Archives: Commentaries

How Can God Forgive Us?

Socrates wrote: “It may be that Deity can forgive sins, but I don’t see how” Even Socrates understood that the Creator of the Universe could not go against His own character, a hatred of sin. So how can a Holy God, who cannot even be in the presence of sin, actually forgive sin? This chapter continues to deal with that very real problem.

4:1-2

Abraham is the forefather of the Jews. Yet He was ‘justified’, that is established as just by acquittal from guilt; just as a court would declare a person ‘not guilty’, based upon the facts presented. Abraham was the Father of the Jewish people, and was justified by believing God, and God accounted that belief for righteousness. Abraham did not earn righteousness, it was a gift from God when Abraham responded in Belief. Remember, the ONLY way Abraham could believe, was by the Power of the Holy Spirit, so Abraham could not take credit, or boast about anything! If Abraham was justified by his good works, then he could boast. Yet that is not what the evidence states.

4:3

The Scriptures say Abraham believed in God and trusted in God and it was credited to his account as righteousness, right standing with God. Notice that “believing” is not sufficient, we must “Trust God by our actions”. IF we have Real Faith we will do good works, as a result of True Belief. Notice that the True Belief and Faith come FIRST, then the True Godly works will follow. We make a faith decision in our hearts, then our actions follow our belief! Now what is really important is to note that Abraham was counted as righteous long before he was circumcised, becoming a Jew. The Jews came into existence through the rite of circumcision. Abraham was the “Father of the Jews”. So Abraham came to Faith as a Gentile! Notice that there was no physical action, no circumcision, no baptism, no ritual of any type, just true Belief in God; shown by Abraham’s heart, actions, and trust in God.

Take a good look at Genesis 12:2 & 3; God gives an unconditional promise to Abraham that He would make of Him (and his lineage; the Jews) a great nation, giving them great abundance, and that Abraham and the Jews would be a blessing, dispensing good to others. God promised He would “bless those who bless you, (who give to and pray for and support the Jews) and curse those who curse you” (the Jews). This promise is still in effect, as it was unconditional and neither Abraham, nor his descendants, the Jews, could alter it! One of the “great blessings” was the Word of God; and ultimately, the Messiah, our Savior and Lord Jesus! Many Christian scholars believe that America has continued to be blessed because we support the Jewish people and Israel. This is despite the sinfulness of our own nation. If America ever turns her back on Israel, we will suffer God’s wrath.

4:4

Paul reminds us that a laborer is paid “wages” for his work. It is not a favor or a gift, but it is the debt that is owed to him.

4:5

The person who trusts and faithfully believes in God, Who alone can justify the ungodly; that Faith is ‘credited’ to that person as righteousness, a ‘right standing with God’. This righteousness is NOT EARNED, it is a gift of God! Grace is a gift of unearned righteousness. If we try to claim we have done something to earn our salvation, we are denying the Truth of Grace. If someone gives us a gift, and we try to pay for any part of it, we insult the giver! So it is with God, we are insulting God and denying the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross by trying to somehow “earn” ANY PART of our salvation. See James 2: 14-17. If we ignore the commands of God to help our brothers and sisters in need, then our faith is worthless, null and void and dead! James 2: 25-26 tells us the “Fruit of Faith” is a testimony of our true Faith. So our works are the RESULT of our true Faith. Look at 1 Corinthians 3:12-15 We build, or work, upon the Foundation of Jesus. With gold, silver and precious gems, or wood, hay and straw. Our works will one day be shown for what they truly are. Jesus Christ will judge and reveal our works with fire, and the fire will critically appraise the character and worth of each person’s work. If the work survives the fire test, the person will receive his reward, but if the work is burned up, then the person will suffer the loss of his reward, though the person will still be saved. Gold, silver and precious gems are our true Faith work. Wood, hay and straw are our fleshly work. Only the True Fruit of the Spirit will endure. Our true motivation and heart attitude in obeying the Will of God, will determine our Eternal Rewards.

4:6-8

Even King David congratulates and pronounces a blessing on the person whom God credits righteousness apart from his works. Christians are not PERFECT we are only FORGIVEN. Those who are forgiven are blessed and happy because our sins are covered up and completely buried. God imputes His righteousness to us without works. God will never, ever, bring up our sins, they are never going to be counted against us. Hallelujah!

4:9-13

Is forgiveness only for people who go through some sort of ritual? No, Abraham was counted as righteous BEFORE he was circumcised. None of the physical activities we DO determine who we ARE. Our Faith is determined by our true Belief in our Risen Lord and Savior. Abraham received the mark of circumcision as evidence and seal of the righteousness which he had already received by Faith. Abraham is the father of all those who walk in the way of Faith, and actually live out their Faith, day after day. That includes us, as we also make daily Faith choices to obey God. The promise to Abraham and his posterity that he should inherit the world came through the righteousness of Faith.

