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Study Of Romans - Lesson 1
Preparation for study: Read Romans chapters 1 through 5. As you read look for the answers to the following questions.
During Paul's introduction in Romans 1, he makes a statement that sums up the God's plan for man. Paul says in Romans 1 verse 5 b, "we received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith." The key phrase is "obedience that comes from faith." There are two ways to get someone to obey. One is fear. The other is love. Proverbs 1:7 says the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. But 1 John 4:18 says perfect love casts out fear. God wants to have relationship with us, so that we love him so much that we want to obey him. This is what Paul refers to as "obedience that comes from faith" in God.
Question: Should men and women know there is a God, even if they have not been told?
Answer: Yes. Romans 1:19-20 says, “19 “ … since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.
Question: What did mankind do wrong?
Answer: They did not glorify God and they were not thankful to God. Romans 1:21 says, "For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him."
They worshipped created things instead of worshipping God. Romans 1:25 says, “They … worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator”
They disobeyed God. Romans 1:24-31, says, “24 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25 They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen. 26 Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. 27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31 they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless.”
Here is a list of the sins Paul mentions above.
• Homosexuality (Sexual Impurity)
• Greed
• Envy
• Murder
• Deceit
• Malice
• Depravity
• Strife
• Gossips
• Slanderers
• God-haters
• Insolent
• Arrogant
• Boastful
• Invent ways of doing evil
• Disobey Parents
• Senseless
• Faithless
• Heartless
• Ruthless
Question: What Is The Punishment For What Man Did Wrong?
Answer: God gives up on man. Romans 1:4 answers this question and says, “Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires …” Romans 1:28 says, “…he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. …”
Man deserves death. Romans 1:32 says, "Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.”
Man gets the wrath of God. Romans 1:18 says, “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness …”
Man will be judged and rewarded for their works. Romans 2 6-11, “6 God will give to each person according to what he has done."7 To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. 8 But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. 9 There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile; 10 but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. 11 For God does not show favoritism.”
Question: Should We Judge others?
Answer: No. Romans 2 1-4 say, “1 You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. 2 Now we know that God's judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. 3 So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God's judgment? 4 Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you toward repentance?”
Is there a Special Punishment of wrath for those who judge others? Answer: Yes. Continuing from Romans 2 verses 1 to 4 where Paul is referring to those who judge others, in Romans 2:5 Paul says, “But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God's wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed.”
Question: What Can We Learn About God?
Answer: In the middle of condemning those who judge others, Paul makes a profound statement in Romans 2 verse 4 when he says, “Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you toward repentance?
This verse holds the secret to how God changes the lives of people and why we as Christians should not interfere with God's process. Paul is saying that when we judge others, we "show contempt" to God. When we judge others we short-circuit God's plan for changing people. Paul says that God's plan for changing people is that God's shows them kindness and tolerance and patience. Paul says God's patience and kindness and tolerance leads people to repentance.
Question: Can people get saved without knowing about Jesus?
Answer: Paul seems to say yes, since all the Old Testament saints were saved by faith by believing in God and they did not know Jesus. Paul says in Romans 1:19-20 that people ought to know about God. Then in Romans 2:13-16 Paul says some people who do not know the law, but they know in their hearts and consciences what is right and wrong, and so they do the right thing and they will be rewarded "on the day when God will judge men's secrets ..."
Romans 2 13-16 says, “13 For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God's sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous. 14 (Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law, 15 since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them.) 16 This will take place on the day when God will judge men's secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares.
Romans 2:26 says, “If those who are not circumcised keep the law's requirements, will they not be regarded as though they were circumcised?”
Romans 4 3 says, "What does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness."
So if people who do not know Jesus, recognize there is a God and have faith in God and because "they know in their hearts and consciences what is right and wrong, and so they do the right thing", Paul says their faith will be counted as righteousness and so Jesus died for their sins too.
Jumping ahead in Romans, we find that Paul does not think it very likely that people will believe in God and get saved without someone telling them about Jesus.
In Romans 10 verses 9 to 15 Paul says, "9 That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. 11 As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame." 12 For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13 for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." 14 How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15 And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"
So Paul says, "how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard?", unless someone tells them. Then Paul says, "how beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news." So this is our motivation to tell others about Jesus - because if we don't go and tell them, they most likely will not get saved.
