Romans 1:8-17 "God's Righteousness Revealed"

Good morning Calvary Chapel Lake City!

I’m excited that in November we are starting our Mid week service.

We are starting Genesis… initially the 1st & 3rd Wednesdays of the Month…

And, Calvary Chapel distinctives… classroom style the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays…

Here at LCA 7pm… I hope you can join us!

Well lets continue in our study of Romans. Please turn in your Bibles to Romans 1. Romans 1:8-17 today.

We have just begun the Epistle of Paul to the Christians in Rome.

Which has been called “the most profound book in existence.”

And… I’ve appreciated your enthusiastic comments… about entering Romans.

Almost 2000 years after Paul first penned this letter… there remains eager anticipation to read it.

The word of God is surely special.

Today… we finish the introduction portion of Paul’s letter…

… which is encompassed in Romans 1:1-17…

vv 1-7 is Paul’s Salutation....

vv 8-15 establishes rapport…

and vv 16-17 emphasizes the key theme…

Which influences our sermon title today, “God’s Righteousness Revealed.”

Let’s pray, and then enter the word!

In reverence for God’s word, please stand as I read our passage today.

Rom 1:8-17 “First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world. 9 For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of His Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers, 10 making request if, by some means, now at last I may find a way in the will of God to come to you. 11 For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift, so that you may be established—12 that is, that I may be encouraged together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me.

13 Now I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that I often planned to come to you (but was hindered until now), that I might have some fruit among you also, just as among the other Gentiles. 14 I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to wise and to unwise. 15 So, as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also.

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.””

Praise God for His word! Please be seated.

Backing up to V1… Paul introduces himself… the topics of the Gospel and Jesus Christ…

In vv 5-7, Paul spotlights the common gifts all Christians have received through faith…

Grace… unmerited favor and blessing…

Which are the closing words of the Bible… Rev 22:21 “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.”

It’s all about grace.

We’ve received apostleship and calling…

… not the office of the apostle, but the calling to take the Great Commission to the world…

We’ve received love… as the “beloved of God”…

And, we’ve received sainthood… a title for ALL God’s people as we have been consecrated to holiness…

NOT haughtiness and and NOT naughtiness… as is the manner of some…

Our character should reflect God.

1 Pet 1:14-16 declares “do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance” (NASB) … 15 but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”

And, then Paul extended “grace and peace”… which were the common Greek and Hebrew greetings of the day…

But, unlike the common greeting of the day… Paul does not extend ‘grace and peace’ from man… but from God…

A blessing all Christians enjoy upon entering into relationship with Christ.

Paul’s salutation was already unusually long… so why not make it a bit longer?… so in vv 8-15…

Paul takes a moment to build rapport with his readers… to reveal his dedication to them in prayer… and to express his desire to visit them in person…

And, so picking up in V8… Paul first expresses appreciation… a commendation to his readers… which was typical in his writings.

I found it interesting that Paul began V8 with the word “first”… because today we often make a list of items to discuss… first, second, third…

But, there is no mention of a second or third point…

So, I take this as… Paul is mentioning something that is “first” in importance.

Something “foremost” in importance.

First in Gk is prōtŏn which by def. means “first in dignity, importance… before all things.”

And, what was it that Paul found first in importance?

V8 “First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.”

Paul first thanked God for these Roman Christians because their faith was world renowned.

Meaning the “Roman world”… areas of Europe, the Middle East and Northern Africa…

What a great compliment!

People were talking about… or reporting on their faith.

“Did you hear that there were Christians in Rome? We should pray for them being in Rome!”

Because being a Christian in the heart of the Roman world was not easy.

Rome one of the most immoral cities in the world…

Roman religion was a pantheon of false gods and goddesses… Jupiter, Mars, Venus…

Which all the planets in our solar system are named after.

Greek and Romans false gods.

Except for earth because Gen 1:1 reads “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

Earth… Heb. erets meaning ground… Old English translates to “earth.”

And much like our planet is surrounded by planets named after false gods and goddesses… so too was the culture and climate in Rome.

The Roman Christians were immersed in a culture filled with evil practices.

And, in the center of it all stood a man in control of the entire Empire of Rome… Caesar.

And at his whim… Christians were persecuted.

Emperor Claudius was perhaps the first emperor to persecute Christians… mostly sporadically though.

But eventually… under Nero… Christians would be targeted viciously in organized persecutions beginning in 64 AD.

