BIBLE STUDY MANUALS: ROMANS CHAPTER ONE

ROMANS CHAPTER ONE

CORROBORATION AND FURTHER COMMENTARY

I) INTRODUCTION

A) [Ro 1:1]:

(v. 1) "Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God"

1) PAUL IDENTIFIES HIMSELF AS A SERVANT OF JESUS CHRIST, CALLED TO BE AN APOSTLE SET APART FOR THE GOSPEL OF GOD

[Bible Knowledge Commentary, Walvoord & Zuck, Eds., Victor Books, USA, 1988, NT, p. 440]:

"Paul identified himself first as a servant of Christ Jesus. 'Servant' (doulos) means slave, a person owned by another. Paul wore this title gladly (Gal. 1:10; Titus 1:1), reveling in the Old Testament picture of a slave who in love binds himself to his master for life (Ex. 21:2-6).

Paul also identified himself as an apostle - one sent with delegated authority (cf. Matt. 10:1-2) - a position to which he was called. (Lit., the Gr. is, 'a called apostle.') This calling was from God (Acts 9:15; Gal 1:1), though it was acknowledged by men (Gal 2:7-9). It involved being set apart (from aphorizO; cf. Acts 13:2) for the gospel of God, the message of good news from God that centered on 'His Son' (Rom 1:2, 9) which Paul was 'eager to preach' (v. 15) without shame (v. 16). This setting apart did not keep Paul from making tents to support himself and his companions (Acts 20:34; 1 Thes 2:9; 2 Thes 3:8) nor from mingling freely with all levels of pagan society. It was a setting apart to something - a commitment and dedication, not from things in isolation like the Pharisees. (Interestingly the word 'Pharisee' means 'separated one' in the sense of being isolated and segregated.)

B) Ro 1:1-4]:

(v. 1) "Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God--

(v. 2) the gospel He promised beforehand through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures

(v. 3) regarding his Son, who as to his human nature was a descendant of David,

(v. 4) and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord."

1) PAUL REFERS TO THE PROMISES BY THE PROPHETS OF OLD TESTAMENT SCRIPTURE

Since the New Testament was not yet completed and Paul frequently referred to the Old Testament, we can determine that Paul was referring to the prophets as reflected in the Old Testament who promised beforehand the gospel of God to come.

[BKC, cont.]:

"The phrase Holy Scriptures refers obviously to the Old Testament and occurs only here in the New Testament (2 Tim 3:15 used different Gr. words for 'holy' and 'Scriptures').

2) PAUL REFERS TO THE PROMISES BY OLD TESTAMENT PROPHETS OF THE GOSPEL OF GOD FULFILLED IN THE SON OF GOD

a) [Compare Isa 53:1-12]:

(v. 1) Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?

(v. 2) He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to Him, nothing in His appearance that we should desire Him.

(v. 3) He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces He was despised, and we esteemed Him not.

(v. 4) Surely He took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered Him stricken by God, smitten by Him, and afflicted.

(v. 5) But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed.

(v. 6) We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to His own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

(v. 7) He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth; He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so He did not open His mouth.

(v. 8) By oppression and judgment He was taken away. And who can speak of His descendants? For He was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people He was stricken.

(v. 9) He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in His death, though He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth.

(v. 10) Yet it was the LORD's will to crush Him and cause Him to suffer, and though the LORD makes His life a guilt offering, He will see His offspring and prolong His days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in His hand.

(v. 11) After the suffering of His soul, He will see the light of life and be satisfied; by His knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and He will bear their iniquities.

(v. 12) Therefore I will give Him a portion among the great, and He will divide the spoils with the strong, because He poured out His life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors."

b) [Compare Acts 10:43]:

"All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name."

[BKC, cont.]:

"Paul did not quote any prophets where the gospel was promised, but Philip's use of Isaiah 53:7-8 with the Ethiopian eunuch is a good example (Acts 8:30-35; cf. Luke 24:25-27, 45-47).

God's good news concerns His Son, identified as Jesus Christ our Lord. This asserts Christ's deity as basic to His person and prior to His Incarnation, since His identification with David's line 'came to be,' a literal rendering of the participle genomenou, translated was. He was genuinely human too, as His tie with David and His resurrection from the dead show. That resurrection declared Him to be the Son of God because it validated His claims to deity and His predictions that He would rise from the dead (John 2:18-22; Matt 16:21). This declaration was made through (lit., 'in accord with') the Spirit of holiness.This is the Holy Spirit, and not, as some have suggested, Christ's human spirit."

