Romans 1:1-32

Paul’s letter to the *Romans

Romans

Hilda Bright and Keith Simons

About Paul’s letter to the *Romans

About the first Christians in Rome

Rome was the most important city in the world at the time of Paul. It had a vast army. That army controlled all the countries that surround the Mediterranean Sea. So the rulers of Rome were extremely powerful and wealthy. They employed many people. Many slaves had to work in Rome. And Rome was also an important city for trade.

Paul had not visited Rome at the time when he wrote this letter. Paul wrote most of his letters to churches that he himself had established. But the church at Rome was different. There were already many Christians in Rome long before Paul arrived there.

The Bible and other ancient records help us to understand the history of this important church:

1. About 30 *A.D.. The first Christian church began in Jerusalem, on the day called *Pentecost. On that day, Peter *preached to many visitors to Jerusalem. Among them were ‘visitors from Rome, both *Jews and *Gentiles who believed the *Jewish religion’. Some of these were probably among the 3000 that became Christians (Acts 2:9-11; Acts 2:41). They carried the *gospel to Rome.

2. 49 *A.D.. The *Emperor Claudius ordered *Jews to leave Rome. There had been some trouble among the *Jews. A *Roman called Suetonius wrote that someone called ‘Chrestus’ had caused the trouble. Chrestus may have been a *Jew who caused the trouble. But ‘Chrestus’ may be the same as ‘Christus’ (that is, *Christ). *Jews opposed those who *preached the message about *Christ. So the trouble might have begun at that time.

3. Aquila and Priscilla from Rome were probably Christians before they met Paul in Corinth (Acts 18:1-3). Later they probably returned to Rome, after they worked in Corinth and Ephesus. Christians used to gather in their home (Romans 16:3-5).

4. 57 *A.D.. Paul probably wrote this letter about 57 *A.D.. He had not yet visited Rome. But he knew many people in the church at Rome. Many *Gentile as well as *Jewish Christians were already members of the church there. In his letter, Paul says that *Gentile Christians must not consider themselves more important than the *Jewish Christian *brothers (Romans 11:18-20).

5. 60 *A.D.. Paul reached Rome as a prisoner. Christians from Rome met him on the Appian road to go with him to Rome (Acts 28:14-16). Paul spent two years in Rome. Although he was a prisoner, he was able to *preach and to teach (Acts 28:30-31). His plan was to visit Spain (Romans 15:24). But we do not know whether he was able to do this.

6. 64 *A.D.. Christians received the blame for the great fire that the *Emperor Nero himself may have started. The writer Tacitus spoke about great numbers of Christians. He called them ‘enemies of the human family of people’.

7. There is evidence of Christian graves in the catacombs (underground graves in Rome) before 100 *A.D..

Paul’s letter

1. Paul dictated his letter to Tertius (Romans 16:22). Paul wrote it during his stay in Corinth, probably about 57 *A.D..

2. Paul established churches in many cities. But he was careful not to upset anyone else’s work (Romans 15:20). However, the church in Rome was not the result of the work of any one particular person. So Paul would not be upsetting anyone’s work if he visited Rome. And for many years, Paul had wanted to visit the Christians in Rome. He had completed his work in the east. There were elders (leaders in the church) to take care of the new churches. Paul wanted to visit Rome on his way to Spain (Romans 15:23-24).

3. There were several reasons for the letter:

a) to prepare the church in Rome for his visit.

b) to give a clear explanation of the *gospel.

c) to give the truth about the Christian *faith to any Christians in Rome who had false ideas about it.

d) to give practical advice about how Christians should behave towards each other (Chapter s 14-15).

e) to give practical advice about how Christians should behave towards their rulers (Romans 13:1-7).

f) to unite *Jewish and *Gentile Christians. In many churches, there had been serious arguments between *Jewish Christians and *Gentile Christians. The *Jewish Christians said that God had given his law in the Bible. So they told the *Gentile Christians to obey it. But the *Gentile Christians said that God had given them freedom. So, they did not want to obey any *Jewish rules or traditions.

g) to urge the Christians in Rome to help Paul in his work. He might need their help in order to continue his journey to Spain (Romans 15:24). And he needed the Christians in Rome to support and to encourage him by their prayers (Romans 15:30-32).

