Memorize: Testimony about man’s sinfulness
Key Verses: 8, 16-17, 18, 21, 32
It is hard to not talk about every verse! Romans is so packed with Truth … but I will have to restrain myself.
Paul begins his letter to the people in Rome as everyday letters of his day were written. Instead of ending the letter by signing it, as we do today, Paul starts by introducing himself to the readers of the letter. He gives his qualifications for writing. He then says to whom he is writing and ends with a blessing. Grace and peace are something we all need to experience more in our lives. Peace (shalom in Hebrew) was a standard greeting of that day. Peace with God and the peace of God are both present in the grace that comes through Jesus Christ.
Then Paul begins with his “famous faith” verse. Imagine having a faith that is that famous, being known all over the world. I was reading the latest Voice of the Martyrs newsletter this morning while eating. I want to encourage you to visit http://www.persecution.org and read about our brothers and sisters who have famous faith because they are enduring persecution for their belief in Jesus.
Paul has prayed and continues to pray for them. He wants to come and see them and that they encourage each other when that happens. Because, just as Paul was not ashamed of his faith, he has heard about their faith, and wants them to share together in their common grace.
Verses 16-17 are the theme verses for the entire book. As was discussed in the introduction video that I included in yesterday’s BLOG, the righteousness of God has come to us in Jesus. We are now in right standing with Him, now having His righteousness given to us in Jesus. And this new possession in which we share comes as it has always come by trusting what God says and does. This is nothing new, as we will learn in this book. Everyone throughout salvation history has come by faith.
So if this book is about grace, why does Paul begin by talking about God’s wrath? That is because in order to understand grace we must have an accurate understanding of our need for grace. Grace answers the wrath dilemma. Humans reject God and then things go from bad to worse. When we reject God gives us over to the consequences of our choices. He does not prevent us from rejecting grace. He hopes the pain of wrath will cause us to return, but He never forces us to return. The progression goes from idolatry to sexual gratification to sexual perversion to broken thinking. Then there is no restraint to the evil that is done. And this progression takes place even in the face of the knowledge that doing these things will bring death. What a sad state of affairs!
REVIEW: IN THE CHURCH
The Arnold Journey 