C) [Ro 1:5-7]:

(v. 5) "Through him and for his name's sake, we received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith.

(v. 6) And you also are among those who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.

(v. 7) To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ."

1) PAUL'S DUTY AS AN APOSTLE IS TO CALL PEOPLE FROM AMONG GENTILES TO THE OBEDIENCE THAT COMES FROM FAITH

"Through him and for his name's sake, we received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith." =

Paul's duty is to call people from among the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith, i.e., to call people from among the Gentiles to do those things which are motivated by one's faith. What is specifically meant here will be elaborated on as the book of Romans progresses. This is a general statement, not intended to provide anything more than the fact that one is called to believe and then obey out of that faith. What to believe in and what to obey is not specifically elaborated upon here, nor the results of compliance. As the book of Romans proceeds, there will be passages which will elaborate on what one is to believe, the results of that believing and what one is to do as one is motivated by their faith.

2) THE BELIEVERS IN ROME ARE AMONG THOSE GENTILES WHO ARE CALLED TO BELONG TO JESUS CHRIST - PAUL EXPRESSES THAT THEY HAVE THE GRACE AND PEACE FROM GOD THE FATHER AND THE LORD JESUS CHRIST

(v. 6) "And you also are among those who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.

(v. 7) To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ." =

[BKC, NT, cont.]:

"Paul's ministry from Jesus was among all the Gentiles, which included the Romans, whom Paul addressed not as a church but as individual believers. Paul was the human agent (from and for Christ he received grace and apostleship, i.e., 'the grace of apostleship'; cf. 12:3; 15:15) but the calling (God's summons to salvation; cf. 8:28, 30) came from the Lord and set his readers apart as 'saints.' Obedience and faith are often linked (cf. 15:18; 16:26; also cf. 1 Peter 1:2). Just as Paul was a 'called' apostle, so the believers in Rome were called to belong to Jesus Christ (lit., 'called of Jesus Christ') and called to be saints (lit., 'called saints').

Paul's salutation like that in all his epistles, expressed the desire that they enjoy God's grace and peace."

II) PAUL GIVES HIS REASON FOR WRITING THE BELIEVERS IN ROME - TO COME AND PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THEM

A) [Ro 1:8-15]:

(v. 8) "First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world.

(v. 9) God, whom I serve with my whole heart in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you

(v. 10) 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.

(v. 11) I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong--

(v. 12) that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith.

(v. 13) I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, 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.

(v. 14) I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish.

(v. 15) That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are at Rome."

[BKC, NT, cont., pp. 440-441]:

"Paul made a practice of beginning his letters with a word of thanks to God, a specific prayer, and a personal message to the recipients. For the Romans he rejoiced that news of their faith had spread all over the world, a hyperbole meaning throughout the Roman Empire. His constant intercession for them (vv. 9-10) had the new note of petition for his projected visit, a heart-desire of long standing that finally was definitely on Paul's agenda (v. 10; cf. 15:23-24). This visit would be mutually beneficial spiritually; he desired to minister for three purposes: (a) to the strengthening of the Romans (1:11; to impart ...some spiritual gift means either to exercise his own spiritual gift on their behalf or to bestow on them spiritual favors, i.e., blessings); (b) to see some spiritual fruit (a harvest, v. 13) among them and, in turn, (c) to be strengthened by them (v. 12). In this sense Paul's ministry at Rome would be the same as in other centers of the empire.

As a result of his 'apostleship' (v. 5) to the Gentiles Paul felt obligated (lit., 'I am a debtor') to the entire human race to proclaim God's good news (vv. 14-15). The word translated non-Greeks is literally, 'barbarians,' all other human beings from the viewpoint of the Greeks (cf. Co. 3:11). Parallel to it is the word foolish (anoEtois; cf. Titus 3:3) in the next couplet, which has the significance of uncultured. Paul's sense of debt to the Gentile world produced an eagerness (I am so eager, Rom 1:15) to evangelize it, including Rome, capital of the empire."

III) THE GOSPEL EXPLAINED

A) [Ro 1:16]:

"I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile."

