God, they glorified him not as God, nor gave thanks, but became vain in their reasonings, and their senseless heart was darkened.' Note that it was not that men did not ‘know' God. There was something within them which made them aware of Him. That is why there is so much relig... [ Continue Reading ]
MAN'S REBELLION AGAINST GOD COMES TO ITS INEVITABLE FRUITION (1:21-25). Paul now demonstrates how man's refusal to know God results in man's fall into gross sin. We have already been told about the ungodliness and unrighteousness of men in Romans 1:18. Paul now expands on that, dealing firstly with... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,' Consequently they began to associate the divine with the world around and above them and set up images of earthly things, over which they could keep control and which they could manipulate, and they did it in order that men might worship these t... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And changed the glory of the incorruptible God for the likeness of an image of corruptible man, and of birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things.' So by setting up his idols man changed the invisible glory of the God Who could not suffer corruption, something revealed for example through... [ Continue Reading ]
‘For which reason God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to uncleanness, that their bodies should be dishonoured among themselves,' And the consequence was that God gave them up, in the lusts (passionate desires for pleasure) of their hearts (minds, wills and emotions), to beastliness. They... [ Continue Reading ]
‘In that they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.' And all this happened because man by his own choice exchanged the truth of God manifest in his heart for what was only a lie, a deceit, a pretence, and... [ Continue Reading ]
‘For this reason God gave them up to vile passions, for their women changed the natural use into that which is against nature,' Thus it was as a result of idolatrous worship, and what accompanied it, that men and women were given up by God to vile passions. There is a chilling note to this. God ‘ga... [ Continue Reading ]
THE CONSEQUENCES OF KNOWING GOD BUT REFUSING TO COUNTENANCE HIM AS GOD (1:26-27). As a result of worshipping ‘suggestive' images which over-exaggerated the sexual parts, and indulging in nature worship where copulation was seen as stirring the gods into similar action, men became more and more depr... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And in the same way also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another, men with men working unseemliness, and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was due.' And in the same way men, ‘leaving the natural use of women', indulged in sex... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And even as they did not think it worthwhile to have God in their knowledge, God gave them up to an unfit mind, to do those things which are not fitting,' Not only did mankind ‘know God' but refuse to own His worth (Romans 1:21), turning instead to idols (Romans 1:23), they also considered that to... [ Continue Reading ]
THE CONSEQUENCES OF REFUSING TO HAVE GOD IN THEIR KNOWLEDGE (1:28-32). Paul now moves on from the results of ungodliness to the results of unrighteousness (compare Romans 1:18). Men refused to have God in their knowledge. They ‘did not want to know' because they did not want to submit to His demand... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Being filled with all unrighteousness: wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malignity, whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, without understanding, breakers of agreements, witho... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Who, knowing the ordinance of God, that they who practise such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but also consent with those who practise them.' Paul then draws out that man's sinfulness has indeed reached such a state that men not only do such things but also consent to them as a... [ Continue Reading ]