Shortly after the Great Fire in Rome… which Nero blamed Christians for starting…

Paul wrote Romans around 56-58 A.D. …

During the initial idealistic and relatively peaceful years of Nero when he became Emperor at 16 years old.

But, in time…

He became a cruel tyrant who killed anyone who crossed his path… including his wife, mother mother, and step-brother…

The Roman historian Tacitus detailed the atrocities writing: “Covered with the skins of beasts, [Christians] were torn by dogs and perished, or were nailed to crosses, or were doomed to the flames and burnt, to serve as nightly illumination when daylight had expired.”

Paul himself appealed before Caesar Nero in Acts 25… and would eventually be martyred under him… around 67 A.D.... beheaded as was the tradition for Roman citizens.

Nero reigned for nearly fourteen years, until AD 68 when he committed suicide at the age of 30.

Interesting backdrop as we go through this epistle.... and frankly for the New Testament because somewhere around 14 of the New Testament’s 27 books were written during Nero’s reign.

This is what was brewing when Paul wrote this epistle… which NO DOUBT helped these Christians in Rome to persevere during persecution.

So, we read in V8 “First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.”

Being bold in faith… and having a reputation for faith takes on a whole new meaning when your faith may mean your life.

And this was reality for the Christians in Rome.

I pray this is never our reality…

But… it goes to show what happens if you get the wrong leader in office.

The Romans didn’t have a choice like we do.

They were an empire in the first century… the people didn’t have a system of voting their Emperor into office.

We do… and I hope you vote during our primary elections Nov 5th because it matters…

And… If you’re not sure where candidates stand on biblical issues… come out next Wed for our Election Day Sermon.

I’d rather our faith be spoken of in the whole world WITHOUT a country that turns on Christians.

The Christians in Rome during the first century didn’t have this luxury.

Somewhere around 63-66 A.D… when things were really heating up in Rome...

Paul wrote this… 1 Tim 2:1-2 “Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, 2 for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.”

Do you think that was AT ALL relevant as Nero was digressing mentally?

We need to heed these same words now more than ever because our nation is in trouble.

And, look at what Paul says next… I love this.. Despite that fact that these Roman Christians lived in the seat of the Roman Empire… and despite the fact that their faith was recognized in other parts of the world…

Paul still prayed for them… and desired to visit them to further establish them… because we never arrive.

There’s always more to learn… I’ve read the entire Bible several times over… and you’ll never hear me say, “I’ve read that already.”

The amount of times I find new details…

The amount of times a familiar passage comforts my soul.

Just the other day, I was worrying about potential outcomes of a conversation.

And, what was my devotion that morning?

Matthew chapter 6… and in that chapter I repeatedly read… “Therefore do not worry...”

Oh how that comforted me.

We need the word of God… daily washing over us.

And the Roman Christians… who’s faith was spoken of throughout the whole world… they needed to be built up as well…

Paul writes in vv 9-12…

“For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of His Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers, 10 making request if, by some means, now at last I may find a way in the will of God to come to you. 11 For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift, so that you may be established—12 that is, that I may be encouraged together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me.”

Paul testifies that God witnessed Paul’s repeated prayers for the Christians in Rome.

It’s easy to forget to pray for someone… so Paul reassures the Romans that he indeed prayed always for them… God is his witness.

Whenever someone asked for prayer… my Pastor always prayed on the spot for them.

I paid attention… and do the same.

I like in V9 how Paul says he serves God in his spirit… be sure you’re not serving God any other way…

If you serve in own strength and not in the spirit… you will strive in the flesh…

Paul exhorted the Corinthians, “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh.” (2 Cor 10:3)

Our weapons are “mighty in God.”

And so Paul… prayed for these Christians… and in V10 he revealed asked for an open door to come to Rome.

Paul had not been to Rome… he did not plant this church… but he desired to make it to Rome…

And he would… not as he imagined for he went as a prisoner in Acts 27, but he indeed made it there.

Acts 28:16 testifies that Paul was on house arrest in Rome.

Guarded by Roman soldiers… how many of them did he get to witness to? We don’t know.

Acts 28:30-31 reads, “Then Paul dwelt two whole years in his own rented house, and received all who came to him, 31 preaching the kingdom of God and teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence, no one forbidding him.”

For two years… despite being on house arrest, Paul was allowed visitors… and had the freedom to preach the Gospel and teach all things pertaining to Jesus Christ.