1) "FOR" POINTS ABOUT THE GOSPEL ABOUT WHICH PAUL IS NOT ASHAMED

[William R. Newell, Romans, Kregel Classics, Grand Rapids, Mich., 1994, p. 18]:

"Here we have the text of the whole Epistle of Romans: First, the words 'the gospel' - so dear to Paul, as will appear. Next the universal saving power of this gospel is asserted. Then, the secret of the gospel's power - the revelation of God's righteousness on the principle of faith. Finally, the accord of all this with the Old Testament Scriptures: 'The righeous shall live by faith."

It will assist our study to notice at once the four 'For' s in the apostle's argument:

(v. 16a) "For I am not ashamed of the gospel,

(v. 16b) "For it is the power of God unto salvation,

(v. 17a) "For a righeousness of God is revealed in it

and the 'for' of the next verse, which makes this gospel necessary:

(v. 18a) "For the wrath of God is reveqaled against all ungodliness, and unrighteousness of men."

A cont.) [Ro 1:16 cont.]:

"I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile."

2) THE GOSPEL IS THE POWER OF GOD UNTO SALVATION = THE POWER UNTO SALVATION RESIDES IN WHAT GOD HAD DONE THROUGH HIS SON IN HISTORY AT CALVARY

"because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes" =

The gospel is the power of God in the sense that it is actually the historical event of Jesus Christ paying the penalty for the sins of the whole world which was indeed accomplished by the power of God.

a) [Compare 1 Jn 2:2]:

"He [Christ] is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world."

b) [Isa 53:4-6]:

(v. 4) "Surely He took up our infirmities and carries our sorrows, yet we considered Him stricken by God, smitten by Him, and afflicted.

(v. 5) But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed.

(v. 6) We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all."

So the gospel is the power of God unto salvation such that anyone who accepts as true the historicity, i.e., the truth of the event of our Lord dying at Calvary in payment for the sins of the whole world turns on the power of God toward himself and he is saved.

Just as the power cord of a 3/8" variable speed Black and Decker drill may be connected to an electric outlet so that all one has to do is to depress the trigger,

so the power of God unto salvation is connected to the historical event of our Lord paying the price for our sins at Calvary and all one needs to do to tap into the power and be saved is to depress the trigger of faith in the truth of that event and one is saved - but unlike the power of the drill, the power of God unto salvation is forever from the moment one believes, (Eph 1:13-14).

c) [Compare 1 Jn 5:9-13]:

(v. 9) "We accept man's testimony, but God's testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God, which he has given about his Son.

(v. 10) Anyone who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his heart. Anyone who does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because he has not believed the testimony God has given about his Son.

(v. 11) And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

(v. 12) He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.

(v. 13) I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life."

3) SO ONE BENEFITS FROM THE SAVING POWER OF GOD BY SIMPLY BELIEVING IN THE GOSPEL

The gospel is presented here as the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes. Notice that whoever believes the gospel - which content is not specifically enumerated here - has salvation unto eternal life. Nothing else being stipulated, we have what a man must do to be saved unto eternal life: to believe that the gospel is true. The content of the gospel will be elaborated upon as the book of Romans progresses. Sanctification is not in view in this passage relative to the life begun after one is saved as only the requirement of a moment of faith is stipulated and works are a requirement for the believer in his daily walk with God, (Eph 2:10).

[BKC, NT, cont., p. 441]:

"Paul's eagerness to evangelize sprang also from his estimate of his message, the gospel. (This is the fourth of five times Paul used the word 'gospel' in these opening verses: vv. 1, 9, 15-17.) Many consider this the theme of the letter, which it is in one sense. At least Paul gladly proclaimed it as God's panacea for mankind's spiritual need. He identified it as the infinite resources (dynamis, 'spiritual ability') of God applied toward the goal of salvation in the life of everyone who believes regardless of racial background.

A cont.) [Ro 1:16 cont.]:

"I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile."

4) TO THE JEW FIRST AND THEN THE GENTILE WAS THE OFFER OF THE GOSPEL MADE

"first for the Jew, then for the Gentile" =

[BKC, NT, cont., p. 441]:

"He recognized, however, a priority for the Jew expressed in the word first, which has sufficient textual support here and is unquestioned in 2:9-10.

Because the Jews were God's Chosen People (11:1), the custodians of God's revelation (3:2), and the people through whom Christ came (9:5), they have a preference of privilege expressed historically in a chronological priority. As the Lord Jesus stated it, 'Salvation is from the Jews' (John 4:22). In Paul's ministry he sought out the Jews first in every new city (Acts 13:5, 14; 14:1; 17:2, 10, 17; 18:4, 19; 19:8). Three times he responded to their rejection of his message by turning to the Gentiles (Acts 13:46; 18:6; 28:25-28...). Today evangelism of the world must include the Jews, but the priority of the Jews has been fulfilled."

