Introduction
Romans was written about 57 or 58 A.D.
It was written by the Apostle Paul from
Corinth or a close area to it.
The basic theme of Romans is salvation
by grace alone.
It is the book which sparked the
Reformation in 1517.
Martin Luther read Romans 1:17 and
rejected the idea of relics and items like that.
A Christian only needed faith in the
Lord Jesus Christ. And did not need any visible objects to increase
faith.
The letter is also a great proponent of
redemptive revelation and redefines the name “Israel” in places like
Romans 2:28-29.
After the cross everything changed in
the area of salvation. No longer was the keeping of the law required for
salvation.
The Epistle teaches that the
righteousness of Christ is imputed to the believer upon salvation.
The true believer is justified by faith
without the deeds of the law.
The doctrine of Justification is given
in this Epistle.
(8:33)
The Epistle to the Romans is one of the
books of Paul that puts a death knell to the idea of free will.
Rom 1:1 (KJV)
Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ,
called to be
an apostle, separated
unto the gospel of God,
Called = Called out,
chosen or appointed
Separated = having been separated
Right at the outset we
see that the Apostle Paul was chosen to be an apostle as one who is
sent.
(Gal 1:15 KJV) But when it pleased God, who separated me from my
mother's womb, and called me by his grace,
We see that he was separated for the purpose of sending forth the
gospel. A true messenger of God must be separated from the world to
bring the good news to the world. A Christian is to be separated in
theory and philosophy from the world’s point of view. To be an effective
messenger one must not be encumbered by the things or the methods of the
world.
Rom 1:2 (KJV)
(Which he had promised
afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,)
The gospel or the good
news which are both synonyms for grace is not strictly New Testament.
The prophets of old prophesied the grace of God but it was not fully
understood until the New Testament was written. Jeremiah prophesied
grace in Jeremiah 31:31-34.
(Jer 31:31-34 KJV) Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will
make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of
Judah: {32} Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers
in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of
Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto
them, saith the LORD: {33} But this shall be the covenant that I will
make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will
put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will
be their God, and they shall be my people. {34} And they shall teach no
more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know
the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the
greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and
I will remember their sin no more.
He penned under the
term “new covenant” which was in contrast to the old covenant from
Sinai. The covenant from Sinai was demonstrated outwardly while the new
covenant was inward or on their hearts as we read in Jeremiah 31:33.
This was also written in Deuteronomy 10:16 as the circumcision of the
heart. The new covenant or grace was a promise of God which was
fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ. The covenant of works at Sinai was
the covenant that Israel made with God but Grace is the covenant that
God made with His Elect.
Rom 1:3 (KJV)
Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our
Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh;
The OT Promises and
the NT promises were both concerning the Lord Jesus Christ and the focus
should not be on national Israel although God did use them in the OT to
show His future workings with the church. The Bible is about the Lord
Jesus Christ, in both the Old and New Testament. Psalm 40:7 And Hebrews
10:7 attest to this. Christ came through the lineage of David which was
an affirmation to those Jews who read the letter to the Romans since
genealogy was so important to the Jews. It showed that Jesus descended
from a good line. 2 Samuel 7:12-13 details the task that the Lord Jesus
Christ will undertake by building a house for God which will last
forever.
(2 Sam 7:12-13 KJV) And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep
with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed
out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. {13} He shall build
an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for
ever.
Rom 1:4 (KJV)
And declared to be the
Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the
resurrection from the dead:
The Lord Jesus was
declared to be the Son of God because of His resurrection from the dead
which proved all His claims. He showed that not even death could hold
him since death had no right to hold him since His sacrifice for sin was
completed and accepted by the Father. This verse details His deity. He
was raised according to the Spirit of holiness since death only has
power over the unholy, it has no power over the Holy which is the saved,
but here we have the Spirit of Holiness as deity.
Rom 1:5 (KJV)
By whom we have received
grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for
his name:
Here the Apostle Paul is declaring that he
received his apostleship from the son of God himself. His apostleship
was given to him only after he received grace (salvation) first. No one
can ever be a true witness for the Lord Jesus Christ unless they first
become saved. The grace Paul was given also gave him the ability to be
obedient in faith. Grace under girds the faith of the believer.
For his name = “On
behalf of His name” - Paul’s calling was not for himself but on behalf
of Christ. (2 Cor. 5:20) He was to bring the name of Christ and with
that name salvation (Acts 4:12) to God’s elect.
Rom 1:6 (KJV)
Among whom are ye also
the called of Jesus Christ:
Not only does the
calling apply to Paul but it applies to every true believer as well. We
are also apostles in the sense that we are sent into the world to bring
the true gospel. But before we can be Apostles for the kingdom we must
first receive the grace of God as Paul did. No unbeliever can ever be a
true witness for Christ. Mark 3:11-12 gives an illustration of this.
(Mark 3:11-12 KJV) And unclean spirits, when they saw him, fell down
before him, and cried, saying, Thou art the Son of God. {12} And he
straitly charged them that they should not make him known. Christ ordered the
silence of these demons because He will not have Satan’s demons being a
testimony to who He was, likewise with the unbeliever, they cannot be
true witnesses of who Christ is since there was no work of salvation
done in them which means they are still under the wrath of God. Christ
is still their judge and not their Savior. What kind of testimony can a
person be for someone else who is going to cast them into eternal hell.