20240512 The Book of Romans: An Introduction
The Book Romans • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Call to Worship - Psalm 1
1 How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the way of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers! 2 But his delight is in the law of Yahweh, And in His law he meditates day and night. 3 And he will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season And its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers. 4 The wicked are not so, But they are like chaff which the wind drives away. 5 Therefore the wicked will not rise in the judgment, Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. 6 For Yahweh knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the wicked will perish.
Scripture Reading - Romans 1:1-8
1 Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, having been set apart for the gospel of God, 2 which He promised beforehand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures, 3 concerning His Son, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh,
4 who was designated as the Son of God in power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, 5 through whom we received grace and apostleship for the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for the sake of His name, 6 among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ;
7 to all who are beloved of God in Rome, called as saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, because your faith is being proclaimed throughout the whole world.
(1) An introduction to the Book of Romans
The author: Paul
The place: Acts 18:1-3
1 After these things he departed Athens and went to Corinth. 2 And he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, and his wife Priscilla, who recently came from Italy because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to depart from Rome. He came to them, 3 and because he was of the same trade, he was staying with them and they were working, for by trade they were tent-makers.
4 And he was reasoning in the synagogue every Sabbath and trying to persuade both Jews and Greeks. 5 But when Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, Paul began devoting himself completely to the word, solemnly bearing witness to the Jews that Jesus is the Christ. 6 But when they resisted and blasphemed, he shook out his garments and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am clean. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.” 7 Then he left there and went to the house of a man named Titius Justus, a God-fearer, whose house was next to the synagogue.
8 And Crispus, the leader of the synagogue, believed in the Lord with all his household, and many of the Corinthians when they heard were believing and being baptized. 9 And the Lord said to Paul in the night by a vision, “Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent; 10 for I am with you, and no man will lay a hand on you in order to harm you, for I have many people in this city.” 11 And he stayed there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.
The audience:
7 to all who are beloved of God in Rome, called as saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Book of Romans was written by the apostle Paul from Corinth, approximately 2-3 years before he arrived in Rome. The time of writing is placed near the end of the third missionary journey and he may have written it during his three month stay in Greece (Acts 20:3-6). The date for the writing of Romans is thus placed at approximately 57 AD with an allowance of one or two years being acceptable.
There has been no serious challenge to Paul as the author or to the general situation in which it was written. Paul is on his way to Jerusalem to deliver a gift of money for the church (1 Cor 16:1-4; 2 Cor 8-9) and he hopes to reach Rome and then Spain in the near future (Rom 15:22-29).
Paul wrote this epistle to the Jewish and Gentile believers who had formed the church in Rome but he did not plant the church and had not personally been to the church. The church was likely started by Roman Jews who had embraced the faith of Christ (Ambrosiaster’s words) at Pentecost. (Ambrosiaster or Pseudo-Ambrose is the name given to the unknown author of a commentary on the epistles of Saint Paul, written some time between 366 and 384 AD.)
Acts 11:28 Claudius Caesar. Emperor of Rome (A.D. 41–54).
Acts 16:20 Jews … trouble our city. Anti-Semitism was alive even then. The Emperor Claudius issued an order around that time expelling the Jews from Rome (18:2).
The expulsion of Jews and Jewish Christians from Rome allowed the Gentile Christians to flourish independently and when the Jewish Christians returned the Christian community was now firmly established in not just the synagogues but also in house churches.
The question, however, is “did Paul have both groups in mind when he wrote Romans?” I believe that Paul wrote to both Jews and Gentiles, using his parental approach to the believers (see 1 Thess 2:7-12) and speaking directly at times to the Jewish believers and at other times to the Gentile believers so that both sides would understand clearly what the apostle was wanting to say.
Paul’s purpose in writing Romans was twofold: to update the church on his circumstances and situation and to deal with problems within the Christian community at Rome.
Introduction and Theme (1:1-17)
16 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. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “But the righteous will live by faith.”
Dynamic -
Oxford - a force that stimulates change or progress within a system or process
Webster - a force or factor that controls or influences a process of growth, change, interaction, or activity
For a future sermon
Louw Nida - the potentiality to exert force in performing some function
The Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, Abridged in One Volume δύναμαι, δυνατός, δυνατέω, ἀδύνατος, ἀδυνατέω, δύναμις, δυνάστης, δυναμόω, ἐνδυναμόω
c. Christ’s work also gives a new answer to the question of the power of salvation. When the disciples ask who can be saved, Christ replies that there is no human power to save, only God’s omnipotent power (Mt. 19:26). Paul sharply stresses human inability in Rom. 8. Due to our weakness, even the law cannot save from sin and death (v. 3). Hebrews finds the same inability in the cultus (10:1, 4, 11). As Jn. 3:3 says, unless there is a new birth, we cannot see God’s kingdom. Of ourselves we cannot bear to hear God’s word (Jn. 8:43). No one can come to God unless the Father draws him (6:44). Only God has the power to save, and he puts forth his power in Jesus (Rom. 1:16; 1 Cor. 1:18). This power is not that of mystical initiation or of a mere direction to salvation; it is the power of the word of the cross. It grants salvation by liberating us from the power of darkness and putting us in the kingdom of God’s dear Son. It is grounded in the saving act of the Christ event, i.e., in God’s mighty work in history
Introduction and Theme (1:1-17)
Condemnation: Why salvation is needed (1:18-3:20)
Justification: How salvation is accomplished (3:21-5:21)
Sanctification: How the saved are transformed (6:1-8:39)
Restoration: How the Abrahamic Covenant will be fulfilled (9:1-11:36)
Application: How the saved should live (12:1-15:13)
Conclusion, Greetings, Final Benediction (14:14-16:27)
(2) The Book of Romans in the life of Paul
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus according to the commandment of God our Savior, and of Christ Jesus, our hope, 2 To Timothy, my genuine child in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. 3 As I exhorted you when going to Macedonia, remain on at Ephesus so that you may command certain ones not to teach a different doctrine, 4 nor to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies, which give rise to mere speculation rather than furthering the stewardship from God which is by faith.
11 according to the gospel of the glory of the blessed God, with which I have been entrusted. 12 I am grateful to Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He regarded me faithful, putting me into service, 13 even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor. Yet I was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief;
14 and the grace of our Lord was more than abundant, with the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. 15 It is a trustworthy saying and deserving full acceptance: that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost. 16 Yet for this reason I was shown mercy, so that in me as the foremost, Christ Jesus might demonstrate all His patience as an example for those who are going to believe upon Him for eternal life.
2.1 Paul, the foremost of sinners
Acts 7-8 - Paul the blasphemer and persecutor and violent aggressor
1 T 1:13,15
2.2 Paul, the ignorant unbeliever who was shown mercy
1 T 1:13
2.3 Paul, the teacher of true doctrine and entrusted with the gospel of glory
1 T 1:3,11
Paul is the Book of Romans
the greatness of his sin, the power of the gospel, the grace and mercy of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
The Book Romans is perhaps the best book about the greatness of the sovereign God who saves those who are going to believe upon Him for eternal life
Benediction
17 Now to the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.