Nevertheless, according to Paul, there is the possibility that someone could believe in God and have faith and try and live a life pleasing to God based on their conscience and what they know is right in their heart, Paul says their faith will be counted to them as righteousness and Jesus payment for sins will be for them too. This doesn't mean they never sinned, as we know Abraham sinned too. It only means that their faith in God and their obedience to God from what they know in their heart and mind is right and what their conscience tells them, this will be counted to them as righteousness by God, because God is an impartial judge.
Question: Are we all sinners?
Answer: Yes. Romans 3:10-11 says, “10 As it is written: "There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God.
Question: Does keeping the law make one righteous?
Answer: No, it only makes one conscious of sin.
Romans 3:19 says, “Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. 20 Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.”
Question: So what is Paul saying? First he says we will all be judged for our works. He also says we are all sinners. Now he says keeping the law does not make one righteous. So how can one be righteous in God's eyes? –
Answer: Through faith in Jesus.
Romans 3:21-26 says, “21 But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
Romans 3:28 says, “For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law.”
Question: Is God more merciful or more just?
Answer: In Romans 3 25-26, Paul points out that God has always been forbearing and in fact He sent Jesus to die for our sins in order to demonstrate that He is just. So God is and was and will be merciful and forbearing towards those who would have faith in God and only for one instance - when Jesus paid for our sins, did God practice his justice and punish Jesus for all the sins of those who have, had, and will have, faith in God.
It is obvious that God's attribute of love and mercy (forbearance) is far stronger than his attribute of justice, because God has always shown mercy and forbearance and it was only to "demonstrate his justice" that he practiced justice and punished Jesus for our sins.
Romans 3 25-26 say, "25 God presented him (Jesus) as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his (God's) justice, because in his (God's) forbearance he (God) had left the sins committed beforehand (sins of Old Testament saints) unpunished— 26 he (God) did it to demonstrate his (God's) justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.”
Of course we know that God will again practice his justice when he judges those who did not have faith in God. Then it will seem like God's justice is His most dominant attribute.
Question: Is Christ's payment for sins only to fulfill the law but not to replace our being judged for our good or bad works? After we believe and have faith that Jesus died for our sins, do works still count? Is God still going to judge us for our works as Paul said in Romans 2 6-11?
Answer: Paul says that righteousness through Christ is a gift and is not based on our works.
Romans 4 4-8 says, “4 Now when a man works, his wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation. 5 However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness. 6 David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works: 7 "Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. 8 Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him."
Romans 5:1-2 says, “1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand.”
Romans 5:6 says, “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.”
Romans 5:9, says, “Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him!”
However Paul seems to teach that even Christians will have to pay for things they have done wrong (Romans 2 6-11). In Colossians 3:25, Paul says, "Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for his wrong, and there is no favoritism."
Peter also echoes this thought in 1 Peter 1:16-18 where he says, "16 for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy." 17 Since you call on a Father who judges each man's work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear."
And Jesus seemed to teach this concept too, for example in Matthew 25:41-43 where Jesus said, "41 Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'"
So how do you reconcile that we are righteous when we believe and have faith in Jesus, and yet verses are sprinked here and there in the New Testament that seem to indicate otherwise?
Notes: Paul seems to make a distinction between the law and our bad works. He seems to call our bad works sin as something beyond or separate from the law. It is like sins are the things Paul mentioned in Romans 1:24-31. These seem to be things that Paul believes everyone just ought to know are wrong or sinful. They aren't all in the Old Testament law.
And the "law" is something that God added to make it more obvious to people that they were sinning against God.
It seems like Paul differentiates between these two in this book of Romans. As we study we will see if this is true or if this just seemed like a distinction Paul is making.
It seems that salvation through faith in Jesus makes us righteous from the percepctive of the law, but our works will be judged also, which include all the sins Paul listed in Romans 1:24-31.
I believe Bible scholars have rationalized this distinction by saying faith in Jesus makes us righteous and gets us into heavon, but whether or not we receive an inheritance in heaven will be determined by our works.
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