4:14-15

If it is only the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, then Faith is made futile and empty of all meaning and the promise of God is null and void! The Law results in divine wrath, the Law serves to curse us, it never blesses us. Ever hear someone say they want Justice, or demand justice? According to whose standard? If it is God’s standard EVERYONE is in trouble! We NEVER want God’s Justice, we need to seek His Mercy and Grace, not His Justice and Judgement. I seek His mercy; please don’t give me what I deserve, God’s judgement! Instead, you and I should fervently seek God’s Grace, giving us what we don’t deserve, ETERNAL LIFE!

4:16

We must exercise our Faith in order to inherit the promises. We receive Faith freely; yet making it stable and valid, requires us to utilize and exercise our Faith. Remember, salvation is the free gift that allows us to ENTER INTO THE KINGDOM. God’s Grace enables us to exercise our Faith to produce God’s Fruit. The gold, silver and precious gems are Eternal Fruit that will last. If we want to INHERIT THE KINGDOM of God, then we must prove and show we are producing Eternal Fruit. If we are Faithful and produce Eternal Fruit, we are those who share the Faith of Abraham, we are the ‘nations’ who are blessed by his Faith.

Entering into a home doesn’t mean you own it. You come into someone’s home and they want you to feel comfortable and feel at home, but it doesn’t mean you own it. You may be given a nice position in a wonderful business, but it doesn’t mean you own the business! Even IF you are the ‘owner’ of a business, please keep in mind that the TRUE OWNER is God. True, you are part of it, and partake of the benefits, but not the true ownership. Remember: God owns EVERYTHING! There is a big difference between just entering the Kingdom of God and inheriting the Kingdom of God! Too many Christians have accepted Jesus as their Savior, yet they have little fruit to show for their Belief. God continually tells us in the Scriptures that He will REWARD His followers according to how faithful they have been in producing Eternal Fruit. Those Rewards refer to the INHERITANCE of the Kingdom of God.

4:17

Abraham was called the father of many nations. Our Heavenly Father gives life to the dead (remember we were all dead in our sins; and dead spiritually, before we came to Faith) God speaks of the nonexistent things that He foretold and promised, as if they already existed. Through God’s Word, we are given a peek into the future to know what wonderful blessings God has in store for us. We know He is preparing a magnificent home for us. The New Jerusalem and so much more. God has a great and wonderful future planned for each one of us. We need to exercise our Faith and ‘get with the program’! If we fail to seek God’s perfect will in our lives, we will lose out on the Rewards He has planned for us in the future. We must pray with Belief and conviction that what God has told us will come to pass. This is Faith and Trust, and we all need to seek Him more diligently.

4:18-19

Abraham hoped in Faith that God’s promise of being the father of descendants so numberless that they couldn’t be counted (by man) Gen 15:5. God said his offspring would be as the stars of heaven and as the sands of the sea. Abraham believed and trusted God to fulfill that promise even though he was 99 and Sarah was 90, both long past the childbearing age. Yet we know from Biblical history that the promise was fulfilled and yet is still being fulfilled today.

4:20-23

Even though he did not immediately see or experience the fulfillment of the promise, yet he praised God and was empowered by Faith as he continued to praise and glorify God. Do we have such strong Faith that we praise, glorify and honor God even when we don’t see the answer to God’s promises in our lives? 21. Abraham was fully satisfied and assured that God was able and mighty to keep His word and do what He promised. 22. THAT is why God tells us his Faith was credited to him as righteousness. 23. This was not written for Abraham’s sake alone. This was written for our sake too.

4:24

Righteousness, which is right standing and being acceptable to God, will also be granted and credited to us; who truly Believe in God, and Trust and adhere to, and rely on God, Who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead! Wow! Remember, Believe means we Trust and rely on God!

4:25

Jesus was betrayed and put to death because of us, because of our sins, and He was raised from the dead to secure our justification, our acquittal, making our account balance and absolving us from all guilt before God. All of this is all according to the Scriptures. Justification is ONLY for those who truly Believe and Trust Jesus. Jesus died for the entire world, yet only Believers appropriate His Death and Resurrection for their salvation. Remember, we are all given the ‘free choice’ to accept or reject Jesus as our Lord, God and Savior. Those who claim that Jesus is their ‘Savior’ yet do not follow and obey Him as their LORD and GOD, are lying and deceiving themselves! He must be the LORD and GOD of your life, or He cannot be your Savior.

See John 19: 30 & 36: ‘ When Jesus had tasted the sour wine (vinegar) Jesus said “It is finished!” The Greek means completed in victory and success; The ransom price was paid and divine justice paid in full, the Holiness of God was proved and sinners forgiven. ‘Then He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.’ 36. ‘For these things took place that the Scriptures might be fulfilled and verified.’ Remember, fulfilled prophecy proves the Word of God is absolutely True!

