Chapter 1
- Slave/servant subject to master for 6-7 years and then set free, bond servant stays after being freed
- Slave forced to obey
- Servant chooses to serve, even after freed
- Apostle, someone went with a purpose on behalf of God
- Jesus made to flesh (refer to John 1)
- Paul introducing himself to the Romans
- revealing scripture through old testament fulfilling prophecy as Jesus being a descendant of David
- Paul and company part of apostleship
- target audience called to belong to Jesus Christ
- Paul calls to Saints in Rome
- verses 8-17, after introductions
- why he thanks God through Jesus is that because of Christ we can be thankful
- Paul prayed to come to Rome even God said no to him
- his purpose to share gift of Grace, spiritual maturity, and encouragement
- Share the great stuff learned and the fruits of their labor
- Obligated to everyone
- Paul is not ashamed of the gospel having a life worthy impact on him and everyone else
- the power of God to save us through the use of the word to receive our salvation
- From the gospel, the righteousness of God is revealed
- Because of God’s wrath that is necessary for us to need righteousness
- God made it known to everyone
- We have all seen God’s power and qualities to display his glory and there’s no excuse
- People know it but refuse to believe it by making idols, reasoning their sins and lose identity (verses 20-26)
- God gave them impurities and are dishonored and let go, despite that they get what they think they want
- These people abandoned God, so God let them have their poison and lusts, so it looks like they have their way, but they fallen in the end
- they will get the penalty in the end
- They are inventors of evil
- They deserve death
- depraved mind
Chapter 2
- Don’t judge because you have done it too
- only God can judge, and does it on truth
- We all know right from wrong, but still we all sin, so don’t be a hypocrite by doing so
- No one escapes judgment
- Taking God’s repentance for granted is foolish
- reference to 2 Peter 3:9
- Just because he does not punish us for a sin does not mean he approves, judgment will come
- Unless you repent, wrath will be stored against
- righteous will live by faith, deeds are a byproduct
- in old testament, was enough to obey laws but people did not, now must have faith
- everyone gets according to what they did
- those who seek his glory will be given eternal life
- trouble and salvation started from Jews to rest of humanity
- persistently do God’s will, we want to naturally please him
- God judges everyone on his standard, no favoritism is showed
- verse 12, those who have old laws are judged by that, others judged another way
- everyone is still being judged
- Jews judged by OT laws as well, not government laws
- those who obey the law are righteous over those who hear but not obey
- Don’t be a hypocrite
- gentiles do by nature things required of the law
- even though people don’t follow God’s moral laws, they are still judged by their own
- humanity will be judged by outwards and inward secrets through Jesus Christ
- Sometimes Jews or proud Christians do stuff that blaspheme God’s name and make Christianity look bad
- even if Jewish person is circumcised, if they disobey the law, they act as though they were not
- Someone who is never circumcised but follows the laws are better off
- A person is Holy inside first then it shows outside, no one can pretend outside and not affected inside
- God cares inward motive, thought, and desire
- inward changes come by Spirit, not law
Chapter 3
- everyone is guilty before God, regardless if Jewish or not
- laws makes you aware that you sin
- your lack of faith does not diminish God’s faith in you
- Oracles of God, divinely inspired words of God
- Just because they have the laws of god does not make them better
- What God promises is true, he does not go back on promises
- Just because some don’t believe, does not diminish God
- God bringing his wrath does not make it unrighteous
- people do sin to show God, don’t do that
- everyone is the same under sin
- verses 10-18, reference to Psalm
- the verses explain the law exposing our sin (old testament law)
- No one is righteous by just following the law
- we now know the law of the prophets
- Righteous from God through Christ
- All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God
- Are justified by his Grace
- Difference is deflecting God’s wrath and replacing the wrath
- Atonement through Christ’s blood
- Christ took our place and satisfies God’s demands
- God made the old testament ritual to setup for Jesus and justify the faith in him
- God is just in those he punishes and those he saves from punishment are by grace
- those who are justified are due to faith in Christ
- Man justified by faith apart from observing the law
- Reference to Ephesians 2
- God is for everyone
- Does faith nullify the law? No, we still uphold the law
Chapter 4
- Abraham is the topic since Jews hold him in the highest regard
- Abraham was saved by faith not by works, thus do not be boastful
- Obeying God’s law is not enough to be saved, just as Abraham did and was righteous for it, not his works
- Man should give credit to God, not the wages he thinks he deserves because God does not see it that way
- God’s gift is meant to be free, not worked at like a job, why people think of saved by works
- verse 9, don’t need to be circumcised since Abraham was righteous before that law
- this was meant to address to Jews that all these laws, rules, and processes does not make you automatically saved