And so, Paul’s prayer was answered…

In Roman 1:11-12… Paul disclosed his three-fold intention to come to Rome…

First, to “impart some spiritual gift”…

Which is pretty broad… perhaps to exercise his spiritual gifts for their behalf -or- to impart a spiritual blessing…

For sure a good reason to be with one another…

Paul needed to be with them… not isolated from them for this to happen.

This past Saturday… about 30 ladies from our church… and as an outreach to our community gathered for worship and to hear one of the lady’s testimonies… that was imparting a spiritual gift.

What a blessing!

Paul, second, desired to “establish them” or to see some spiritual fruit…

Establish… Gk stērizō means “to set fast”… “to stand immovable”…

Again.. this was an already established group of Christians.

They had been in Rome for 20-25 years…

They were not unhealthy like the Corinthians and in need of correction…

They were standing in Rome… but they needed to be further established to ‘stand immovable.’

I would suggest we still need this today.

The dark days in which we live are not the first dark years this world has seen.

To stand immovable in this world… we all need to be established…

And we should all be willing to receive that from another… to have a coach-able and humble disposition…

To be excited that a Paul or another Christian desires to pour into us.

Are we willing to receive from other?

And, take note… the Apostle Paul was humble enough to not lord his apostolic authority over them…

To not be so high minded to think that he could not receive from them.

Paul looked forward to being encouraged through their mutual faith.

And, that’s what Paul drives at in his third desire… he wanted V12 to “be encouraged together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me.”

Christian life and fellowship includes mutual edification… giving and receiving… because of our mutual faith…

Paul didn’t have this with his Jewish brethren who were not believers.

But, he felt confident he would have this with Christians in Rome… many of whom he had never met.

The bond we share in our mutual faith is strong. It’s eternal.

It allows us to connect with people whom normally we would not… and actually enjoy our diversity because of our commonality in Christ.

And, if you don’t like fellowship now… you will in eternity… once we are fully conformed into the image of the Son… when we are truly walking with God face to face (Rev 22:4)…

At that time… we will have perfect fellowship.

We get glimpses of it now… but it will be amazing in eternity.

Now… despite Paul desiring to get to Rome… to date he had not been released...

Look at V13 “Now I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that I often planned to come to you (but was hindered until now), that I might have some fruit among you also, just as among the other Gentiles.”

The word “hindered” means “prevented, restrained or forbidden.”

God had a different plan for Paul before he was released to go to Rome.

I am HUGE on waiting on the Lord until He opens the door.

This keeps me aligned vertically with the Lord…

Which is not a gift we all possess.

God’s people have a history of being impatient… and making mistakes when they do so.

Remember the Golden Calf incident? In Exo 32, the first time Moses went up to Mount Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments…

The people went to Aaron and said, “Come, make us gods that shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.”

Their impatience almost brought God’s judgment.

Waiting on the Lord keeps me from moving forward too quick and falling out of His will and leading.

And, Paul too… was soft to the leading of the Lord.

What hindered Paul from going to Rome was he had been making great progress for the sake of the Gospel reaching the unreached… in Asia Minor and the Grecian peninsula…

Paul explained this at the end of the Romans…

In Rom 15… the context was Paul had fully preached the Gospel of Christ to the Gentiles… and now no longer had a place in those areas…

Paul wrote in Rom 15:20–24 “And so I have made it my aim to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build on another man’s foundation, [I love that principal… go be a pioneer… don’t start a ministry out of someone else’s ministry unless it’s blessed by them] 21 but as it is written: [Isa 52:15] “To whom He was not announced, they shall see; And those who have not heard shall understand.” [Paul’s foundational work among the Gentiles was a fulfillment of this prophecy in Isaiah] 22 For this reason I also have been much hindered from coming to you. 23 But now no longer having a place in these parts, and having a great desire these many years to come to you, 24 whenever I journey to Spain, I shall come to you.”

Now that Paul had tilled all the soil he felt led to cultivate… he felt a release to soon come to Rome.

He had laid a strong foundation and now other faithful leaders could build.

But, until then… the work God put before him hindered him. Which was not a bad thing.

God had a different purpose for Paul before going to Rome.

Now… I want to share two other times Paul was hindered… because there’s a lesson in this…

Do you remember in the Book of Acts… the Macedonian Call account?

Turn back to Acts 16… Paul was also hindered just prior to going to Macedonia… and it was for a very interesting purpose.