Chapter 1

Introduction 1:1-17

Greeting 1:1-7

v1 From Paul. I consider myself to be a slave of *Christ Jesus. God called me to be an *apostle. God separated me to tell his good news. v2 Long ago, God promised the good news by means of his *prophets in the *holy *scriptures. v3 The good news is about God’s son. As a man, Jesus belonged to the family of King David. v4 Powerfully, the *Holy Spirit showed Jesus to be the Son of God, when he rose from death. He is Jesus *Christ our *Lord. v5 And by him, we received God’s *grace. God sent us, as *apostles, to *preach to people from all the nations. So we work on his behalf. He wants the *Gentiles to obey God and to trust him. v6 You also are among those whom God has called to belong to Jesus *Christ.

v7 This letter is to everyone in Rome whom God loves. He has made you into his *holy people.

I pray that God our Father and the *Lord Jesus *Christ will give *grace and *peace to you.

Verse 1 Paul began his letter in the usual way at that time. The writer’s name came first. Paul then described himself as:

1. a ‘slave’. In the *Old Testament, ‘slave’ described a loyal servant of God. (For example, Abraham and Moses in Psalms 105:6; Psalms 105:26.) Paul was a loyal servant of Jesus *Christ. He wanted to obey Jesus. In fact, he wanted to obey God as completely as a slave must obey his master.

2. an ‘*apostle’. This showed that Paul had authority to *preach the *gospel. At first, the word ‘*apostle’ described the 12 *disciples whom Jesus had ‘sent out’ (Luke 6:13). Paul said that he too had received a special command from ‘Jesus *Christ and God the Father’ (Galatians 1:1). All Christians should declare God’s good news. But Paul knew that God had given him a special task. *Old Testament *prophets like Jeremiah had previously carried out such a task on behalf of God. God had chosen Jeremiah from before his birth (Jeremiah 1:5). God chose Paul from before his birth to take the good news to the *Gentiles (Galatians 1:15).

Verse 2 The *prophets in the *Old Testament explained that *Christ would free people from *sin. There are many true promises in the *Old Testament about the birth, life, death and *resurrection of Jesus.

Verses 3-4 These two verses show what the good news is. Probably, the Christians in Rome would already know these facts. The words in these verses may come from an early statement about Christian belief.

1. ‘Jesus belonged to the family of King David’ (verse 3). As a man, Jesus came from the family of King David. ‘Son of David’ was a name of the *Messiah. But Jesus taught that the *Messiah was more important than a *descendant of David (Luke 20:41-44; Psalms 110:1).

2. ‘Son of God’ (verse 4). The *resurrection was the evidence that Jesus was God’s son. In his speech at *Pentecost, Peter reminded his listeners about Psalms 16:9-10. God promised not to leave his ‘*Holy One’ in the grave. The *apostles were witnesses of the *resurrection. This is the evidence for who Jesus is (Acts 2:24-33).

The name ‘*Christ’ had a special meaning for *Jews. Jesus was the king that God had promised to them. The word ‘*Lord’ would mean more to *Gentile Christians. They had to obey human masters. But the word ‘*Lord’ was also the usual translation of God’s special name in the *Old Testament. So it reminded people that Jesus is God.

Verse 5 ‘*Grace’ is a gift that nobody deserves. Paul used to think that he could please God by his (Paul’s) own efforts. He tried to obey all the details of the law. Now he knew that he could not ‘earn’ *eternal life by his deeds. It was God’s kind gift. Paul had received it by means of the death and *resurrection of Jesus. Paul did not deserve to be an *apostle. It was God’s *grace that had chosen him. Paul did not want other people to praise Paul himself. Paul wanted to give honour to Jesus *Christ. God sent Paul to the *Gentiles to teach them. The *Gentiles must obey Jesus if their *faith is sincere.

Verse 6 Most Christians in Rome were probably *Gentiles.

Verse 7 The words ‘in Rome’ are not in some *manuscripts. So perhaps churches other than the one at Rome received copies of Paul’s letter. Paul calls the Christians in Rome: God’s ‘*holy people’. In the *Old Testament, we can read how God loved the *Israelites. He chose them to be his *holy nation. Now *Gentiles in Rome were also God’s ‘*holy people’. God loved them and he chose them to be his *holy people.

In the desert, Aaron blessed the *Israelites. He prayed that God would show love to them. And he prayed that God would give them ‘*peace’ (Numbers 6:24-26). Paul used the same prayer on behalf of the Christians in Rome.

He also used the prayer at the beginning of all his other letters. He wanted everyone to know the inner *peace of God’s love. He also wanted *Jewish and *Gentile Christians to love each other.