- Abraham represents that before or after the circumcision law, and whether you are circumcised or not, it does make you righteous unless there is faith (verses 9-12)
- Same goes for God’s promise, not by law but righteousness through faith
- verse 14, if law was everything, many or all will fall short and not get the promise and faith is meaningless then for next generation because everyone before has failed
- verses 16-17, Jews and Gentiles are alike when we have faith like Abraham
- Abraham believed and that is why the rest of us can also believe (verse 18)
- Believing in God’s promise brings him glory and strengthens us
- thus why we believe in Christ raised from the dead (verses 24-25)
- Chapter 5
- Summing up that we are justified through faith through Jesus Christ
- No longer subject to his wrath
- Rejoice now that we have his grace, his glory, and in our suffering
- Suffering produces perseverance
- perseverance -> character -> hope
- attitude of rejoice should be adopted by all Christians
- Hope from God when he poured his life
- verse 5, is a favourite for many people
- Thank God for who he is, now what he gives you
- While we were helpless, Christ died for the ungodly
- Not many people will die for someone else, but God loves us all because Christ died for us
- We are justified by his blood and saved from wrath
- We are reconciled to God
- Sin came to the world through one man who was Adam, to Moses, a pattern
- Ignorance of the law does not excuse you
- Grace came through one man, who is Jesus Christ, and brought justification
- verses 18-19 sums up verses 15-17
- Law introduced to bring out the sin, then grace was needed to reign through righteousness to bring eternal life
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Chapters 5 (will be done later)
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Chapter 6
- Cannot be saved by the law
- Desire to be workers and saved by the Lord
- Faith not based on law but based on Jesus Christ
- We are not slaves to the law but slaves to Jesus Christ who desires us to obey
Chapter 7
- Laws are only to valid to us so long as we live
- Wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives
- If a husband passes, his wife is free to remarry
- Adultery is commited if a wife remarries while her husband is still alive
- First paragraph concludes Romans 4-6 and covers different angles
- We die to the law through the body of Christ se that we might belong to another
- Christ rose from the dead so that we as Christians might bear fruit to God
- Before, our sinful nature aroused the law and we bore fruit for death
- Reference to fruit from John 15
- The reason why we do good deeds, Christians and non-Christians both do deeds, yet one of them bring glory to God. The difference is your inner motive and intentions
as to why you do good deeds - What Christ has done for us allows to break from the cycle of sin through the Spirit not the old ways of the written code/mosaic laws
- We have also been released from the condemnation of the law but we still follow the law
- We had not known what was sin unless there was a law to judge what was wrong
- Apart from the law, sin is dead because the results of the law is also dead
- We were alive before the commandment came, then sin sprang out and brought death since can no longer live up to it
- In theory, obeying all the commandments leads to life but we were deceived
- (verse 12) the commandment is holy, righteous, and good
- The law is good, not causing death, but because of us and our sin that causes death
- (verse 16) I do what I do not want to do, you know the law and not commit sin
- (verse 17) It is not really us who does it, but the sin does
- There is an internal battle within us such that we have an inner sinful nature
- We have the desire to do good but we cannot carry it out due to sin
- Equivalent to modern day where crazy murderers were not responsible due to mental state
- We know what’s right yet we still slave away to sin, and thank God for rescuing us
Chapter 8
- No condemnation for those who are in Christ
- the Spirit has set us free
- God did all this for us
- Righteous requirements of law fulfilled in us when we live according to the Spirit
- Jesus sacrificed himself and his blood set us free
- If we follow the Spirit, our minds are set on what the Spirit desires
- non-Christians are hostile to God
- verse 8, those controlled by sinful nature cannot please God
- We are not controlled by sin but the Spirit that dwells in us
- With Christ, even if our body dies, our Spirit is alive in righteousness
- The same Spirit raised Christ to life
- Our minds are set on God and we now think righteously
- See sin as death and lifeless
- Receiving the Spirit also make us children of God and share in the family gifts and are heirs
- Our present suffering is nothing compared to the glory revealed to us
- verses 19-21, the world was cursed and bad things happen, waiting for his return and be set free
- verses 22-23, people also wait for God’s return
- If we hope in what we not have, we will be patient because of faith
- The Spirit intercedes and tells us how to pray
- God won’t do much for those who are hostile towards him
- God is involved in everything in our lives
- God already knew who would come to his son and they will be justified and glorified
- God’s salvation is open to us
- Nothing should separate us from God’s love on Earth or outside of earth or spiritual realm
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Romans 9-16 (to be done later)