Acts 16 was during Paul’s Second Missionary journey [as you’re turning there… I have a slide… a map detailing this journey]…

Paul, Silas, and Timothy had come from Derbe and Lystra which is on the right and center of the map…

There were visiting Regions and Cities in Asia Minor (modern day Turkey)… strengthening the churches in the faith…

And picking up in Acts 16:6 we read…

“Now when they had gone through Phrygia and the region of Galatia, they were forbidden [same Gk. word for “hindered” in Rom 1… they were forbidden or hindered] by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia.”

From Derbe and Lystra, they travelled Northwest to the Regions of Phrygia and Galatia.

And, they desire to head Southwest to preach the Gospel in Asia… the Southwest coastal area of modern day Turkey… where the Seven Churches of Revelation 2-3 are located.

But, V6 says, “… they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia.”

Interesting… why is that? Hold that thought…

V7 “After they had come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit did not permit them.”

Bithynia is the red asterisk on the map. A bit north.

V8 “So passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas. 9 And a vision appeared to Paul in the night. A man of Macedonia stood and pleaded with him, saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10 Now after he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go to Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to preach the gospel to them.”

They try to go Southwest and the Spirit says, “No.” So, they try to go “Northeast” and the Spirit says, “No.”

So, in V8, all they did in this region was ‘pass by.’ “So passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas.”

And, we don’t read that they questioned the Lord… or suggested to the Lord an alternate plan…

Perhaps a little wisdom from man to help the Lord out… sometimes we’re really good at that.

They didn’t do this.

What we read is they obeyed God’s leading.

God guided them through closed doors… and they listened.

They yielded their plans to God’s guidance… and they didn’t force a door opened that was closed.

The Lord indeed had a plan for Asia and Bythynia, BUT NOT through these guys and NOT at this time.

This work was designated for another time, and for another Apostle.

1 Pet 1:1 reads, “Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To the pilgrims of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia...”

God had this work slated for Peter.

And, this testifies that God’s ways are higher than our ways…

And, God’s timing is not our timing…

And, God may NOT want to use you for a particular task.

He may have a different servant in mind.

It may even be that God has a larger priority for you at the moment…

Paul and his party had their eyes set on specific regions in modern day Turkey… but God intended for something greater… He wanted them to go to a whole new continent… to take the Gospel to Europe.

They set their eyes on a region… but God wanted a continent.

God saw a much bigger plan to get the Gospel over to Macedonia… modern day Greece… Europe.

If you are hindered from going to a certain place… rest in that.

As a church… time and again, the Holy Spirit has opened doors, and forbidden us from going here or there.

From doing this or that.

And if our leadership does not have peace… we pause… we wait on the Lord.

It’s a simple principal, but it helps us to discern what God’s will is.

Ps 37:23 states, “The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, And He delights in his way.”

This is true. It’s also true that ‘The STOPS of a good man are ordered by the LORD, And He delights in his way.’

One who abides in the Lords will delight in whichever way the Lord leads, because they trust the Lord.

Whether He says Step or Stop… GO or NO… whether He gives direction or you get NO direction because you’re supposed to wait…

“The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, And He delights in his way.”

Many of us are doers… go getters. We don’t like NO or WAIT, but I encourage you… REST in the wait, and REST in the NO… so you don’t go YOUR direction, but are led in HIS direction… in HIS perfect will.

You may not see the continent the Lord has before you, but trust that He has a plan for you… and it is good.

Now… back to Paul and him being hindered various times in his ministry.

We looked at Romans… and how Paul was hindered from Rome to reach the Gentiles in other parts of the world.

To lay a foundation… to preach the Gospel first in virgin territory.

And, we looked at Acts… where the Holy Spirit desired Paul to go to a whole new continent.

But… there was another time Paul was hindered… and this was when Paul twice tried to return to Thessalonica.

And, what hindered Paul from going to Thessalonica was not the Lord… and was not the Holy Spirit, but Satan.

In 1 Thes 2:18 Paul wrote, “...we wanted to come to you—even I, Paul, time and again—but Satan hindered us.”

And who knows if that were Satan himself… or some human agent doing the bidding of Satan.

John Calvin wrote, “Whenever the ungodly cause us trouble, they are fighting under the banner of Satan, and are his instruments for harassing us.”

And, that very well was the case, for after Paul wrote 1 Thes… he wrote in 2 Corinthians 11… about False Apostles… and the obligation he felt to cut off the opportunity for them to be regarded as apostles.

2 Cor 11:13-15 reads “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. 15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.” [which in Phil 3 Paul describes that end as destruction]

Paul very well could have been hindered from making it to Thessalonica as he waged spiritual warfare with these emissaries of Satan…

And, I get this… If you’ve ever had a day interrupted by a person in a cult… and you found yourself in a apologetics debate about who Jesus is…

You were hindered… you engaged in spiritual warfare.