[Everett F. Harrison, The Expositors Bible Commentary, NIV, Vol 10, Zondervan Pub., Grand Rapids, Mich. 1976, p. 19]:

"Salvation is a broad concept. It includes the forgiveness of sins, but involves much more, because its basic meaning is soundness or wholeness. It promises the restoration of all that sin has marred or destroyed. It is the general term that unites in itself the particular aspects of truth suggested by justification, reconciliation, sanctification, and redemption. But its efficacy depends on man's willingness to receive the message. 'Everyone who believes' will benefit equally. This sweeping declaration ties in with the previous statement (concerning Greeks and non-Greeks) and now includes both the Jew and the Gentile. The Jew receives 'first' consideration. This does not mean that every Jew must be evangelized before the gospel can be presented to Gentiles. But it does mean that God, after having dealt in a special way with the Jew in OT days and having followed this by sending His Son to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, could not pass by this people. To them was given the first opportunity to receive the Lord Jesus, both during His ministry (John 1:11) and in the Christian era (Acts 1:8; 3:26). Paul himself followed this pattern (Acts 13:45, 46; 28:25, 28). It is a case of historical priority, not essential priority, for the Jew who is first to hear the gospel is also the first to be judged for his sins (2:9)."

[Newell, p. 21]:

"To the Jew first and also to the Greek - The Jew had the Law. They had the temple, with its divinely prescribed worship. Heretofore, if a Gentile were to be saved, let him become a proselyte and come to Jerusalem to worship as did the Ethiopian eunuch. Christ came 'to His own things' (John 1:11), to Jerusalem, to His Father's house (literally 'the things of My Father'). The apostles were to be witness - beginning from Jerusalem (Luke 24:47). The Holy Spirit fell upon the hundred and twenty at Jerusalem. Upon the persecution that arose in Jerusalem from Stephen, the disciples 'were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles,' but Jerusalem was the gospel's first center, then Antioch in Syria, whence Paul and Barnabas, afterwards Paul and Silas, went forth. Afterwards, the center of God's operations was Ephesus, the capital of proconsular Asia, where after being rejected by the Jews in many cities, Paul separates the disicples, and all distinction between Jew and Greek in the assemblies of the saints is gone. Then he goes to Jerusalem to be finally and officially rejected - killed, if it were possible. God waits two years at Caesarea for Jewish repentance: there is none, but the direct opposite. Then the apostle, having been driven into the hands of the Romans by the Jews goes to Rome, the world's center, only to have the Jews reject his teaching (Acts 28). Thereupon it is announced: 'Be it known therefore unto you, that this salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles: they will also hear.'

Therefore, in expressing to the Jew first, Paul is not at all prescribing an order of presentation of the gospel throughout this dispensation. He is simply recognizing the fact that to the Jew, who had the Law and Divine privileges, the gospel offer had first been presented, and then to the Gentile. As Paul says in Ephesians 'And He came and preached peace to you that were far of [the Gentile], and peace to them that were nigh [the Jews]' (Eph 2:17). We might just as sensibly claim that Ephesians 2:17 gives Gentiles priority because they are mentioned first - 'you that were afar' over the Jews who were mentioned last, - 'them that were night.'

To claim that the gospel must be preached first to the Jew throughout this dispensation, is utterly to deny God's Word that there is now no distinction between Jew and Greek either as to the fact of sin (Rom 3:22) or the availability of salvation (Rom 10:12). Paul's words in Galatians 4:12 are wholly meaningless if the Jews still have a special place.

The meaning of the word 'first' (prOton) is seen in verse 8 of our chapter: 'First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all.' That is, thanksgiving to God was the first thing Paul wrote to the Romans in this Epistle. Then he proceeds to other things. It is an order of sequence; just as the gospel came 'first' to the Jew and then to the Greek, and now, since the 'no difference' fact, is proclaimed to all indiscriminately, Jews and Greeks."

B) [Ro 1:16-17]:

(v. 16) "I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.