The *blessing of love and *peace is the gift of God the Father and the *Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul and the Christians in Rome 1:8-15

v8 First, I thank my God by Jesus *Christ for all of you. I thank him because people all over the world are talking about your *faith. v9 I serve God with my whole heart as I *preach the good news about his son. God knows that I always mention you in my prayers. v10 I always pray that, somehow, God will give me the opportunity to visit you. I would be glad to come to you, if God desires so. v11 I have a great desire to see you. I want to give you some *spiritual gift that will make your *faith strong. v12 That is, we shall encourage each other. Your *faith will make me strong. And my *faith will make you strong.

v13 *Brothers and *sisters, I want you to know this. Often, I have tried to visit you. But something has prevented me until now. I want to see some results among you, as I have seen among other *Gentiles. v14 I have a duty to both *Greeks and *non-Greeks. I have a duty to both wise people and foolish people. v15 For this reason I am very eager to *preach the *gospel to you in Rome.

Verse 8 Paul thanks God for the Christians in Rome. The news of their *faith has reached people everywhere.

Verses 9-10 Paul prays for the Christians in Rome, although he had not been responsible for their *faith. Paul also prays that he may be able to visit them. But he leaves the decision to God. Paul always wanted to obey God’s plan for his (Paul’s) life.

Verses 11-12 Paul wanted to make their *faith strong. ‘Some *spiritual gift’ may not mean the gifts of the *Holy Spirit as in 1 Corinthians chapter 12. Perhaps Paul himself did not yet know what *spiritual gift the Christians in Rome needed. But God would show Paul what to teach them when he met them. Paul was careful not to emphasise himself as the giver. So he corrected what he had said, by the words ‘that is’. He wanted to receive help from them as well. Paul was humble. He knew that it encouraged Christians to meet together.

Verses 13-14 Many times Paul had tried to visit them. We do not know what had prevented him. Perhaps he thought that his work in Greece needed more time.

‘*Greeks’ did not merely mean ‘people who came from Greece’. It meant those people who spoke the *Greek language. It also meant those who followed the *Greek culture. ‘*Non-Greeks’ translates the word ‘barbarians’. It describes people whose language sounded like ‘bar-bar’. Many *Greeks thought that this was an ugly and strange way to speak. Paul intended the *gospel to be for people who had received education. Also, he intended it for people who had received no education. ‘Wise and foolish’ also means that Paul felt a duty to everyone. He felt that duty because the *gospel is for everyone.

The *gospel 1:16-17

v16 I am not ashamed about the *gospel. It is God’s power to *save everyone who believes. It is first for the *Jews and then for the *Gentiles. v17 The *gospel shows how God makes people *righteous. It is about *faith from first to last. The *scripture explains this: ‘A *righteous person will live by *faith.’

Verse 16 Paul’s words about the *gospel were bold and clear. Whatever other people said, Paul would declare the *gospel. The *gospel is essential because it is God’s message. It is a message for everyone, from every nation. And the *gospel is essential because it is powerful. It changes people’s lives. It causes people who were God’s enemies to become God’s friends.

There are other important messages that Christians teach. But the *gospel is the most important message. It is the message about how people can become real Christians. It is the message about what Jesus achieved by his death and *resurrection.

This is the *gospel message:

• Everyone has done wrong things (called *sin) against God (Romans 3:23). We all deserve God’s punishment (Romans 6:23). And we cannot save ourselves from that punishment by our own efforts. We cannot even save ourselves by good works or by religion (Romans 3:20). So our situation is hopeless. But God did not leave us in our hopeless state.

• God sent his son, Jesus, to this world (John 3:16). Jesus lived a perfect life, without any *sin (Hebrews 4:15). He deserved no punishment. But when Jesus died on the *cross, he suffered the punishment for our *sins (Galatians 3:13; Romans 5:8; Romans 5:18). But we cannot benefit from his death if we do nothing.

• We must be humble. God will forgive us if we confess our evil deeds (*sin) to him (Acts 3:19). We must invite him into our lives. And we must simply trust him. Then God will change our lives (2 Corinthians 5:17).

This *gospel message does not impress everyone. People may say that it is too simple. Or they may say that it is foolish. But Paul realised that many people would be ashamed to follow Jesus. In fact, Jesus himself realised that, too. Jesus knew the difficulty for his *disciples to remain loyal to him. Jesus said that people would laugh at them. People would tell lies about them, and people would even attack them (Matthew 5:11). So Jesus warned them not to be ‘ashamed’ of him (Mark 8:38).

