Written ~ 07-11-2024
Read Romans Chapter One
Romans 1
Let’s set the scene now for the first book we will be reading from the Apostle Paul. This letter to the believers in Rome is thought to have been written sometime during his third missionary journey but before getting arrested in Jerusalem. We’ll see in verses 1:8-15 where Paul talks about his longing to go to Rome and visit the believers there.
This first chapter of Romans starts off with a wonderful greeting to the Roman believers, then it shows us Paul’s commitment to serving the Lord and spreading the Good News message, but it also gives us a rather disappointing warning that there is still a rampant refusal from those who do not want to know who God is and as a result there is a blatancy of sinful acts being done among them. Actually in verses 1:18-32 we will see parallels of what is going on in the world today, the problems we see today we may think are something brand new, but they aren’t. Paul discusses the very same things he saw happening in the first century as well, that we see happening today. Paul does not pull any punches when it comes to sin and the repercussions of its indulgence.
As we get into the Book of Romans, I want to start off with verses 1:16-17, it pretty much encapsulates the entire essence of who Paul is…
Romans 1:16-17…
16 For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile.
17 This Good News tells us how God makes us right in His sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.”
The “Good News about Christ.” Finding Salvation in Jesus Christ is Good News! As believers we should want nothing more but to spread this Good News. Sometimes, it’s done with words, sometimes actions. We are to live for the Lord every moment of everyday.
As I pointed out earlier the Book of Romans is a letter the Apostle Paul wrote to the believers in Rome, he thanks God for their faith in the Lord and in his greeting to these believers he explains briefly what the Good News is, see here in Romans 1:1-7…
1 “This letter is from Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, chosen by God to be an apostle and sent out to preach His Good News.
2 God promised this Good News long ago through His prophets in the holy Scriptures.
3 The Good News is about His Son. In His earthly life He was born into King David’s family line,
4 and He was shown to be the Son of God when He was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit. He is Jesus Christ our Lord.
5 Through Christ, God has given us the privilege and authority as apostles to tell Gentiles everywhere what God has done for them, so that they will believe and obey Him, bringing glory to His name.
6 And you are included among those Gentiles who have been called to belong to Jesus Christ.
7 I am writing to all of you in Rome who are loved by God and are called to be His own holy people. May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.”
Let’s place ourselves within the contents of Paul’s letter to the Romans. We fall within the Gentile category! So when verse 1:6 says, “…you are included among those Gentiles who have been called to belong to Jesus Christ…” then again in 1:16 where it says, “…It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile…”that’s us! My hope is that as we continue studying the Word of God that we would personalize the Scriptures, to know they are written for us today as much as they were written for the people in the days of the prophets and apostles from the Bible.
You’ll probably notice that in many of my journal pages I mention how much I absolutely love Paul. I can read the letters he wrote to believers over and over again and not tire of his encouragement and practical instruction, this remains true to how I feel about the opening statements from Paul to the Romans. He is excited to share the Good News of Jesus Christ and encourages believers everywhere to have the same enthusiasm and not to be ashamed of getting the Good News out to everyone.
It has been well established through Scripture that the Good News of Salvation and Life Eternal is found through our faith in Jesus Christ the Son of God. It is through our faith in Him that we have been saved from the penalty of sin. Verse 1:16a says, “…I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ…” Have you ever felt a little shy about speaking up about your relationship with Christ for fear of rejection or ridicule? I must confess that I have. The boldness I can have in writing somehow escape my thoughts when I try to speak to someone face to face, I get tongue tied and my mind turns to mush. I know what I want to say, but it seems to turn to a puff of smoke when I try to convey what I’m thinking into actual words. So when I read this letter from Paul, I feel like he is speaking directly to my heart. I am not to be ashamed, why? Because “…it is the power of God at work…” so even though I may feel a little apprehensive at times, it’s through the Holy Spirit’s power that the Good News message spreads.
Listen to what Proverbs 15:23 says,
“Everyone enjoys a fitting reply; it is wonderful to say the right thing at the right time.”
Also it says in Romans 10:8…
“…The message is very close at hand; it is on your lips and in your heart. And that message is the very message about faith…”
As believers we should be excited to share what God has done through Jesus Christ.
Verse 1:17a says…
“This Good News tells us how God makes us right in His sight…”
How are we made right before God? By accepting the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior.
The rest of verse 1:17 says…
“…This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, ‘It is through faith that a righteous person has life.’”
So, there we have it! If you have already placed your faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, you already have the first means to start sharing the Good News!!! For those who are still not sure what this Good News is all about, keep your eyes and ears open and be ready for the “Power of God to be at work in your heart…” My prayer will be for the one who hasn’t yet accepted Christ as Lord and Savior, to make the decision to follow Him. Awaken your faith to those unseen things and trust God will meet you right where you are. My prayer is also to those of us whose hearts burst with the Good News, that we wouldn’t be ashamed, that God through His Holy Spirit would use us in a powerful way, to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ.