All of Mankind are Sinners!

Socrates wrote: “It may be that Deity can forgive sins, but I don’t see how”

So the question is: How can a Holy God, who cannot be in the presence of sin, then forgive sin?

Romans provides us with the answer!

3:1-4

Paul continues on to identify those who consider themselves “religious” and he uses, as his example, the most religious, pious people of his day, the Jews and the Jewish leaders. If we consider ourselves religious, we need to apply these next verses to ourselves. God had entrusted His teaching to the Jews, making them His special chosen people, just as He has entrusted His Word to us! If we are not faithful to obey God, will that make His Truth and faithfulness null and void? Of course not! Even though we disobey and are, therefore ‘faithless’ God will Never be unfaithful to His Word.

3:5-6

When we do and commit, evil, it shows even more clearly how good God is! All this does is point out to everyone how God must judge sin. Our sins can’t be justified, even though they are used to point out God’s goodness. This is an example of illogical, irrational thinking! God absolutely must Judge all sin, even those sins committed by Believers; otherwise, He could not rightly Judge the entire World.

3:7-8

Critics say that we condone evil, claiming it shows God’s goodness and Truth. So if our lies show God’s Truth, why should we be punished? Sin is contrary to God’s very nature; it denies, despises and dishonors God. An unholy act does not glorify a Holy God; thus it must be judged. True Christians never teach that God will forgive sin with no criteria. God ONLY forgives my sin when I confess my sin, admitting my failure to obey God, repent of my sin, turning completely away from even the thought of ever committing that sin again, and ask God to forgive me, based on the shedding of Jesus’ blood on the cross for my sin! All of these actions are REQUIRED BEFORE we can be forgiven! I take responsibility for the death of Jesus on the cross, it was my sin that caused His horrible suffering and death! It’s my own selfishness and disobedience that caused Jesus to suffer for me.

3:9

So then, are Jews and religious people more superior than others? Absolutely not! We have already clearly shown ourselves to be guilty of being sinners, worthy of God’s judgment and wrath!

3:10-18

God’s Word, the scriptures, clearly identify us: (verses 10-18 are quoted from Psalms, Ecclesiastes, and Isaiah) No one, not even one person on earth, is righteous, just, truthful, upright and conscientious. Not one single one! No one understands, discerns or comprehends to truly seek God. Notice that we cannot, on our own, honestly seek God. Every single one of us has turned away from God. Every one of us has become useless, doing no good; becoming worthless. Our very words condemn us; we are liars and deceivers, our words are poison and death. Out of our mouths come cursing, bitterness and hatred. Foul language reflects our heart attitude. We bring destruction, shedding of blood and death. Sin makes us worse and worse. Everywhere we go we bring misery, ruin, and horrible suffering. Our lives spiral downward. We are so evil we don’t even know how to live in peace, or what peace even is! We don’t even recognize true peace and goodness. Lastly, these people, those who deny Jesus as Lord and Savior, have no fear of God in their lives. We, and they, actually deny Him by our words and our lives. Keep in mind that We were once all in this category! We thank and praise God for freeing us from this miserable state!

3:19-20

We know that those who claim to know the law, are subject to it, yet we are also guilty of disobeying the law. Ignorance of the law is no excuse! If we do not know the law and break it, we are still guilty. Therefore, the entire world is guilty before God. No one on earth can be made righteous or judged acceptable by God, by following the law. The law only shows us the reality of our sins. The real function of the law is to make us recognize and be fully aware and conscious of our sin. We should so clearly see the ugliness of our sin that we are sickened and horrified by it! True recognition of the disgusting rottenness of sin should lead us toward sorrow, repentance and seeing our desperate need for God’s Mercy, Grace and forgiveness.

3:21-22

But now the righteousness of God has been revealed to us ~ independently separate from the law! The prophets and the law have shown us this Way: And what is The Way? Faith and complete and total trust and reliance on Jesus Christ as our Messiah ~ Savior and Lord. Notice that He cannot be our Savior if we refuse to make Him our Lord. If Jesus truly is our Lord, we will obey Him, Honor Him, Love and serve Him, and be completely and totally subject to Him. Let’s be honest here ~ are you ALWAYS obedient, loving, honoring and serving Him? When you are NOT obedient to God, you are not being subject to Him as your LORD! Think this through very carefully, it should make a profound change of heart attitude within you.