Later, Paul warned Timothy not to be ashamed about the *gospel (2 Timothy 1:8). Paul himself suffered much because he was not ashamed about Jesus. Many *Jews could not believe the message about Jesus. They were unable to believe that God’s *Messiah would die on a *cross. *Gentiles thought that the message about the *cross was ‘foolish’ (1 Corinthians 1:23). But the message was not wrong or stupid. It was a message to be proud of. It was an honour for Paul to declare it.

God rescues a person from the wrong way of life (Matthew 1:21). God gives him the strength to live in the right way. The person who believes God’s work by means of Jesus has a new life. This new life begins on earth. And it continues into the life in heaven. This good news is for everyone. It came ‘first’ to the *Jews because God had prepared them during their history. Their *Old Testament spoke about a *Messiah whom God would send. *Jewish *synagogues provided a suitable place for Christians to give their message. Paul usually began to *preach among the *Jews. When the *Jews refused to listen, he turned to the *Gentiles (Acts 13:46; Acts 18:6).

Verse 17 Paul uses words from the *prophet Habakkuk (Habakkuk 2:4). Paul would later use the same words in his letter to the Galatians (Galatians 3:11). The writer of Hebrews emphasises this verse too (Hebrews 10:38). These few words show what Paul will explain in the rest of his letter. Only by means of trust in God’s son will God declare a person to be *righteous. ‘From first to last’ is one translation of the *Greek words ‘from *faith to *faith’. They emphasise how necessary *faith is. They mean that *faith is necessary through the whole of life, ‘from beginning to end’. By *faith, a person accepts God’s promise to forgive his *sins and to make him free from them. Then that person continues to trust God’s promises for the rest of his life.

God’s anger against *sin 1:18-32

1. The *worship of *idols 1:18-25

v18 God shows his anger from heaven. He opposes all the *unholy and wicked things that people do. They are so wicked that they even oppose the truth. v19 The truth about God is plain to them. God has made it plain to them. v20 Ever since God created the world, it has been possible to understand the qualities of God. We cannot see God’s qualities. But we can see the things that he has made. So we know clearly about his *eternal power. And we know clearly that he is God. So people have no excuse for the way that they act.

v21 They knew God. But they did not give him the honour that God deserves. They did not thank him. Their thoughts became nonsense. Their foolish minds became wicked. v22 They said that they were wise. But they became fools. v23 They preferred *idols instead of the real God. They preferred an image instead of his greatness and beauty. They preferred a model of something weak instead of God who lives always. So they made *idols in the shape of people, birds, animals and snakes. v24 And God let them carry out their *sinful desires. Because of their evil attitudes, they did not respect their own bodies. v25 They believed a lie instead of the truth about God. They chose to *worship and to serve something that God created. But they ought to *worship and to serve God himself, who created everything. He should receive honour always. *Amen.

Verse 18 God is angry. But his anger is not like human anger, which is often selfish. He is angry because of *sin. Especially, he is angry because some people have chosen to be very wicked. So God’s anger is like a judge’s anger when the judge issues a judgement (2 Thessalonians 1:5-10).

Verses 19-25 People can learn about God’s character from the nature of the world round them. The writer of Psalms 19:1 said, ‘The heavens (sun, moon and stars) tell about the *glory of God. The skies show the work of his hands.’ Paul explained this to the *pagans at Lystra (Acts 14:15-17). He also explained it to the philosophers (people who study the nature of knowledge) in Athens (Acts 17:24-29).

Paul was thinking about the account of how God created the world, in Genesis 1:24-27. People chose not to *worship the real God. Instead, they made *idols of what God had created. In the desert, the *Israelites had *worshipped a gold calf (a young cow or *bull). ‘They exchanged the *glory of God for the image of an ox (an animal that eats grass)’ (Exodus 32:1-4; Psalms 106:20). So the people refused to respect God in their *worship. And then they refused to respect his law in their behaviour. *Israelite men began to *worship the false gods of the country called Moab. And then they began to have sex with women from Moab (Numbers 25:1-2).

2. *Sexual *sins 1:26-27

v26 Because of this false *worship, God has allowed them to become like prisoners to their own bad desires. Even their women exchanged natural *relationships for unnatural ones. v27 In the same way, men turned away from their natural behaviour towards women. Instead, they had very strong desires to have sex with other men. Men acted in bad ways with other men. They received in themselves the result of the wrong things that they did.

