Hi folks,
Just a couple of notes before we get into Romans. First, I will be using the King James Bible. (If you are curious why, I’ll be glad to tell you.) Please have your Bible out to look up references so I won’t have to print them. That way folks who are not so curious, do not have to read all the verses to get the idea, and those who want to can read before and after the verses too. I will try to keep this simple enough for the beginners in our group, but with enough verses for those of you who want more. I will need all the feed back you can give me. Please question anything I say that you disagree with or do not understand or that I do not cover. I’ll pass these your thoughts along to the others if you like. And tell me your ideas on how to make it more fun and more clear. We can change and improve our format as we go. Most of all, let’s realize that the Bible is God’s word, it is truth, and make it our final authority instead of our own ideas or traditions. Let’s learn directly from God!
Romans 1:1-7
1:1 Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,
2(Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,)
3 Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh;
4 And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:
5 By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name:
6 Among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ:
7 To 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.
The introductions of Bible books are very important. They often tell who is writing and to whom. For example, in contrast to Romans, see to whom James writes in James 1:1.
(Vs 1) Who wrote Romans?
II Thessalonians 3:17
tells us that Paul signed all his letters at the beginning so it is easy to tell which books he wrote.(Vs 1-3) The gospel of God was first promised in Gen 3:15 right after Adam and Eve sinned. Much more information was added by the prophets as time progressed. See Isaiah 9:6,7 and Ps 89:20-37 about the King coming from the seed of David, and Matthew 1:1-16 showing Jesus’ genealogy. Some passages indicated that the Messiah would die, like Isaiah 53 and Psalms 22, but the significance of His death was not understood. To illustrate this, look up Matthew 16:21-22. Did Peter know about Christ’s coming death?
The significance of the cross is not fully explained until here in Romans which was not written until about the time of Acts 20. So Romans is a very important book.
(Vs 4) Jesus was the son of David according to the flesh, which entitled Him to rule Israel’s earthly kingdom, Jer 23:5-8. But He is also the son of God, as proven by His resurrection from the dead, which entitles Him to rule earth and heaven. Since the "the wages of sin is death", (Romans 6:23), and Jesus had no sin,(II Cor 5:21), He had power over death.
(Vs 5) Who made Paul an apostle?
Look up Ephesians 3:1-6 for the answers to the following questions.
From where did Paul get his message?
Did the 12 disciples or anyone before Paul know about it?
In Romans Jesus, through Paul, has a message for "all nations" equally. Was this true back in the time of Matthew 15:22-24?
A Gentile is anyone who is not a Jew, and Paul is the only "apostle of the Gentiles" in the Bible. See Romans 11:13. Rome was the capital of the Gentile nations in his time.
(vs 6-8) Does Paul write to saved or unsaved people among the Gentile nations?
(Vs 7) What specifically is God’s attitude toward those who believe His word? What does He call us?
Review from last letter: What are the four parts into which Romans can be divided, and what is each part about? This really helped my over-all understanding of Romans, and I recommend keeping it in mind. Do I need to send it again?
Next study we’ll get right into Romans 1. Remember to give me your thoughts, questions and suggestions.
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