3:23-25

All of us have sinned and fallen short of God’s Glory and Honor; we all desperately need God’s gift of Mercy and Grace. Remember, we did NOT seek God on our own; the Holy Spirit, through God’s Grace, has enabled us to seek God. We can only be made free from the horrible clutches of sin through the Mercy and Grace of Jesus Christ. That Grace is free to us, yet it cost the Creator of the Universe more than we can ever know, understand, comprehend or even imagine. God freely gave, and sacrificed, for us, His beloved Son as the ONLY way to forgive our wretched sin, through Faith in the blood of Jesus ~ Jesus’ blood is the propitiation ~ cleansing and life-giving sacrifice of atonement and reconciliation, suffering and punishment taken by Jesus on our behalf ~ so we might be seen as righteous before our Holy and Perfect Creator. God is always just and fair, exercising divine patience in not punishing sin. God showed His mercy. Mercy is Not getting what I deserve. Grace is Getting what I do Not deserve. Are you beginning to see and understand the enormity of sin, what it cost our Creator God? His beloved and precious Son!

3:26

All sins must be paid for by death; sin brings a death penalty to each person guilty of sin ~ Jesus chose to pay our death penalty, by taking all the sins of the world upon Himself and paying the horrible price of agonizing suffering physically, and even worse, spiritually, by being separated from His Father. Remember, never in history had the Triune God ever been separated. Jesus HAD to die for us ~ there was no other solution ~ Jesus willingly accepted our judgment and punishment of death. Our sin guilt was transferred to Jesus by His willingness to accept the horrors of sin upon Himself. If He had not died for us, we would be eternally separated from God, damned to the lake of fire, suffering for all eternity.

3:27

So do we finally ‘get it’? So, now who can brag? Who can be prideful? The Truth of Salvation through Jesus alone stops any and all pride and bragging. We have done nothing, absolutely nothing, to earn salvation, nothing to atone for our sins, nothing to merit the Grace of God; nothing, nothing, nothing! Those who would dare brag or be prideful, ignore the Truth of Salvation! Even our good deeds are the RESULT of God’s unmerited, unearned, gift of Grace!

3:28

We now recognize as Truth that a sinner is made righteous only through Faith in Jesus Christ, and absolutely nothing else! The obeying of the law, doing good works, all have absolutely nothing to do with justification. Jesus did it all.

3:29-31

God, our Creator and Redeemer, is God of both Jews and Gentiles. God is the God of all people. There is one, and only one, True God. Sinners are made right only by faithfully trusting and believing in, and relying only on, Jesus as their Savior and Lord. We stand before God, our Father, with a perfection that is given ONLY because our guilt was transferred to Jesus on the cross. There is no other way to God, only through Jesus Christ, His one and only Son. So then, does our Faith in Jesus Christ then make the law null and void? Is the law now destroyed? Absolutely Not! True Faith causes us to be what the law truly intended; we confirm and uphold the law in our obedience to our Savior. Jesus fulfills the law. The terrible LIE that Jesus died on the cross to forgive EVERYONE; no matter how they live and respond to God’s Grace, is a LIE from the pit of hell. Churches and preachers who teach this LIE will bring God’s wrath upon themselves because they are leading people to HELL!

 

This is a powerful chapter of Romans: We must ALL admit in our hearts, minds and souls that we are all sinners; ALL deserving eternal death and suffering. Yet, because of the Mercy and Grace of God, we are given forgiveness by our Creator; we are justified by Jesus’ shed blood; His death and resurrection, through faith; allowing God to forgive and pardon ALL who truly turn to Jesus, as LORD, GOD and SAVIOR. We absolutely CANNOT claim Him as SAVIOR, without making Him our LORD and GOD. Those who claim they are ‘saved’ yet have not made Jesus their LORD and GOD, are LYING to themselves and others. Search your heart and soul, is Jesus REALLY your LORD, GOD and SAVIOR? How do you know? Look deep into your heart and soul, do you obey His commands? ALL of them? Do you pattern your life to Glorify and Honor Him? Does your speech ALWAYS Glorify and Honor God? Do your actions ALWAYS show you are following Jesus? Is there eternal fruit in your life to show and prove you are His Child? Is there eternal fruit in your life to prove that you are truly a Believer? If not, begin RIGHT NOW to commit yourself FULLY to Jesus as your LORD, GOD and SAVIOR.