In this Christian life we lead… you very well may be hindered…

Sometimes directly by the Lord… for His work and for His purposes.

And, perhaps even to wage warfare against false teachers.

Put on the full armor of God as you enter the world… and be flexible to the voice of the Lord should He choose to redirect your steps.

Jeremiah yielded to this praying, “I know, LORD, that our lives are not our own. We are not able to plan our own course.” (Jer 10:23)

I encourage you to submit to the leading of the Lord… and take comfort when being hindered by Him… for you are in the Lord’s will.

Well, back in Rom 1. Paul wrote in V13 that he planned to come to them, but was hindered until now… he sensed a season of release coming…

And, he expressed his hope to “have some fruit among you also, just as among the other Gentiles.”

In Rome, Paul would be writing to a mix of Jewish and Gentile Christians… and his missionary journeys were first centered on Jews… and then shifted to the Gentiles…

Paul was called a missionary to the Gentiles…

In Gal 2:7, Paul wrote “...the gospel for the uncircumcised had been committed to me, as the gospel for the circumcised was to Peter...”

In time they discovered the Holy Spirit was working more effectively in Paul for the uncircumcised… those who did not keep that OT ritual… meaning Gentiles…

And, Peter to the circumcised… those who kept that OT ritual… meaning Jews…

Sometimes the Bible substituted “Gentile” for “Greek” but it carried the same idea. Non-Jews.

Gentiles in Gk is the word ethnos…

Which you can almost speak into English… “ethnic.”

Meaning race, nation… those distinct from Israel.

The Bible knows one race the human race, but from a Jewish perspective… you were either a Jew or a Gentile…

Unless you were in Christ… then the Bible says… you’re a new creation.

And in several of Paul’s letters he had to drive home a unity message amongst Jewish and Gentile Christians… who ALL were finding a new identity in Christ.

Gal 3:26-28 “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

He wrote similar messages in Gal 6:15 “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation.”

And, 2 Cor 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”

And, Unity amongst these early Christians was a struggle at times…

Paul even had to confront Peter in Gal 2… for not eating with Gentiles with the Jews arrived.

And, this issue of unity and the shedding of the old identity… it’s an issue that has followed the church throughout the generations…

Be gracious to one another… especially to new believers.

Trust that as they sit under the word… and learn what God’s standards are… the Holy Spirit will work in their hearts…

I believe what will happen is what Jesus prayed… John 17:17 “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.”

I trust in the sanctifying power of the word of God… that they will change… becoming more like Christ and less like the world.

God is doing a work in them… trust the process… and perhaps God will even use you to be part of that process…

And, I hope if you are… that you can share truth, and do it in love.

Or… maybe you just do it like Paul did to Peter… right at the dinner table in front of everyone, Paul confronted Peter saying, “If you, being a Jew, live in the manner of Gentiles and not as the Jews, why do you compel Gentiles to live as Jews?” (Gal 2:14)

Can you imagine? That must have been a tense moment.

Paul the party crasher.

Paul himself is a good and encouraging example of being transformed… from the Hebrew of Hebrews… the persecutor of Christians… to the the missionary of Jesus to the Gentiles.

Trust the process.

Lastly in V13, Paul discloses another hearts desire… that in Rome… just as in other parts of the world…

Paul desired to some fruit… which in the context of the previous and following verses… Paul is speaking of the fruit of their being built up… of being established… and fruit in the gospel...

Look at vv 14-15 “I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to wise and to unwise. 15 So, as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also.”

Paul was a debtor… meaning he “felt obligated”…

As a bondservant of Jesus Christ… he felt a sense of duty to the entire human race.

Greek and barbarians… if you were not Greek they called you a Barbarian…

Romans called the Scottish people “barbarians,” possibly because the Scot’s native Celtic language sounded to the Romans like the bleating of sheep.

Gk. barbaros means “unintelligible sounds”…

And the word probably is an onomatopoeia… a word formed from the noise being described.

Like sizzle, boom or zoom.

And with these wide classifications… Paul is letting his readers know he wants to reach everyone…

Greeks and barbarians… civilized and uncivilized…

Wise and unwise… skilled or foolish.

As is those perishing due either to their worldly wisdom or perishing due to their foolish simplicity… similar to what Paul wrote about in 1 Cor 1:18-31.

Paul was ready to preach the Gospel to all in Rome… without partiality.