There is good news in the Bible, that’s evident on every page, but there is also warning to turn from the sinful desires of our hearts and the evil in this world, we would be wise to listen to the warnings every bit as much as we like to listen to the good news.
So let’s turn our hearts now to the warning Paul gives to the reader in this first chapter of Romans…
Romans 1:18-32 – MSG… (I chose to use The Message Version for this passage)
18-23 “But God’s angry displeasure erupts as acts of human mistrust and wrongdoing and lying accumulate, as people try to put a shroud over truth. But the basic reality of God is plain enough. Open your eyes and there it is! By taking a long and thoughtful look at what God has created, people have always been able to see what their eyes as such can’t see: eternal power, for instance, and the mystery of His divine being. So nobody has a good excuse. What happened was this: People knew God perfectly well, but when they didn’t treat Him like God, refusing to worship Him, they trivialized themselves into silliness and confusion so that there was neither sense nor direction left in their lives. They pretended to know it all, but were illiterate regarding life. They traded the glory of God who holds the whole world in His hands for cheap figurines you can buy at any roadside stand.
24-25 So God said, in effect, “If that’s what you want, that’s what you get.” It wasn’t long before they were living in a pigpen, smeared with filth, filthy inside and out. And all this because they traded the true God for a fake god, and worshiped the god they made instead of the God who made them—the God we bless, the God who blesses us. Oh, yes!
26-27 Worse followed. Refusing to know God, they soon didn’t know how to be human either—women didn’t know how to be women, men didn’t know how to be men. Sexually confused, they abused and defiled one another, women with women, men with men—all lust, no love. And then they paid for it, oh, how they paid for it—emptied of God and love, godless and loveless wretches.
28-32 Since they didn’t bother to acknowledge God, God quit bothering them and let them run loose. And then all hell broke loose: rampant evil, grabbing and grasping, vicious backstabbing. They made life hell on earth with their envy, merciless killing, bickering, and cheating. Look at them: mean-spirited, venomous, fork-tongued God-bashers. Bullies, pompous braggers, insufferable windbags! They keep inventing new ways of wrecking lives. They ditch their parents when they get in the way. Stupid, slimy, cruel, cold-blooded. And it’s not as if they don’t know better. They know perfectly well they’re spitting in God’s face. And they don’t care—worse, they hand out prizes to those who do the worst things best!”
The Scripture speaks for itself in this passage. This is what I meant when I said Paul does not pull any punches when he warns about the punishment of sin. It needs to be clear that when we, as believers, stand firm in the Word of God, that means we stand firm in everything. When we see so much of the world today in the Scriptures we can not ignore the fact that what God is saying through Paul and the rest of the Scripture writers is TRUTH. The brazen, vulgar and vociferous means by which the human race involves itself with “every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior and gossip” (NLT) has twisted their hearts to believe that their perverse ways are perfectly fine and within their rights as a man or as a woman. God will not stand for blatant sin without showing His anger towards that sin. In verse 1:24 it says, “So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired…” (NLT) and then in verse 1:28 it says, “Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, He abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done.” (NLT)
In the Old Testament book of Habakkuk, this prophet is having a “conversation” with God, in verse 1:13 Habakkuk gives us a small peek into just one characteristic of God… (When time allows I highly recommend reading the three chapters of Habakkuk, it is one of my favorite books in the Old Testament).
Habakkuk 1:13a (The New International Version – NIV)…
“Your eyes are too pure to look on evil;
You cannot tolerate wrongdoing.”
God cannot tolerate sin. But, He has given us free will to do what we want to do. But that does not mean we will be free from consequence by disregarding the Will of God. God may not force His Will on anyone, but His justice, in the long run will prevail. Unfortunately, some will never seek the Lord’s righteousness and in the end will suffer the punishment for going against the Will of God (simply speaking the Will of God is what our Heavenly Father wants for us). And what is it that God wants? God wants everyone to turn from our sinful natures, repent and be saved.
That’s why it should be an increasing burden of every believer’s heart to reach the unsaved. Starting with those closest to you, if they aren’t willing to listen, then step out in faith and speak the Word of the Lord to everyone you come in contact with. The price for the sin of the world has been paid, everyone who seeks the Lord will be saved. But it is up to us through the guidance of the Holy Spirit to get the word out! Spreading the Good News message isn’t only the mission of the Apostle Paul, it is the mission of each and every believer!
If the first chapter of Romans is any indication as to what the rest of this book is going to be like, we better put on our seat belts and hold on tight! I can’t imagine Paul ever blurring lines between right and wrong, so I am confidant we will hear more of his direct teaching, he has a no mincing of words tactic, his purpose in that type of teaching is to prepare the heart of every believer to walk according to the Word of God.
With each Bible Study, I pray that you will prepare your heart, to prepare your mind to whatever God wants to say to your life, to your situation, to your relationship with Him. It may open your eyes to things you had never considered.
~AMEN~