God is Kind, Not Soft

2:1

Paul identifies us as considering ourselves the “moral man”. We tend to minimize our own sins and failures and yet criticize and judge others far more harshly than ourselves. We look at ourselves with rose colored glasses; seeing ourselves as ‘pretty good’. This distorted view of ourselves condemns us before God, by our very own words and attitudes. God always sees us in the light of absolute Truth. God does not distort Reality – which is Truth. God must judge us according to the Truth. The Truth about who we are is always perfectly accurate when revealed by God. This is why we must look to God’s perfect Truth in His Word in order to begin to discern who and what we really are – sinners. We rationalize our sins, so we will not believe the Truth, that we are guilty before God. Think you are better than others because you don’t commit Adultery, Murder, or are Prideful? Look carefully at God’s Word of Truth: Matt. 5:27 tells us that we know we are NOT to commit adultery, yet Jesus says that even looking and lusting after another is committing adultery in your heart. Matt. 5:21-22, Jesus tells us that to be angry with a brother without just cause, puts us in danger of Judgment; calling someone a fool, puts us in danger of hell fire! 1 John 2:9-11 tells us if we hate a brother then we are in darkness. No one in darkness can enter heaven. 1 John 3:15 tells us if we hate a brother we are MURDERERS, and no murderer has eternal life in him. Matt. 6:1-4 tells us that bragging about giving (money or service) causes us to lose any reward. Claiming we are just ‘sharing’ what we have done in God’s service, IS BRAGGING, as we are trying to make ourselves look ‘good’ before others, and God hates that; he directs us to give in secret, so our Father in Heaven can reward us openly. So, are we guilty of Adultery, Murder and Pride? Be honest, you can’t fool God. Look at your assessment you did on the first day; did you rate yourself better than others? This shows you are judging others. Why do we do this? Simply because we want to “FEEL GOOD” about ourselves! Our culture emphasizes the “feel good about yourself” lie! Can we really trust our ‘feelings’?

2:3

We deceive ourselves if we think we can escape God’s perfect judgment when we practice sin as we judge others for their sin. We are condemned before our Holy and Perfect God. We try to fool ourselves into thinking we can escape God’s judgment. Remember, believing the lies you tell yourself makes you a LIAR before God. No Liars can enter Heaven. Remember, the unbelievers think God will ‘grade on a curve’! How insane, to think that God can ignore sin. He cannot even be in the presence of sin. It is contrary to His very nature and character. This is the reason why an unbeliever, an unforgiven sinner, can NEVER EVER be in Heaven!

2:4

We actually despise, and dishonor, God’s goodness when we treat his Grace lightly, not taking His patient longsuffering seriously. How? By not really repenting of our sins and seeking with all our hearts and souls to change our wicked attitudes and actions. God’s goodness should lead us to True Repentance. True repentance is honestly seeking to deny our selfishness, our flesh, our wants, and seeking, moment by moment, to obey Him. It means changing our attitude and actions. It means to obey the Holy Spirit in obeying God’s Word.

2:5-6

By refusing to repent, having an impenitent heart, we store up God’s wrath against us in the day of righteous judgment. Note that our sinful nature, if not changed by obedient repentance, will cause us to have God’s judgment stored up against us. We accumulate guilt; which prevents us from doing good! We will someday have a pile of wood, hay and stubble, instead of gold, silver and precious gems. Someday, everything we do, say and even think, will be revealed by God. We, who are rich, are easily subject to pride. Poor people are easily humbled. We, who have pride in our hearts are hard of heart. Do you realize you are Hard of Heart, according to God’s Word? Are we perceiving a more accurate portrait of ourselves? This Truth is difficult, yet quite necessary to reveal the Truth of who we really are. God will render to each of us according to our Deeds. Prov. 24:12 “Oh, we didn’t know any better”, we claim. Does God believe that lie? Of course not! God knows our very hearts and souls, we cannot fool Him! He will render to each of us according to our actions.” Our ‘wages’ that is the payment, for our Deeds, will be great sorrow and regret.

2:7

To those who patiently and continually seek to do good to honor and glorify God; they will receive immortality – Eternal life with God. This does NOT mean that they ‘earn’ Eternal Life; but is a proof that they are already saved and obey God. We should seek God’s glory and honor in our lives. (Notice there are different types and kinds of judgment; God judges all people, yet there are different’ judgments’.) More about this as we continue our study.

2:8-9

When we chose to be selfish and self-centered, we do not obey the Truth, instead, we chose unrighteousness, indignation and wrath. Notice that self-centeredness is a choice. “Oh, I couldn’t help it.” Baloney! No one believes that lie! It is our choice to choose to obey God or not. We foolishly claim that we need more ‘Faith’; that is untrue, what we need is OBEDIENCE to God’s Word! Disobedience brings indignation, wrath, tribulation and anguish on every soul of man who does evil. Tribulation and anguish will come to everyone who does evil; the Jew first then the Greek (Gentile). Notice what we do is based on our heart attitude. Lest any man foolishly thinks that “he got away with it” God is not mocked, the sinner will be judged and will pay the price, no one can escape God’s judgment; it’s just a matter of God’s timing.