Verses 26-27 God intended the *sexual act to be an expression of the love between a husband and his wife. God unites them so that they become as ‘one person’ (Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:4-6). But both men and women chose to use their bodies in bad ways. Women had *sexual *relationships with other women. Men wanted sexual relationships with other men. *Pagan writers at the time of Paul recorded that human sexual behaviour was sometimes even worse than this. What Paul said about human bad behaviour was true. People were doing whatever they wanted to do. They did not care about God’s law.

Paul does not say what was the result of this bad behaviour. He said that they ‘received it in themselves’. Perhaps he meant physical disease, social troubles or God’s final judgement.

3. A list of wicked behaviour 1:28-32

v28 They did not think that it was important to know God. So God allowed them to become like prisoners to their own wicked minds. As a result, they acted in ways that were not right and proper.

v29 They *sin in every kind of way. They are completely wicked, evil and greedy. They are jealous. They murder. They fight and they cheat. They hate other people. They gossip. v30 They tell lies about other people. They hate God. They do not respect other people and they are proud. They *boast. They think of new ways to do evil things. They do not obey their parents. v31 They are foolish. They are not loyal. They have no love or pity. v32 They know that God’s command is right. Anyone who does such things deserves to die. They know that God’s law says this. But they continue to do these things. And they even encourage other people to do such things.

Verse 28 God ‘allowed’ them to do these *sinful deeds. This does not mean that such behaviour is acceptable. It means that God gave to people the opportunity to make decisions. So people should realise that they will suffer the results of their actions.

Verses 29-32 There were lists of wrong social behaviour in other *Jewish and Christian books. Paul himself has lists in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 and Galatians 5:19-21. Verse 29 speaks about wrong actions in a general way. Then Paul gives several examples of how people destroy relations with each other. This happens:

• when people are jealous;

• when people murder other people;

• when people fight;

• when people cheat other people;

• when people hate other people.

Verses 29-30 It is wrong to gossip or to lie. People use these methods to attack the character of other people. To hate God or to *boast shows that a person is very proud. And anyone who does not respect other people is also very proud. Some people try to get excitement by new ways to *sin. In both *Jewish and *Roman society, it was important to obey parents. The 5th *commandment said that children should give honour to their father and mother. When people do not obey their parents, all kinds of problems develop in society.

Verse 31 ‘Foolish’ means that people do not learn from experience. They do not remain loyal to any agreement. They do not show any natural love, even for their own children. ‘Without pity’ is an accurate description of the way in which many masters dealt with their slaves. Masters thought that slaves were mere possessions rather than people. *Roman law allowed masters to punish and even to kill slaves because of a very small mistake or accident. This was a very wicked law.

Verse 32 People had *sinned themselves. And they encouraged other people to *sin too. They knew that this behaviour was wrong. But *sin was controlling their lives.

Our societies today may be as wicked as society was in Paul’s time. Or, they may be less wicked. Or, they may even be more wicked. But Paul’s words are still true. People still refuse to obey God. They prefer to follow their own desires. And then their own evil thoughts begin to control their behaviour. And that is the reason why people behave in such a wicked manner.

Roman ~ a person from the city called Rome, or a description of anything that has a relationship with Rome. Rome was the most important city in the world at the time when Paul wrote this letter. It was the capital city where the Emperor lived.
Emperor ~ ruler over many countries.
Pentecost ~ the time when God gave his law to the Jews; the time when God gave the Holy Spirit to the church.

Jew, Jewish ~ a person whose ancestors were Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
holy ~ something or someone that is special for God.
ancestors ~ people or members of the family or nation in the past.
preach ~ to tell and to explain the good news about Jesus.'Jew, Jewish ~ a person whose ancestors were Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
ancestors ~ people or members of the family or nation in the past.
Gentile ~ someone hwo is not a Jew, or, a description of anything that has a relationship to people who are not Jews.

Jew, Jewish ~ a person whose ancestors were Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
ancestors ~ people or members of the family or nation in the past.

'Jew, Jewish ~ a person whose ancestors were Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
ancestors ~ people or members of the family or nation in the past.
gospel ~ good news.
Emperor ~ ruler over many countries.
Christ ~ the Greek word for Messiah, that is, Jesus.
Greek ~ the language in which the authors wrote the New Testament; or a word that describes anything that came from the country called Greece; or the people who came from Greece; or anyone who followed the same culture as people from Greece.
Messiah ~ the Jews’ word for the king who would come to rescue them; the Christ (that is, Jesus).

New Testament ~ the last part of the Bible, about Jesus and the early church.

