Romans 1:1-17

To help my friends realize why I'm suddenly so particular about everything revolving around the Gospel, I'm going to paste a copy of an email I sent to someone I know from a forum. Hopefully, this will give you insight as to why I've been acting the way I've been of late. I'm sending the guy a series of study on Romans, which I heard at the seminar, one email at a time. In the meantime, thanks for being tolerant of my recent bursts of energy.
My own text is in blue, and my thoughts were in blue, and the one from the speaker is in dark green.

Hi David!

I finally come to tell you what changed my whole perspective on interpretation. It is from Romans, which explains the Gospel in the clearest sense. But since I don't want to risk missing out everything, and end up messing up the flow of thinking Paul describes in Romans, I'll go bit by bit.

For a very long time, I have heard preachers in my church, as well as a few others from other denominations, on the radio, I got frustrated at them constantly saying: "Preach the Gospel" etc. I kept thinking, "That's all good, and I completely agree. But what is the Gospel?!! All I have heard is that the Gospel is Jesus the Son of God came as our Substitute and died in place for us at the cross, so that we would not have to face death because He loved us. That sounds like a washed-out piece of theology! It sounds discarded, like not many want to hear it and so just say it so blandly. How can I pick up the courage to tell the Gospel to others if that's all there is to it? What if they ask for details? I haven't heard any details."
I got frustrated because I refused to believe that the Gospel could be fully explained, with details, in five breaths. I ended up thinking that I wasn't going to get the whole story by listening to preachers. So I prayed for some time, on and off, to God for an opportunity to understand His Good News to sinners better. Then one day I attended a seminar talking about only the Gospel, and it was an eye-opener.

The speaker backed his case so systematically, and it made so much more sense than what I had heard before, that I ended up getting my father (who is the one with cash, I'm not working yet), who also wanted some of his books, to buy his books on Romans, Galatians, and the Heavenly Sanctuary. Up till now, I haven't finished reading the one on Romans. Also, whenever the speaker talked about the Gospel, I kept getting a feeling of peace that I have finally come across the true Gospel.

The speaker began with Paul's introduction at Romans 1:1-17. He first gave eight definitions of sin before going to Paul's writings.
1) A deliberate act against the law of God. See 1 John 3:4 .
2) A mental consent to a temptation or a sinful desire, the sin of coveting. See Rom. 7:7,8. (See also Matt. 5:27,28; James 1:14; Prov. 24:9.)
3) Neglect of known duties or opportunity. See James 4:17. (See also James 2:14; Matt. 23:23; Matt. 25:43-46.)
4) Doing the wrong thing out of ignorance. See Lev. 5:17-19. (See also Luke 12:48; 1 Tim. 1:13.)
5) Doing the right thing, like good works or law keeping, for the wrong reason or motive---Matthew 7:22,23 (Isaiah 64:6; Romans 9:30-32; Philippians 3:3-9 )
6) Our sinful natures, which we inherited from Adam. See Psalm 51:5; Psalm 58:3. (See also Rom. 5:19,20; Eph. 2:3b; Phil. 3:20,21.)
7) A law, principle, or constant force, dwelling in our sinful natures (indwelling sin in the flesh). This makes us slaves to sin. Therefore, holy living, in and of ourselves, is impossible. See Rom. 7:14, 20-23. (See also Luke 11:39; John 8:31-34.)

The first five definitions of sin (1-5) involve responsibility (volition) and therefore bring guilt. But the last two sins (6 & 7), which we all inherited at birth because of the Fall, does not involve guilt (responsibility) but only condemnation. These two are what makes us sinners by nature. There is one sin, however, the eighth, that Christ did not die for. This is the unpardonable sin or the sin against grace. It is the deliberate, persistent and ultimate rejection of Christ, the sin of unbelief --- John 3:16-18,36; Mark 16:15,16. Christ referred to this sin as the sin against the Holy Spirit --- Matthew 12:30-32. This is the only sin why anyone will be lost and be kept out of heaven --- Hebrews 2:1-4; 10:26-29, 35-38.

This was already very good for me to hear, because for once, I actually have a list of what definitions there are of sin. After that, the speaker went to Paul's Introduction. But since I don't remember everything he said verbatim, I'll refer to what is written in his book. It will be highlighted in dark green.

Unlike any of Paul's epistles, whether it be to the church or to individuals, this is the only letter he wrote to a church, to a body of Christians, whom he had not established or to whom he had not been. In other words, Paul, when he wrote Corinthians and Ephesians, and individual letters, was writing to people to whom he had already expounded the gospel verbally. But in Romans, he was writing to a people whom he had never met before. And, because of this, he is expounding to them all the wonderful truths of the Gospel.