2:10

Our “works” are the direct result of our Beliefs ~ that is why the Truth Project emphasizes DO YOU REALLY BELIEVE THAT WHAT YOU SAY YOU BELIEVE IS REALLY REAL?! (See THE TRUTH PROJECT, available through Focus on the Family) This is crucial, because IF we really believe the Truth, our actions will prove it!! What do your actions say?? To those of us who chose to obey God, we are given His glory, honor and peace! What a wonderful promise this verse is for us. Remember, God’s Truth was given to the Jews first, then to the Gentiles (Greeks and non-Jews). So also, Salvation was offered to the Jews first, then to the Gentiles ~ that’s us!

2:11-12

God shows no favoritism or special treatment to anyone! What a great Truth to take to heart. We will be judged by whatever Truth ~ law, God has given us. To whom much is given, much is required. This is true concerning our wealth and our Bible knowledge. So for those of us who have been given much Biblical education, much more will be required of us. God gives us ‘riches’ to test us to see how we will use them. Our true heart attitude is revealed by how generous we are with God’s gifts to us. This includes our Time, Talents and Treasures!

Paul’s Exhortation to Believers

1:1

Paul identifies himself as an apostle; one who is sent with delegated authority and has seen the risen Jesus Christ. He also identifies himself as a ‘bondservant’. A bondservant was an indentured servant who voluntarily chose to be a permanent servant/slave of the family household. It was a lifelong commitment that could not be changed. As we choose to be ‘servants of Christ’ it is also a lifetime choice to be His servant forever. Paul was ‘separated to the gospel of Christ’ This meant his primary reason for everything he did was to further the gospel of Christ. In fact, his very existence on earth was to bring the gospel to all the unsaved. That is true lifelong commitment to Jesus!

1:2-3

The gospel of Christ was foretold, or prophesied, through the prophets of the scriptures. These scriptures were the Old Testament writings. God’s only son, Jesus Christ was the foretold Messiah (Savior) who was born of human flesh ~ incarnate ~ and was of the seed and line of King David.

1:4

The proof of Jesus’ Deity was the fulfillment of the prophecy stating He would be resurrected from the dead. Jesus fulfilled all prophesies concerning His birth, life, death and resurrection. This is how we can be certain God’s Word is absolutely true. (Prophesies regarding Jesus that have not yet been fulfilled will be fulfilled at His Second Coming.)

1:5-6

Through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross for our sins, we receive His Grace through the Holy Spirit so we may become His disciples. Our obedience to God’s Word proves our Faith, which is a witness of the gospel to others we come in contact with. Not certain you are a Believer? Check your obedience to God’s Word for assurance. We are called by God to be followers of Jesus. Our ‘calling’, which means we were chosen by God, came before we were even born.

1:7

This letter is to all those who are ‘beloved of God’ chosen to be his saints ~ Believers! Only true Believers are called ‘beloved of God’. Thus this letter is also for us! God’s Grace is given to us, we respond with obedience and Faith, and then we receive the Peace from God, our Father, and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Notice that Grace always comes before Peace. Obedience must come as a result of His Grace so that we may have God’s Peace.

1:8

Paul gives his reasons for writing this letter. He thanks God, through Jesus Christ, for all the Roman Believers; that their Faith is so powerful that it is spoken of throughout the known world! Is your Faith so evident that it is known throughout your community?

1:9

God Himself is the Witness that Paul serves with his spirit in the gospel of Jesus Christ; always praying without ceasing for all of the Believers. Paul is so conformed to the image of Christ, that he unceasingly prays in his very spirit for all Believers. Paul is committed in his spirit to the Holy Spirit, living within him, that his very life is consistently following God’s Will. This does not mean that Paul was not a sinner; but that his very spirit consistently strove to obey God’s Will for his life. How about you, are you consistently striving to follow the Holy Spirit for your life?

1:10

Paul prays that he may find some way, within the Will of God, to come to Rome to minister to the Believers. Notice how he ties Belief and prayer together, yet strives to conform to the Will of God. We absolutely must learn to do the same.

1:11-12

Paul desires fervently to see the Believers and impart, or give or share, some spiritual gift with them so they may become more firmly grounded in the Truth of the gospel. Paul wants to encourage them, and be encouraged himself by their mutual faith in Christ. Believers are excited to share what God is doing in their lives with one another. We encourage and strengthen one another by this sharing of God’s work in our lives. It is crucial to meet together and share God’s Word and His work with each other. We all need encouragement! That is just one of the important reasons you are sharing together here in this Bible study!

1:13

Paul wants to emphasize that he had planned to come to them in Rome, but has been hindered. He wants to see the results of their Faith ~ which is the ‘spiritual Fruit’ ~ in their lives and community. He assures them that other Gentiles are also Faithful and have yielded Godly results. These Godly results he refers to as ‘fruit’.

