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 ]