For example, look at verse 11 of chapter 1. There he tells us that the purpose of writing this letter, the purpose of his coming to Rome:

I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong.

And then in verse 13 he says:

I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that I planned many times to come to you (but have been prevented from doing so until now) in order that I might have a harvest among you, just as I have had among the other Gentiles.

In chapter 15, verse 22 and 23, he tells us why he was hindered:

This is why I have often been hindered from coming to you. But now that there is no more place for me to work in these regions, and since I have been longing for many years to see you....

God said to him, "No, you cannot go to Rome until you finish the work in the Middle East. You have to enter every unentered area."

The great theme of this book is expressed in chapter 1, verses 15, 16, and 17. And then he makes this statement in verse 16:

I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.

It was quite customary in Paul's day, when they wanted to make an emphasis, to put things in the negative. So he puts it in the negative to emphasize the positive. Now I think that if Paul was living today, he would have put it in the positive because that's how it is in the western world. He would have said, "I am absolutely, completely surrounded, and I am completely excited, about the gospel of Jesus Christ. I have nothing else to do but to preach it."

Paul is saying that he is not ashamed of the Gospel, because the Romans looked at the Christians as third-class citizens. The Romans had class distinctions. The Romans themselves were first-class citizens. In fact, because they were first-class citizens, it was generally understood that Romans were never crucified, because crucifixion always brought shame to your country and to your nation. So Romans, as a general rule, were never crucified; they were first-class citizens. And then the Romans looked at the Jews as second-class citizens. But the Christians, who worshipped a crucified Saviour, were looked at as third-class citizens. But Paul is saying, "Ashamed? Not at all! Why? Because I have come to you with not another philosophy."

Rome, with all her pride and all her success, had failed to do one thing. It had failed to conquer sin. And Paul was saying, "There is only one Power that can conquer sin: the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Ashamed of it? Why should I be? It's the only power that can save man. As long as he accepts that salvation, as long as he believes, whether he be Jew or Greek, it doesn't matter. Whether he be wise or educated or uneducated; whether he be rich or poor, there is only one solution for man's sinful problem, and that is Jesus Christ." And then in verse 17, he defines this gospel in one phrase:

For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith."

"It is the righteousness of God." What does he mean by that?

1. It is a righteousness planned by God.
2. It is a righteousness prepared by God without any human contribution. (We will see this in more detail as we come to chapter three, verse 21 onwards.)
3. It is a righteousness that is made available by God Himself. I want this to be clear. In the New Testament, we read that it is God Who takes the initiative for our salvation. The Gospel is not conditional Good News. God doesn't say to the world, and to you and me, "You first have to be good," or "First you must make yourself disposable to me, then I will save you." When we come to chapter 5, we will discover that, while we were helpless, incapable of saving ourselves, while we were ungodly, while we were enemies, and while we were sinners, God reconciled us to Himself by the death of His Son. God takes the initiative.

The western world, and in our church as a whole, we have twisted the thing around. We hold efforts and we tell people, "Come to our halls, and listen to the Gospel." That's not the New Testament. The New Testament, and the commission that Christ gave is: "Go into all the world" and do what? Just like God takes the initiative we must take the initiative. The world is desperately waiting for the gospel of Jesus Christ. It was planned by Him, it was prepared by Him in His Son Jesus Christ, and it was made available by Him. He takes the initiative, He gets all the credit and all the glory. This is the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

In other words, what Paul is trying to present in this book is the unconditional good news of salvation, which He prepared for us in His Son Jesus Christ. That, of course, is the grand theme of all of the Bible, Old and New Testament. But, nowhere is it set forth so clearly, and argued so masterfully, as in the Epistle to the Romans.

In this book, the Apostle Paul unfolds to us the whole counsel of God:

1. He presents to us our sin problem: man's sinful condition.
2. He gives us the truth about Christ, His life and His death as our Substitute and our Surety.
3. He describes faith in Christ as the basis of making that salvation effective, or the solution to our sin problem.
4. Then he goes on to the work of the Holy Spirit in our sanctification.
5. He also describes the place of God's people in this world. We have a work to do in this world! He describes that.
6. Lastly, he gives practical applications of the Gospel in daily Christian living.

So everything that we need in the plan of salvation is found in this book. It is a difficult book, because he's writing not to scholars; he's writing to people who thought so differently than our people today in the 20th century.