1:14

Paul considers himself ‘in debt’ to Greeks and those who are not Greeks, (‘Barbarians’ was a term applied to those who were not Greek), and to those who are considered wise ~Believers~ and those who are not wise – unbelievers. We become ‘wise’ when we become a Believer. To refuse to believe is foolish and those who reject Christ are unwise. Paul believed himself in debt to Christ for his own salvation and knew his calling was to spread the Truth of the gospel to all Gentiles! Wow! How much do we accept our ‘debt to Christ’ to share the gospel with everyone we come in contact with. Remember, Jesus has told every Believer that he/she MUST spread the gospel to all the world! Without Christ, all of us would be condemned to hell. We have a great ‘debt’ to Christ. What on earth are you doing for Heaven’s sake!?

1:15-16

So whatever Paul can give, he is ready to give his all to share the gospel Truth with all the Roman Believers. He is telling them he is committed to sacrifice everything he has and is, for their benefit. Eventually, he would give his very life for the gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul, who was probably the most brilliant scholar of his time, was proud to share the Truth of the gospel. He tells them the gospel is the Power of God to Salvation for everyone who Believes. Jesus did not come to make bad men good; He came to give dead men life. We are dead in our sins; we are walking dead people until we respond to God’s invitation of Grace and choose to seek forgiveness, confess our sins, repent, and turn away from those sins, and accept Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross for our sins. My sins put Jesus on the cross. Do we accept the responsibility for our own sin failures? Paul goes on to state that salvation was for the Jew first then for the Greeks (Gentiles). Jesus was a Jew; all the apostles were Jews, and the first Believers were all Jews. Thus Paul notes that the Jews were to be the first Believers, then we Gentiles. We know that many Jews rejected Jesus as their Messiah; just as many Gentiles rejected Jesus. Even today, we see both Jews and Gentiles refusing to believe He is who He says He is; God’s only son, our Savior, (Messiah) and Lord.

1:17

God’s righteousness is revealed in the gospel of salvation. Jesus’ vicarious death on the cross for our sin means that God is just in punishing sin, and can also be the justifier of those who are True Believers. Our Faith is NOT just a one-time thing, if it is Real; we grow and learn from Faith to Faith! We progress from one aspect of living our Faith, to continued growth in Faith in becoming more like Christ. The Just shall live by Faith! (See Habakkuk 2:4)

1:18

God’s righteousness is also revealed in His Wrath against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men. Why? Because He has provided salvation for men, and men have responded by suppressing the Truth in unrighteousness. When we reject our salvation we suppress His Truth and actually choose unrighteousness. What fool would give up Eternal Rewards for worldly desires that he knows he will lose? Look around in our culture and you will see the majority who foolishly reject Eternal Life and Eternal Rewards for worldly trash; or as Paul says, dung.

1:19-20

Paul clearly tells us that All Mankind Is Guilty because the Truth of God is known within them. All men know within their consciousness that God exists. God created us to know Him instinctively, and He has clearly shown the Truth of His existence to us. From the very creation of the World, God has shown His invisible attributes; they are clearly seen. God’s goodness to us is everywhere. He provides for us, cares for us, heals us, loves us, etc. All His Agape Love is poured out for us. His very creation of the Heavens and Earth clearly shows His careful design. Our very bodies are designed to be healthy, reproductive, able to repair themselves, etc. We now know that our DNA can reproduce itself for growth and healing. He has given us, within our design, the ability to actually create a new life with Him; what a privilege! God’s Eternal Power and Godhead are clearly visible to all of us; so we are all without excuse.

1:21

Because even though mankind knows God, men chose not to glorify Him as God, nor was man thankful for all God has given him. Instead of glorifying God and being thankful, men became foolish in their minds and their hearts became darkened. Men take credit for their abilities, talents, accomplishments, foolishly thinking they did it by themselves. Men fail to admit that their abilities, talents, material wealth, everything comes from God. I did it myself, I am so great, talented, smart, etc. I, I, I, we are so foolish to think we can do, or be, anything without God. The result of this idiotic thinking is the darkening of our hearts. Now, we are really in trouble. Have you ever heard someone claim to be a ‘self-made’ man? How foolish!

1:22

Men think they are so wise, so smart; yet they become fools. Only God is truly wise; only the Holy Spirit gives us true wisdom; everything else is utter foolishness.

1:23

Because mankind was created with an inner knowledge and desire for God, men tried to fill that void by creating their own ‘god’. Men trade the glory of the perfect incorruptible loving God into idols made like corruptible men, birds, animals, insects. Right up to our present day, people try to fill the ‘God void’ with all kinds of materialistic junk! It is amazing that men would reject their very Creator and try to replace Him with some worthless idol or image. People who say they are atheists or agnostics are fools and liars, deceiving themselves. Why not use the correct Latin term for agnostic: ignoramus! We see people who reject God, yet believe in witchcraft, spirit guides, demons, and all sorts of horrific things and foolish ideas. We can see the scriptures being fulfilled, before our very eyes, in these fools who reject God; their hearts and minds become darkened and they become utter fools in their thinking.

