Village Schools of the Bible

ROMANS: Heart & Soul of the Gospel
A Devotional Study of Romans
by Max Frazier, Jr.

Paul's Purpose Statement

VERSE EIGHT:

THROUGH JESUS CHRIST - He is the mediator through whom thanksgiving is offered to God. Paul is giving thanks for people. The reason for the thanksgiving is their faith. Faith must find expression in a person's relationship to God. In all our approaches to God in prayer or praise, we must come in the name of Christ as the ground of our acceptance.

b. OVER THE WORLD - how readily people heard and identified with this faith/testimony of the Romans.

VERSE NINE:

a. GOD IS WITNESS - see further 2 Corinthians 1:23, Philippians 1:8,and 1 Thessalonians 2:5,10. The use is a devout recognition of God's omniscience and hence is an act of worship.

b. I SERVE - Paul's service to God was in his spirit, and therefore in the Holy Spirit. Paul's priesthood is not merely external, but the living service of God by a spiritually awakened, vital, and steadfast conscience.

c. SERVE - see further Romans 12:1, Romans 15:16, Philippians 3:3, 2 Timothy 1:3; Hebrews 9:14

d. IN THE GOSPEL OF HIS SON - Paul's spirit is the temple, the sphere of his service. The gospel is the substance and form of his service of God.

VERSE TEN:

a. I PRAY THAT NOW AT LAST BY GOD'S WILL THE WAY MAY BE OPENED FOR ME TO COME TO YOU - truths about Paul's prayer request:

1. Paul had a strong desire to visit Rome which he made as a specific request to God.

2. The fulfillment of that request had been repeatedly frustrated - see verse 13

3. But Paul kept on praying.

4. Paul was persuaded that his desire was consistent with God's will for him as an apostle.

5. He resigns himself completely to the will of God.

VERSE ELEVEN:

a. SPIRITUAL GIFT - we do not know what this gift was, but it was a special spiritual invigoration of the whole Christian life. Return to Study Notes Index

VERSE THIRTEEN:

a. HAVE BEEN PREVENTED - Paul was possibly prevented by three means:

1. His work - see further Romans 15:19, 22-23

2. Satan - see further 1 Thessalonians 2:18

3. The Holy Spirit - see further Acts 16:6

VERSE SIXTEEN:

In verses 16 and 17 we have the text of the whole Epistle of Romans. First, the words "the gospel" indicate something so very dear to Paul. Second, we notice the universal saving power of this gospel. Third, the secret of the gospel's power is the revelation of God's righteousness on the principle of faith. Fourth, the accord of all this with the Old Testament Scriptures - "the righteous shall live by faith."

a. FOR I AM NOT ASHAMED OF THE GOSPEL - here we have Paul's willingness to go to Rome. I am not ashamed is an answer to an objection that was readily suggested by the word Rome, with all its associations of idolatry, worldly power, pride, pomp, corruption, decay, and approaching persecution of Christians. (see further 2 timothy 1:12 - Paul was not ashamed of his bonds in Rome)

b. FOR IT IS THE POWER OF GOD UNTO SALVATION - this is the reason for Paul's boldness. The message of Christ crucified, dead, buried, and risen - being believed is the "power of God."

c. SALVATION - God does not say unto reformation, education, progress, nor development. Salvation is a word for a lost man and for none other. Men are either involved in salvation or in its opposite, perdition.

d. TO THE JEW FIRST - how is the word "first" used?

1. No distinction between Jew and Gentile as to the fact of sin

2. No distinction between Jew and Gentile as to the availability of salvation

3. The word just indicates an order of sequence as it does in Romans 1:8

VERSE SEVENTEEN:

a. RIGHTEOUSNESS - A righteousness impartable as well as imputable, or sanctifying as well as justifying. A righteousness inherent in God, and manifested in Christ that becomes a part of the nature of the believer.

b. REVEALED - better translated "is being revealed." The present tense of the verb marks the continuous, progressive revelation of righteousness.

c. FROM FAITH TO FAITH - faith is the instrument. The saving power is in Christ's person and work, but becomes personally available, and is made our own, only by the appropriating organ of faith.

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS:

Four times in this section Paul uses the word "gospel." If we are to properly understand what he is saying, we must first define the term. What constitutes this gospel that Paul is so eager to proclaim? Let's see if we can put it into three or four statements.

1) The Gospel is the revelation of God through the person of Jesus Christ. It is our coming to understand God as we come to know Christ.

2) Its theme is our redemption through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is through the Gospel that we come to understand our separation from God because of our sin, and God's plan to reconcile us to Himself.

3) The Gospel is the presentation of this plan of God's salvation.

4) The Gospel will culminate in the victorious, glorious, kingdom of Christ. It is this Gospel that Paul desires to preach in Rome even as he has preached it elsewhere. It is this Gospel that God has entrusted to us when He declared that we were to be His witnesses to our Jerusalems, to our Judeas, to our Samarias, and to the uttermost part of our world (Acts 1:8). We really are telling people about Jesus.

Is anyone to be excluded from this proclamation of the Gospel? The answer is found in verse 14. It is no. In fact, Paul declares that he has an obligation to everyone to tell them about Jesus. Paul, in the following chapters of this letter outlines for us his presentation of the Gospel to the Greeks and non-Greeks. First, there must be the presentation of our present standing before a holy and righteous God - we are sinners. As we shall soon discover, Paul does not paint a very appetizing picture of who we are outside of Christ. Second, there must be the presentation of God's solution to our dilemma: how can a sinful man be reconciled to a holy God? This is known as justification. Finally, there must be the presentation of God's desire for our lives once we have placed our trust in Christ as Savior. This is known as sanctification.

In verse 16 Paul declares that the Gospel is the power of God. As has been noted above, the message of Christ crucified, dead, buried, and raised to new life is the centerpiece of the Gospel. But, it is not the cross that is powerful. It is the message of the cross that is powerful (see further 1 Corinthians 1:18,23). So our focus is to be upon Christ. All other messages pall when compared to Him.

QUESTIONS TO PONDER AS YOU READ THESE VERSES:

1.Why must a Christian's approach to God in praise or in prayer be through Jesus Christ? Why can't we just go directly to God? What effect should this have upon our attitude as we pray?

2.One reason for Christian fellowship is encouragement. How can you plan to encourage another this week? Be specific.

3.In these verses Paul strongly declares his testimony about the gospel message of Christ. If we claim to believe this message as Paul did, then why are we not seeing our neighbors won to Christ? Are we ashamed of this gospel? Is it powerless for us?

Romans 1:1-7 Return to the Table of Contents Romans 1:18-32