Notes on Romans

Outline of Romans: from a message preached on Romans Chapter 1 Verse 1: Paul: Serving, Sent and Separated Sin : Why do we need the Gospel: answered in chps 1 to 3 – Sin and Condemnation:

The Rotten Sinner (chp1) The (self) Righteous Sinner (chp2) and The Religious Sinner (chp2+3)

Salvation : What is the gospel, What did Christ actually do (chps3-5)? – Propitiation. How do I receive salvation (chp 4+5) – justification by faith. What are the products of salvation? The 4 'Rs' – Righteousness (5:1) Reconciliation (5:2,10), Rejoicing (5:2,17) and Regeneration (5:12-21). Struggle : Chapter 6 to 8 – Living the Christian Life – death to the old life (chps 6+7) and new life in Christ (chp 8). It is a struggle! This pattern seems a bit familiar? You could have written this yourself? When God saves us, for the first time in our life He gives us the liberty and ability to chose! We've never actually had that before. The extent to which we chose to be yielded to Christ and to His Spirit is the extent to which I enjoy victory, and His peace, presence and joy. If I allow the passions of the flesh to dictate my paths and my priorities, I will live a life of spiritual failure, misery and sorrow and disappointment. Life is a struggle? Do you think nominal Christians have a struggle? Do you think unregenerate men and women have a great spiritual struggle in their life? Take courage Christian, a struggle means there is a battle going one for the Spirits victory over the flesh! When it stops being a struggle you are either home in heaven or you've just back slidden! Spirit : The Solution : Chapter 8 – how we gain the victory in Christ Sovereign Purpose - Chapters 9 to 11 – Election! Dealing with serious objections to the Gospel! There are some silly objections you meet over the years: 'you don't believe that a man could be raised from the dead?' or 'You don't actually believe that water could be turned into wine?' - well yes I do believe that God can raise the dead and turn water into wine! There are some serious objections and problems: 'If God is so great and the Gospel is so obviously true why doesn't everyone believe?' (9:6). 'If God does save some and reject others is God fair?' (9:14) 'If this gospel is so important as you say it is then why hasn't everyone heard it and what about those who have never heard the gospel?' (chp9 &10) 'So you believe in a God who created the universe, a thousand million stars in a thousand million galaxies and He's interested in YOU! Aye right, get a grip, get real!' - answered in chapter 9! Sacrifice and Sanctification: (Chps 12) Romans is all about the Gospel! A safe bet – all of Gods Word is about Christ and about the Gospel! This epistle looks at how the gospel actually works! This epistle answers some of the really big questions that come from the gospel: A Passion for it (v1) The Promise of it (v2) The Person in it (v3-4) The Power behind it (v4) The Product of it (v6-7) A Passion for it (v1) “Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God” A Man - “Paul” A Ministry - “servant” A Master - “Jesus Christ” A Man - “Paul” First word we are presented with in this book about the gospel is a new name for an old man! Acts 9 – Sauls Complete Conversion from: Destroyer (9:21) to Disciple (9:19) Persecutor (9:4) to Preacher (9:20) Taking Christians out of the synagogue (9:2) to putting Christians into the synagogue (9:20) Darkness to light Foe to Friend Hunter (9:1-2) to hunted (9:23) Saul had to experience the gospel before he expounded or explained the gospel! It took the greatest work of God in the Chief of sinners (1Tim1:15), a murderer, a blasphemer and persecutor of the body of Christ, for the greatest exposition of the gospel to be written! Lets not miss the basics in our exposition of the book of Romans: this message changes lives! This much is evident in the first word of this epistle! When Christians begin to doubt it we slip into departure and decline! Paul never boasts about nor glories in his past sins, “For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret. (Eph 5:12)”, “Rom 6:21 What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ? for the end of those things is death.” He does not make much of his sins he makes much of his Saviour. But never think that your past failings disqualify you from future service! Gods Grace is sufficient for me! His grace is greater than my problems! Past failure does not exclude the possibility of future fruitfulness! Saul felt the gospel before he telt the gospel! We must know the power of Christ in our life before we will have a passion for Him! Paul was an example of the gospel before he was an expounder of the gospel! A Ministry - “servant” “δοῦλος” - a slave – don't get caught up with the man – get caught up with Christ and with His gospel! A Master - “Jesus Christ” Notice in connection with Pauls ministry he is: Serving: “a servant” Sent: “an apostle” Separated: “separated unto the Gospel” Serving: “a servant” “δοῦλος” - a slave First mention of “δοῦλος” in the NT: “Mat 8:9 For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.” Here is the priniciple of the “δοῦλος” - a slave: “do this and he doeth it” “Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful (1Co 4:2)” “For he that is called in the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord's freeman: likewise also he that is called, being free, is Christ's servant. Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men. (1Co 7:22-23)” A servant obeys the will of his master, he does not pick and chose what he does! Prepared to do whatever the Master chooses not what we necessarily want to do! Here is the problem! As servants of Christ we are to do what we are told! Do we think that the apostle Paul suffered floggings, imprisonment, stoning and ship wreck because he enjoyed that kind of thing? Because it was convenient? Because he didn't have anything better to do? Because he wasn't otherwise busy that night? Because he didn't have a better offer? Has the principle of discipleship changed to: if it is convenient, if it suits me, if I'm not busy, if I don't get a better offer, if I like it? I'm not trying to put anyone off of Christianity but I am trying to explain that even in the opening words of this epistle, the greatest exposition of the gospel ever written there lies something deeply profound: if I grasp the truth and the reality of this message, that I am a hell deserving sinner and that the Son of God died for my sins on the cross, if I truly grasp this, this message will truly grasp me and I will be totally given over to Christ! If I fail to truly grasp the power and reality of this message I will be marked by something less than total commitment and surrender! Be careful however, for to grasp something less than this message will not save me! Certain kinds of service may be more pleasing to us than others! We mustn't be too big for God! Sorry Lord but I don't do: evangelism, prayer, bible study, meetings, humility, forgiveness, grace, commitment, faithfulness! Here just a minute who is the 'servant' and who is the master? God is looking for servants not sovereigns! We can't pick and choose, we need to be willing to do what He gives us to do! But its embarrassing! But its awkward! But I've never done it before! But I'm not cut out for it! But I'm not experienced enough! But someone else is better at that than me! - Just some of the excuses I've used over the years! If you have some others you can give me them later! “of Jesus Christ” - get your eyes on Him! It is possible to lose sight of Him and have our eyes focused on men and to thus turn the gospel into: charitable works, a musical, a social club and to water down the preaching to what we think people want to hear! Sent: “an apostle” “ἀπόστολος” - literally a “sent one” We are not all apostles – they had very specific qualifications: “Wherefore of these men which have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection. (Act 1:21-22)” And were foundational to the Church: “And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; (Eph 2:20)” but we are all involved with being sent out with the gospel! “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: (Mat 28:19)”; “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. (Mar 16:15)” Sent out to family, friends, neighbours and the whole world! Separated: “separated unto the Gospel” Separated from the world and its priorities to Christ and His! Here is the positive aspect of sanctification, we often emphasis the negative! Before you rush to go to men be prepared by God! Cutting old ties and old links. The Promise of it (v2) The foundation of the gospel lies in: prophecy promise pattern picture This gospel message is not a new invention of Paul the apostle It did not have its origins in 33 AD but is firmly founded in the revelation of God going back 2000 years. Grasp the panorama of Divine revelation! The whole of the gospel is promised The whole of this epistle is drawn form OT revelation: Mans Sin: Psalm 53, Psalm 14 Justification by Faith: Abraham (Gen15) David (Psalm32; 51) The pictures of redemption and propitiation in the tabernacle (Rom3:25) Election in the life of Jacob and Esau, Moses and Pharaoh The Person in it (v3-4) Here is the subject of the Gospel: the person and work of Christ! We note here: Humanity of Christ (v3) Consider the prophecies of His humanity: Isa 7:14 Consider the specific prophecies that Christ would come through the family of Jesse (Isa11:1) and from the seed of David in particular: Ps132:11,12; 2 Sam 7:12-13, 16; Isa11:1; Ezek 34:23; 36:24ff; 37:24ff. Deity of Christ (v4) Consider the prophecies of His Deity: Isa 7:14; 40:1; Ps110; Ps2:7,12. The Power behind it (v4) “Spirit of Holiness” Christ is separated from the rest, separated from sinners, from the dead! He is different! One unique man in history! The usual natural laws were broken, biological principles reversed, for this to have happened God as the author and sustainer of these laws must have been involved! He is therefore: “declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead” Christ is: The Son of God who came by Promise (v2) The Son of God declared by Power (v4) “And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. (1Co 15:17)” The apostles preached “Christ and the resurrection” (Acts 2:31) The Gospel is not a collection of ideas, a philosophy, a set of dogmas it is the power of God unto Salvation (Rom1:16)! By His Power the Christian life comences (Rom1:6,16) and by His resurrection power the Christian life continues (Rom8:1ff) “δύναμις” - “power” - 120 X in the NT and 7 X in Romans The Product of it (v6-7) https://graceinchrist.org/romans