(v. 17) For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, [lit., 'out of faith unto faith'] just as it is written: 'The righteous will live by faith.' "

1) FOR GOD'S RIGHTEOUSNESS IS REVEALED IN THE GOSPEL WHEN ONE BELIEVES IN IT

"For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed" =

[Newell, op. cit., p. 23-24]:

"The 'For' of verse 17, For God's righteousness therein is revealed - in the gospel - is also a logical setting forth of the reason why the good news concerning Christ's death, burial, and resurrection is the power of God unto salvation. And this verse is the essence of the text of the whole Epistle: 'Therein God's righteousness is revealed.'

God could have come forth in righteousness and smitten with doom the whole Adamic race. He would have been acting in accordance with His holiness: it would have been 'the righteousness of God' unto judgment, and would have been just.

But God, Who is love, though infinitely holy and sin-hating, has chosen to act toward us in righteousness, in a manner wherein all His holy and righteous claims against the sinner have been satisfied upon a Substitute, His own Son. Therefore, in this good news... there is revealed, now openly for the first time, God's righteousness on the principle of faith. We simply hear and believe: and, as we shall find, God reckons us righteous; our guilt having been put away by the blood of Christ forever, and we ourselves declared to be the righteousness of God in Him!"

2) INHERENT IN BELIEVING THE GOSPEL IS THE GIFT OF GOD'S ABSOLUTE RIGHTEOUSNESS

Notice that the message of the gospel which has not yet been completely stipulated, but will be as the book of Romans proceeds, has inherent in it a righteousness from God which is received by faith, i.e., one receives from God His righteousness when one expresses a moment of faith in the content of the gospel.

a) [Compare Phil 3:8-9]:

(v. 8) "What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ

(v. 9) and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ--the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith."

b) [2 Cor 5:21]:

"God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God."

[BKC, NT, cont., p. 441]:

"The theme of the letter is expressed in the phrase a righteousness from God is revealed. The subjective genitive (lit., 'of God') identifies this as a righteousness that God provides for people on the basis of and in response to faith in the gospel (cf. 3:22). (NIV's by faith from first to last renders the Gr. ek pisteOs eis pistin, lit. 'out of faith in reference to faith.') Such a righteousness is totally unachievable by human efforts. This righteousness is not God's personal attribute; however, since it comes 'from God,' it is consistent with His nature and standard. Robertson happily calls it 'a God kind of righteousness' (A.T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament. Nashville: Broadman Press, 1943, 4:327)...

[Hence it is an absolute kind of righteousness - sinless and perfect because God is sinless and perfect]

In response to faith this righteousness is imputed by God in justification... 'Righteousness' and 'justify,' though seemingly unrelated in English, are related in Greek. 'Righteousness' is dikaiosynE, and 'justify' is dikailO. Paul used the noun many times in his epistles, including 28 times in Romans (1:17; 3:21-22, 25-26; 4:3, 5-6, 9, 11, 13, 22; 5:17, 21; 6:13, 16, 18-20; 8:10; 9:30; 10:3-6 [twice in v. 3], 10; 14:17). And Paul used the Greek verb 15 times in Romans (2:13; 3:4, 20, 24, 26, 28, 30; 4:2, 5: 5:1, 9; 6:7; 8:30 [twice], 33). To justify a person is to declare him forensically (legally) righteous.

[Which then qualifies him to have eternal life - for he has been declared to have the righteousness of God, to be just as good as God is]

'Declared righteous' is the way the NIV translates dikaioO in 2:13 and 3:20 and 'freed' is the NIV's rendering in 6:7.

Paul's closing words in 1:17, The righteous will live by faith, are a quotation from Habakkuk 2:4, also quoted in Galatians 3:11 and Hebrews 10:38. As a result of faith (cf. 'believes' in Rom 1:16) in Christ, a person is declared 'righteous' (cf. 3:22) and is given eternal life. What a marvelous work of God!"

3) GOD'S RIGHTEOUSNESS IS OUT OF FAITH UNTO FAITH

"a righteousness that is by faith from first to last [lit., 'out of faith unto faith']" =

"ek ......pisteOs eis ...................................pistin" =

"out of faith .....with a view to, i.e, unto faith" =

"out of faith [rather than works] unto [those who have] faith."

[Newell, op. cit., p. 23]:

"It was on the principle of faith by means of a message [of the gospel], and those exercising faith in the message would be reckoned righteous, - apart from all 'merit' or 'works' whatever. This is the meaning of 'from faith unto faith' - literally, out of faith [rather than works] unto [those who have] faith."