In closing, I would like to give a brief résumé of what this doctrine of righteousness by faith, expounded in Romans, is all about. There are four major areas that Paul covers in this book:

1. This doctrine of Righteousness by faith is a truth that tells us that God has already — I want to remind you: it is a past tense — He has already redeemed not the elect, like the Calvinists teach, but all mankind, in the holy history of His Son Jesus Christ. So that legally, all humanity — and that's the unconditional Good News of the Gospel — legally, all humanity stands justified in Christ. For example, in Ephesians 1:3 Paul tells us that:

   Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed usin the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. [past tense, "aorist" in the original; something that has already happened: we have already been blessed]

   And this is what Paul will expound in Romans.

2. He goes on to tell us that this legal justification, while it may apply to all mankind, has to be made effective. All mankind will not go to heaven, not because God hasn't redeemed them, but because they have rejected this salvation. This legal justification is made effective by faith alone and nothing else. It isn't by faith plus going to the Holy Land, or paying tithe, or keeping the Sabbath. Those are fruits of justification.
3. Justification by faith does not stop there. It goes beyond that. It further teaches that because you have become a child of God, God sends His Holy Spirit to indwell the believer, so that you and I become partakers of the Divine Nature. Why? That we may escape the corruption that is in the world. And by the corruption that is in the world I don't mean just the cinemas and all the other things. The corruption of the world is in us because our nature is corrupt, and will remain corrupt until the second coming of Christ, when this corruption puts on incorruption. God sends the Holy Spirit to dwell in us. As Paul will explain in Romans 5, because of this, we are standing under the umbrella of grace. We are standing in grace. Not only do we have peace with God, we have been reconciled to Him, but we have available the power of God through the indwelling Spirit. Which means that now we can live lives that are well pleasing to God. That is the power of justification by faith or the fruits of justification by faith. In other words as Jesus said in John 15:4-5, 7-8:

   Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. ...If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be given you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

   So please remember that there is a very important part of justification by faith that we need to realize. And I'll tell you why, but before I do that, let me just give you one more text: Matthew 5:14. Jesus is talking to the Christian believers, the disciples, and He's making a statement. He says:

   You [you disciples] are the light of the world....

   The word "light" in the original is in the singular; the "you" is in the plural. We are many, but we are one light, because that one light is Jesus Christ. And when Jesus came to this world, He came as a light in darkness. Now Jesus is no longer here; He's back in heaven. But His body, the church, the ecclessia, the called people are here. And Jesus said to us, "You are the light of the world." And then in Matthew 5, verse 16:

   In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

4. Finally, and this is in connection with number three, justification by faith is able to produce a community of believers, a called people. It doesn't matter what their numbers are, but it is able to produce a community of people who are so knit together in love that they behave as if they were one person. Now that is a miracle, in a sinful world. Can God produce a people who are so closely knit together that there is no jealousy, there is no bickering, but we are one heart and one mind? The Gospel of Christ can do that. And when that happens, this earth will be lightened with His glory.

   I want to close with an example because this is my concern for the Adventist church. As long as we are fighting like cats and dogs, we can never witness the power of the Gospel. So I want to give you, in closing, a text which proves that this did happen once. It was short lived, because of the perversion of the Gospel. It will happen again, and I want us to be part of it. And my closing text is Acts 4:33-35. Let's start with verse 32 because that's a key statement that's the goal of the gospel and the life of the church. Acts 4:32, listen to this:

   All the believers were one in heart and mind. [Have you got it? One heart and one soul.] No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had.

5. Verse 33:

   With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace [the same power now was manifested] was upon them all.

   Do you know what that means? The resurrection of Christ is the greatest evidence that God has conquered sin. Because, you see, sin takes us to the grave. If you can conquer the grave, you can conquer sin. If you can't conquer the grave, you can't conquer sin, because the ultimate power of sin is the grave. Jesus conquered the grave as the greatest evidence that He conquered sin. And the disciples with great power gave witness to this truth. Acts 4:34-35:

   There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need.

   Folks, that is the power of the gospel. Can it happen here, in 20th century North America, with all its materialism? The answer is yes! Because Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today, and forever. And He said this [John 8:32]:

   Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

This was so great when I read it. Of course, the speaker only gave an outline of what will be covered. If you disagree with what he says in the outline, just hold on till I get to the part where he explains it. Because, if there's one thing I learned at TDL, is that jumping from one point to the other without a systematic approach confuses everyone. But, so far so good.

Till next time,
Your Brother-in-Christ,
Matthew