One of the Institute staff led us through Romans this week, our very own Chad Hampsch. Romans in one sentence is the “righteousness of God revealed” and one main way his righteousness is revealed is in the person of Jesus Christ. A definition of righteous is “the state or condition of perfectly conforming to God’s perfect law and holy character.”
The first chapter of Romans introduces our author, Paul. He has a great desire to visit Rome and is encouraged by their growing faith. Paul is eager to share the Gospel because it is the foundation of our salvation. Romans 1:16-17 “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 man SHALL LIVE BY FAITH." We should never forget the gospel as believers. Also we must remember that the Gospel is for everyone, Jews and Gentiles. Paul then leads into chapter two by saying that both Gentiles and Jews are unrighteous. In chapter two he tells Jews that having the Law does not make them more holy and he points out that they cannot uphold all of the Law. God’s standards of judgment of mankind are truth, impartiality, and Jesus Christ.
Then Paul beings to explain justification starting in the middle of chapter three and goes until the middle of chapter five. To be justified means to be made sinless and holy, to be declared innocent. Romans 5:9 “Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath of God through Him.” Chapter six shows what sanctification looks like and points out the differences between being a slave to sin and slave to righteousness. If we are justified then we are freed from sin and enslaved to God. Although we are not slaves to sin anymore sanctification is still a process.
Paul goes out of his way to reference figures of the Old Testament. We see this in chapter nine. He knew that the Jews would know the Old Testament very well. He alludes to the figures from the past to point out that righteousness is attained by faith. He saw that the Jews were pursuing righteousness but not attaining it because they were trying to attain it by works. They were stumbling over the stumbling block of Jesus Christ who we put our faith in to make us righteous. Since they Jews were rejecting the Gospel, Paul shares it with the Gentiles. He hoped that by Gentiles becoming believers the Jews would become jealous and become believers as well. After showing the need for a Savior, the equality of the Gospel, the promises of receiving the Gospel, and God’s plan of restoration Paul offers application to the reader.
Every believer must present everything to God. In chapter twelve, He asks us to present our bodies, gifts, and life to Him. He is the reason we are alive and He gave us our gifts and talents to bring glory to Him. He deserves our whole life because He has the best plan for our lives. Paul gives us steps to live devoted to Christ. Paul offers steps to be a Christian in the world. We all have the same faith, but different conviction but we are to live in harmony with all people.
In Paul’s conclusion he offers encouragement to the Gentiles and shares his desire to preach the Gospel where it is not know. We should encourage fellow believers and have the desire share the Gospel, whether that’s here in America or in different country. He ends with a warning to beware of those who cause division and try to deceive with flattery. He desires for unity in the body of believers.
Every book of the Bible offers wisdom from God. Romans offers wisdom on our faith and how it is available to everyone. While I don’t run into Jews on a daily basis, I do know that the idea that being a good person is the way to heaven is prevalent in America. Romans encourages to share the Gospel with them and I can use verses in Romans to show them that God’s own chosen people needed faith and not just the Law. My prayer as I read Romans was “Lord, show me how to deny myself. Show me how to use my life for you. Show me how to exercise brotherly love.” There are also parts of Romans that can be debated. Debate is not bad; it causes us to dig deeper into the Word. However some questions will not have answers. When that situation arises I cling to Romans 11:33, “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!”
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