4) THE RIGHTEOUS WILL LIVE BY FAITH

As a result of a moment of believing in the gospel one is declared "the righteous will live by faith" which in this particular verse implies not mortal life, (which is in view in other passages), but eternal life - for the righteous and unrighteous have mortal lives which begin and end regardless of their own lifestyle, be it moral or immoral.

a) [Compare Gen 15:5-6]:

(v. 5) He [God] took him [Abram] outside and said, 'Look up at the heavens and count the stars--if indeed you can count them.' Then He said to him, 'So shall your offspring be.'

[In other words, you will live forever in order to experience God's promise of uncountable offspring]

(v. 6) Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness."

So Abram was accounted as righteous when he believed in God's promise of eternal life.

This is reiterated with more detail in chapter 3 of Romans:

b) [Ro 3:21-24]:

(v. 21) "But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify.

(v. 22) This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference,

(v. 23) for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

(v. 24) and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus."

[Expositors, p. 20]:

"It remains to treat the quotation from another standpoint - the order of the words. Is it 'The righteous shall live by faith' or 'The one who is just by virtue of faith shall live'? Since the apostle quotes the same passage in Galatians 3:11 to show that one is not justified by law but rather by faith, it is probable that he intends the reference in the same way here. Since the quotation is used in Romans at the very beginning, where he confronts the problem of man's getting right with God, the wording that fits most closely the movement of thought should be chosen. At this point Paul is not concerned with how the justified man lives, but how the sinner can be considered just (righteous) in the sight of God. Righteousness as a matter of ethical conduct is reserved for later treatment (chs. 6-8). Ethical righteousness depends on right relation to God, so the latter merits priority of treatment."

IV) ALL MANKIND IS UNRIGHTEOUS AND UNDER GOD'S WRATH

A) [Ro 1:17-18]:

(v. 17) "For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith."

(v. 18) The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness"

1) THE WRATH OF GOD IS BEING REVEALED AGAINST ALL MEN WHO SUPPRESS THE TRUTH OF GOD

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

Individuals who are constantly suppressing the truth by their wickedness; especially in view is the wickedness of man's deliberate denial of the truth of what may be known about God, (vv. 19-20) - (and this passage from 1:18 to 3:20 indicates all individuals do this), these individuals are under the wrath of God which is constantly being revealed. As later verses unfold, the specifics of God's wrath will be stipulated. Notice that what is in view here begins with verse 17 which indicates that a righteousness from God is revealed which is by faith in His Son. This truth that righteousness comes only through faith in God's Son is evidently suppressed by men and that places them under God's wrath which is being revealed.

[BKC, NT, p. 442]:

"1:18. This verse serves as a topic sentence for this entire section. In addition, it stands in contrastive parallel to verse 17. The continuing revelation (the verb is being revealed is in the pres. tense) of the wrath of God is an expression of His personal righteousness (which also 'is being revealed,' Gr., v. 17) and its opposition to human sinfulness. Therefore people need the continuing revelation of 'a righteousness from God" (v. 17) that He provides. God's wrath is directed against all godlessness (asebeian, 'lack of proper reverence for God') and wickedness (akikian,'unrighteousness') of men, not against the men as such. (God's wrath will also be revealed in the future; cf. 2:5) God hates sin and judges it, but loves sinners and desires their salvation.

Failure to give God His due inevitably results in failure to treat people, created by God in His image, the right way. Conversely, people (in their unrighteousness toward others) continue to suppress (katechontOn, lit., 'holding down') the truth (cf. 1:25; 2:8) concerning both God and man. People had God's truth but suppressed it, refusing to heed it. And these wicked ones did this in an attitude of wickedness (en adikia). This suppression of the truth is Paul's first reason for God's condemnation of the pagan world."

B) [Ro 18-20]:

(v. 18) "The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness,

(v. 19) since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.

(v. 20) For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities - His eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse."

1) MEN WHO SUPPRESS THE TRUTH HAVE NO EXCUSE SINCE WHAT MAY BE KNOWN ABOUT GOD IS PLAIN TO THEM

(v. 19) "since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.

[BKC, NT, p. 442]:

"These verses declare that knowledge concerning God is available to all. This knowledge is called natural revelation because it is seen in the created world, is accessible to the entire human race, and is not soteriological, dealing with salvation effected by Christ.

