LESSON 1: The Global Need of the Gospel.

Lesson Reading: Rom 1:1-32.

Key Passage: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone

who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from

faith to faith; as it is written: ‘But the righteous one will live by faith.’” (Rom 1:16-17).

Lesson Notes

I) Introduction and Origin of the Gospel (Rom 1:1-4).

A) God Promised Beforehand: Paul introduces himself and explains the nature of his life mission.

1) Paul identifies himself as an apostle of Christ Jesus (Rom 1:1).

2) Paul explains that the foundation of his spiritual mission is based upon the fact that he called to become an apostle (Rom 1:1). (see also Acts 9; 22; 26; 1 Cor 1:1; Gal 1:1, 15; Eph 1:1; Col 1:1; 1 Tim 1; 2 Tim 1:1; Tit 1:1-3).

3) Finally, Paul specifies the reasoning for his calling and service—that he had been set apart for the gospel of God (Rom 1:1. See also Gal 1:11-16; 1 Thes1:4).

B) Jesus: Son of God and David:

1) God promised David that from David’s line would come an eternal kingdom (2 Sam 7:12–16). This promise became the source of Jewish expectations about a coming messiah (see Isa 11:1, 10; Jer23:5–6).

2) Declared to be God’s son with Power (Psa 2; 110:1-2; Mat 22:41-46).

3) The entire gospel message and Christianity hinges upon the idea of Jesus resurrection (Jn 2:17-22; 1 Cor 15:1-19).

II) The Universal Aim of the Gospel Message (Rom 1:5-6; 16:25-26).

A) “To bring about the obedience of faith…”

1) It’s unlikely that “obedience of faith” here refers only to initial saving faith, because the purpose of Paul’s apostleship was not merely to bring people to conversion but also to bring about transformed lives that were consistently obedient to God (Rom 1:16-17).

III) Greetings (Rom 1:7-12).

A) Called as Saints (Col 1:21-22; 1 Pet 2:9-10).

B) Paul thankful: That the gospel is no longer confined to the Jews but has also spread to the Gentiles in the Greco-Roman world (Acts 26:14-18).

C) Strengthened and Established (1 Cor 1:4-9).