Jew, Jewish ~ a person whose ancestors were Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
ancestors ~ people or members of the family or nation in the past.
faith ~ trust in someone or something; the things that Christians believe about Jesus.
apostle ~ someone who goes out to preach about Jesus; one of the 12 men whom Jesus sent out.
preach ~ to tell and to explain the good news about Jesus.
prophet ~ a person who told the people what God wanted.
holy ~ something or someone that is special for God.
holy ~ something or someone that is special for God.
Lord ~ God; the word that we may use for Jesus when we obey him; someone who rules or who is a master.
grace ~ God’s love that people do not deserve.
peace ~ a calm and content attitude.'Old Testament ~ the first part of the Bible. The authors of the books in the Old Testament wrote their books centuries before Christ’s birth.
Christ ~ the Greek word for Messiah, that is, Jesus.
Greek ~ the language in which the authors wrote the New Testament; or a word that describes anything that came from the country called Greece; or the people who came from Greece; or anyone who followed the same culture as people from Greece.
Messiah ~ the Jews’ word for the king who would come to rescue them; the Christ (that is, Jesus).

New Testament ~ the last part of the Bible, about Jesus and the early church.

Jew, Jewish ~ a person whose ancestors were Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
ancestors ~ people or members of the family or nation in the past.
disciples ~ students; people who follow another person to learn from him.
sin ~ evil deeds against God’s law; or to do such deeds.
resurrection ~ when a dead person becomes alive again.
Messiah ~ the Jews’ word for the king who would come to rescue them; the Christ (that is, Jesus).

Jew, Jewish ~ a person whose ancestors were Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Christ ~ the Greek word for Messiah, that is, Jesus.
ancestors ~ people or members of the family or nation in the past.
Greek ~ the language in which the authors wrote the New Testament; or a word that describes anything that came from the country called Greece; or the people who came from Greece; or anyone who followed the same culture as people from Greece.

New Testament ~ the last part of the Bible, about Jesus and the early church.
descendants ~ future members of a family or nation.
grace ~ God’s love that people do not deserve.
eternal ~ without end. When we use the word ‘eternal’ to describe God’s qualities, we mean ‘without beginning or end’.
manuscript ~ a book that someone has written by hand.
Israelite ~ the people that are Jews.

Jew, Jewish ~ a person whose ancestors were Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
ancestors ~ people or members of the family or nation in the past.
spiritual ~ a description of something that belongs to the spirit.
Greek ~ the language in which the authors wrote the New Testament; or a word that describes anything that came from the country called Greece; or the people who came from Greece; or anyone who followed the same culture as people from Greece.

New Testament ~ the last part of the Bible, about Jesus and the early church.

'non-Greek ~ someone who did not follow the same culture as people from Greece did.'non-Greek ~ someone who did not follow the same culture as people from Greece did.
save ~ to rescue from the power of sin.
sin ~ evil deeds against God’s law; or to do such deeds.
righteous ~ good, holy.
holy ~ something or someone that is special for God.
cross ~ two pieces of wood that people have fixed together in the shape of a cross. Soldiers would attach a criminal to a cross in order to kill that person.
synagogue ~ a local Jewish meeting place for worship.

Jew, Jewish ~ a person whose ancestors were Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
worship ~ to show honour to God (or to a false god), alone or with other people.
ancestors ~ people or members of the family or nation in the past.
worship ~ to show honour to God (or to a false god), alone or with other people.
unholy ~ not holy.
holy ~ something or someone that is special for God.
sinful ~ sinful people do things against God or other people; they do not obey God's commands; they do not do what God wants them to do; sinful actions are actions that are against God’s commands.
amen ~ a word at the end of a prayer. It shows agreement.
glory ~ great beauty and honour. Only God (or Christ) has perfect glory.
Christ ~ the Greek word for Messiah, that is, Jesus.
Greek ~ the language in which the authors wrote the New Testament; or a word that describes anything that came from the country called Greece; or the people who came from Greece; or anyone who followed the same culture as people from Greece.
Messiah ~ the Jews’ word for the king who would come to rescue them; the Christ (that is, Jesus).

New Testament ~ the last part of the Bible, about Jesus and the early church.

Jew, Jewish ~ a person whose ancestors were Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
ancestors ~ people or members of the family or nation in the past.
pagans ~ people who believe in many gods.
bull ~ the male animal which mates with a cow.
sexual ~ of sex.
relationship ~ a friendship; or way in which people know each other.
sexual ~ of sex.
pagans ~ people who believe in many gods.
boast ~ to praise oneself.