1:19. Paul called this knowledge plain (phaneron), which means visible or clear. This is true because God has made it plain (ephanerOsen, the verb related to the noun phaneron).

Some scholars translate the phrase to them as 'in them,' insisting that verse 19 is speaking of the knowledge of God within the being of man through conscience and religious consciousness. Preferable is the position that verse 19 states the fact of natural revelation and verse 20 explains the process. One support for this view is the word 'for' which begins verse 20 and indicates a tie between the verses."

2) GOD'S ETERNAL POWER AND DIVINE NATURE ARE CLEARLY SEEN AND UNDERSTOOD THROUGH HIS CREATION SO MEN ARE WITHOUT EXCUSE

"For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities - His eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse." =

[Compare Ps 19:1-6]:

(v. 1) "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

(v. 2) Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge.

(v. 3) There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard.

(v. 4) Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun,

(v. 5) which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion, like a champion rejoicing to run his course.

(v. 6) It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is hidden from its heat."

[BKC, NT, p. 442]:

"1:20 'What may be known about God' (v. 19) is now called God's invisible qualities and identified as His eternal power and divine nature. Since 'God is spirit' (John 4:24), all His qualities are invisible to physical eyes and can be understood by the human mind only as they are reflected in what has been made, that is, in God's creative work. The self-existent God, however, is the Creator of all things, and therefore since the Creation of the world His 'invisible qualities' have been clearly seen. Paul may have intended a play on words between the noun translated 'invisible qualities' (aorata) and the verb translated 'clearly seen' (kathoratai) because they share a common Greek root. Both the verb 'clearly seen' and the participle 'being understood' are in the present tense, which emphasizes the continuous nature of the action. The word theiotEs, translated 'divine nature, ' occurs only here in the New Testament and embraces the properties which make God God. Creation, which people see, reveals God's unseen character - the all-powerful Deity. An Old Testament parallel to these verses is Psalm 19:1-6.

Paul's conclusion to this description of natural revelation is important - men are without excuse. The witness to God in nature is so clear and so constant that ignoring it is indefensible. Their condemnation is based not on their rejecting Christ of whom they have not heard but on their sinning against the light they have."

C) [Ro 1:21]:

"For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened."

1) MAN HAS BEEN GIVEN THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD BY GOD HIMSELF

[Compare Ro 1:19-20]:

(v. 19) "Since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.

(v. 21) For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened."

2) MAN HAS BEEN GIVEN THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD BUT MAN NEITHER GLORIFIES GOD NOR GIVES THANKS TO HIM - MAN'S THINKING THUS HAS BECOME FUTILE AND HIS HEART HAS BECOME DARKENED

a) [Compare Jn 1:19-20]:

(v. 19) This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.

(v. 20) Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed."

b) [Compare Eph 4:17-19]:

(v. 17) "So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking.

(v. 18) They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts.

(v. 19) Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more."

[BKC, NT, p. 442-3]:

"1:21. This reason for God's condemnation of the pagan world builds on the preceding one just as that one built on the first. The relationship is seen in the use of the same Greek connective (dioti [='For']) at the beginning of verses 19 and 21, in the latter translated for. People's suppression of the truth in their rejecting the clear evidence of God as the sovereign Creator and their perversion of that knowledge into idolatry.

The clause although they knew God refers to an original experiential knowledge of God such as Adam and Eve had both before and after the Fall. How long this knowledge of God continued before it was perverted is not stated, but God was known by people. This fact makes human actions all the more reprehensible. One would suppose that to know God would be to honor Him, but these people neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him. They turned from the very purpose for which God made them: to glorify Him for His person and thank Him for His works. With such willful rebellion against God it is little wonder that their thinking became futile (emataiOtheEsan, lit., 'became worthless, purposeless;' cf. Eph 4:17) and their foolish (asynetos, 'morally senseless'; cf. Rom 1:31) hearts were darkened (cr. Eph 4:18). When truth is rejected, in time the ability to recognize and to receive truth is impaired (cf. John 3:19-20)."

D) [Ro 1:22-23]:

(v. 22) "Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools

(v. 23) and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles."

1) MAN CLAIMS TO BE WISE, YET BECOMES A FOOL AS HE EXCHANGES THE GLORY OF GOD FOR THE WORSHIP OF IDOLS

"Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles." =

a) [Compare Isa 44:9-20]:

(v. 9) "All who make idols are nothing, and the things they treasure are worthless. Those who would speak up for them are blind; they are ignorant, to their own shame.