To pay the debt he felt he owed… he eagerly wanted to evangelize the entire city.

And, then Paul lays out his theme for the letter… vv 16-17 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”

Paul was not ashamed of the gospel as some were.

Romans would be prone to be leery of the Gospel… for they were powerful… and sophisticated… and the gospel was embraced by the lowest classes of people.

Plus, there was a degree of shame in the Roman world to attach oneself… to be associated with one who was crucified.

That was the most shameful death one could die.

Roman culture looked down upon criminals who were crucified.

So, to put one’s faith in a crucified man and claim He was a crucified Savior was surely counter cultural.

And, thus false teachers were ashamed of the gospel and shared a gospel message that was more palatable and less offensive then the message of faith in Christ crucified… and His shed blood and broken body for the remission of our sins.

He died so we may live eternally… and without faith in Christ… we are judged by our works and will not stand… and sadly… a second death… eternal hell awaits those who reject Christ.

That’s an offensive message to some… as you diffuse the fragrance of Christ in the world… to some it will be the aroma of death and to others the aroma of life.

And, blessed are you if you are not ashamed of the gospel message.

Because just like in Paul’s day… there are many Pastors even… who still WILL NOT share an accurate gospel message.

They either take away the parts that might offend… or add works as a necessity to be saved… and both are wrong.

But, a true gospel is V16 the “power of God to salvation.”

Power is the Gk word dunamis meaning miraculous power… and is the root word for our English word “dynamite.”

And, the Gospel has the explosive power to wake up those who are sleeping… those who are spiritually dead… and to give them new life.

So share it… it’s powerful… don’t hinder it by being ashamed of it and not sharing all of it.

The Gospel is not about making you a better version of you…

If you’re spiritually dead… what’s the goal? To be a really rich, successful and good looking spiritually dead person?

You’re still dead… it doesn’t get worse then dead.

The Gospel has the power to transform the walking dead into spiritually alive people…

Through faith in Christ you are alive!

And, in God’s economy… right now… the physically alive are either spiritually alive or dead.

That’s why Jesus told Nicodemus in John 3, you must be “born again.”

Born spiritually… “the gospel of Christ… is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes...”

We cannot save ourselves. So, God provided His Son.

And, the power of God to salvation is transformative not just in eternity… but here and now.

Right now we are being saved from the power of sin…

We are in the process of sanctification… of being made holy…

We are being saved from slavery to our old nature… our sin nature…

I don’t know if you notice, but sin is not as pleasurable after you’re saved.

That’s also the power of God… because sin leads to death…

And, the Gospel is for everyone… for “for everyone who believes”… how many times and ways has Paul already emphasized this in Romans 1?

A lot…

And, it’s “… for the Jew first and also for the Greek.”

Which was the pattern of how the gospel spread… From Jerusalem… to Judea and Samaria… and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8)…

Jesus went to the “lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matt 15:24)…

The apostles were sent first to the Jews, and instructed to initially not go to the Gentiles (Matt 10:5-6)

And, this was because Israel had a chronological priority as God’s chosen people… who for centuries had stewarded the oracles of God… they were the custodians of God’s prophetic revelation that a Jewish Messiah… a Savior would come into the world… and thus they were given the privilege of hearing the Gospel first.

And, wrapping up in V17… (worship team come)

“… in it [“it” being the Gospel… in it…] the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.””

The Gospel reveals… uncovers… the righteousness of God…

How a guilty sinner can become right with God…

Righteousness means “justice”… fair and equitable dealing.

And, the gospel reveals how “from faith to faith”… lit. “out of faith in reference to faith”…

Or “by faith from beginning to end.”

God imputes or puts righteousness onto our account… not because of our good works… but because of our faith in Jesus Christ.

Poole wrote, “He saith not, from faith to works, or from works to faith; but from faith to faith, i.e. only by faith.”

And, Paul quotes Habakkuk 2:4 “… the just shall live by his faith.”

… to let the readers know that it’s always been by faith… even in the OT… NEVER by works… that man is justified before God.

One scholar wrote this is understood to mean, “The justified-by-faith ones shall live.”

And, Paul will be spending chapters ahead explaining ‘God’s righteousness revealed.’

So… read ahead.... and Lord willing… we’ll pick up in V18 next time.

Let’s Pray!

Our Elders are coming forth now if you have prayer needs…

… perhaps even a prayer for a revelation from the Lord on His will in this season of your life.

Go this week and live by faith… for “The just shall live by faith.”

God bless you as you go.