(v. 10) Who shapes a god and casts an idol, which can profit him nothing?

(v. 11) He and his kind will be put to shame; craftsmen are nothing but men. Let them all come together and take their stand; they will be brought down to terror and infamy.

(v. 12) The blacksmith takes a tool and works with it in the coals; he shapes an idol with hammers, he forges it with the might of his arm. He gets hungry and loses his strength; he drinks no water and grows faint.

(v. 13) The carpenter measures with a line and makes an outline with a marker; he roughs it out with chisels and marks it with compasses. He shapes it in the form of man, of man in all his glory, that it may dwell in a shrine.

(v. 14) He cut down cedars, or perhaps took a cypress or oak. He let it grow among the trees of the forest, or planted a pine, and the rain made it grow.

(v. 15) It is man's fuel for burning; some of it he takes and warms himself, he kindles a fire and bakes bread. But he also fashions a god and worships it; he makes an idol and bows down to it.

(v. 16) Half of the wood he burns in the fire; over it he prepares his meal, he roasts his meat and eats his fill. He also warms himself and says, "Ah! I am warm; I see the fire.'

(v. 17) From the rest he makes a god, his idol; he bows down to it and worships. He prays to it and says, 'Save me; you are my god.'

(v. 18) They know nothing, they understand nothing; their eyes are plastered over so they cannot see, and their minds closed so they cannot understand.

(v. 19) No one stops to think, no one has the knowledge or understanding to say, 'Half of it I used for fuel; I even baked bread over its coals, I roasted meat and I ate. Shall I make a detestable thing from what is left? Shall I bow down to a block of wood?'

(v. 20) He feeds on ashes, a deluded heart misleads him; he cannot save himself, or say, 'Is not this thing in my right hand a lie?' "

[BKC, NT, p. 443]:

"When the true Source of wisdom is rejected (cf. Ps 111:10), people's claim to be wise is an idle boast. Progressively they became fools (emOranthEsan, lit., 'became stupid'), a reality demonstrated by the worship as gods of idols in the forms of people and animals (cf. Rom 1:25). The ultimated irony in humanity's refusal to glorify the true God is the insanity or stupidity of idolatry described in Isaiah 44:9-20. Man's refusal to acknowledge and glorify God leads to a downward path: first, worthless thinking; next, moral insensitivity; and then, religious stupidity (seen in idol-worship)."

E) [Ro 1:24-25]:

(v. 24) "Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another.

(v. 25) They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshipped and served created things rather than the Creator--who is forever praised. Amen."

1) GOD GAVE UNRIGHTEOUS MEN OVER TO SEXUAL IMPURITY FOR THEY EXCHANGED THE TRUTH OF GOD FOR A LIE AND WORSHIPPED THE CREATED RATHER THAN THE CREATOR

[BKC, NT, p. 443]:

"In a real sense the results of God's condemnation on rebellious humanity are nothing more than the natural consequences of suppressing truth, ignoring revelation, and perverting God's glory. However, God did more than simply let nature take its course. God acted to abandon (the thrice mentioned 'gave them over' [vv. 24, 26, 28] is paredOken, 'abandoned') people to expressions of a corrupt lifestyle that deserved God's wrath and the sentence of death (v. 32). 1:24. One aspect of mankind's corruption (to which God actively let people go) was sexual profligacy. The frequence of live-in lovers, wife-swapping, and group sex parties today only confirms this result of God's abandonment. Sex within marriage is a holy gift from God, but otherwise sex is impurity (lit.,, 'uncleanness') and degrading of… bodies by using them contrary to God's intent.

1:25. In a sense this verse repeats the truth of verse 23, but it expresses more. The truth of God is not only the truth concerning God but also God's truth concerning all things, including mankind. This truth is that people are creatures of God and can find true fulfillment only in worshiping and obediently serving God the Creator. A lie (lit., 'the lie') on the other hand says that the creature - angelic (Isa 14:13-14; John 8:44) or human (Gen 3:4-5) - can exist independent of God, self-sufficient, self-directing, and self-fulfilling. Mankind made himself his god in place of the true God. Because God the Creator is forever praised (in contrast with creatures who are undeserving of worship), Paul added Amen. This word transliterates in both Greek and English the Hebrew word meaning 'so let it be.' As an affirmation, not a wish, it places approval on what has just been said.