1:24

So God says, ‘THEREFORE’ ~ whenever we see the word ‘therefore’, we need to analyze what it is ‘there for’. Because of, verses 21 to 23… gives us the reasons: refusal to acknowledge and honor and glorify the one True God. So God in effect says; ‘I will not force you to worship and obey me; have it your way’. So those who reject Him begin a downward spiral of degrading of themselves in uncleanness, lusts of their hearts, dishonoring their bodies among themselves. Notice they have chosen this degradation.

1:25

Unbelievers reject God and Truth and choose to accept the lies, as a result, they worship and serve creatures rather than their Creator. Even though men have turned from God and chosen evil and wickedness; God still is the Creator and Blessed forever. Wicked people do not affect God, He is in control. Even though it may appear the world has gone mad and chosen such evil and corruption that we are being destroyed, yet God is always in control. We must never forget that. We must always strive for goodness and Truth. Never, never give up.

1:26-27

This clearly gives us the reason why we see evil on the rise. Look around you in your own community, you will clearly see the evidence. God gave them up to vile passions. “Even women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature.” This is a polite way of saying women engaged in unnatural sexual activities. “Men burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.” Homosexuality is evil. Could it be that sexually transmitted diseases like AIDS is the ‘penalty of their error’? What about their innermost value, their very souls? We were made in the image and likeness of God. When we destroy His image and likeness what have we become? All Godly attributes are destroyed. What a horrible existence these fools have made of, and for, themselves.

1:28

When the very knowledge of God is removed from our minds, we are given over, by God, to a debased mind, to do things that are horrible. Demons are waiting to take over our minds and influence, if not control, what we do, think and say. Those who reject God think they are living life ‘their way’ yet they do not realize they are being manipulated and controlled by demonic influences. Think of those who commit evil and promote evil; they are influenced by demons, and perhaps even demon controlled. Beware of such people.

1:29-31

Now those who reject God become “filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness, full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness, whisperers, back-biters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful;” Look carefully at this list, notice all these things bring great suffering and pain, and are ALL the result of rejection of God, and continued sin.

1:32

Yet they know the righteous judgment of God, that those who do such horrible things deserve death, now and forever; yet they continue to do these horrible actions, and have such awful attitudes of mind, and actually approve of others who do them. We now have organizations that promote these disgusting activities and want to brainwash our children in public schools to accept them as ‘normal’. They want to force these activities on all of us. May God have mercy on us if we do not do everything in our power to stop such wickedness. Pray and seek God’s wisdom and direction of what you can do to promote good and reveal evil for what it is. Please consider supporting Alliance Defending Freedom, or some other Godly Christian organization, that is actively fighting this evil in our society.

 

As you have completed this First Chapter, may God richly bless you with wise understanding and comprehension of what you are to do and how you are to pray for yourself and those you love. Seek to find ways of sharing these Truths with others, especially those you love and care for. Remember, refusing to believe, and obey, the Truth of God’s Word leads to sin and destruction. Be WISE, ask God what you can do to seek His righteousness and fight against evil.

Paul’s Epistle to the Roman Believers

The Book of Romans is considered the most profound piece of writing in existence. The Theme is the GRACE OF GOD REVEALED. We are told of God’s Righteousness, our iniquity (sin) and God’s gracious solution (remedy) through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross for our redemption (Salvation). This is God’s GRACE. This epistle’s impact on western civilization is unequaled. Our entire culture is influenced by the Truth of this epistle. Romans is the cornerstone of the Reformation. We discover exactly who we are ~ sinners ~ why we need SALVATION ~ we are dead in spirit ~; how salvation is provided and how we obtain it in our personal lives. We also learn that salvation is only the beginning ~ SANCTIFICATION then becomes our lifelong goal. We learn what it is and how we obtain it, day by day.

Jesus was anti-religious. Religion is man’s attempt to appease God – somehow. True Christianity is not a religion, but The Way of life. Jesus said “I am The Way, The Truth and The Life” We live as followers of The Way, Truth & Life; in Jesus Christ.

This Book of Romans, as we call it, was addressed to the ‘saints’ in Rome. These people were Believers, they had confessed theirs sins, repented of their sins, and accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. There were approximately 28 “house churches” where Believers met, studied and shared God’s Truth of the Gospel. Remember, the New Testament, as we know it, was still being written! Paul carefully and systematically explains what True salvation is all about, what it means in our lives and how to apply it daily. The Holy Spirit will teach us, through this book penned by Paul, what Sanctification is all about, and how we attain it. Romans has an international outlook; it applies to all Believers over all of history. It is a challenge for the wisest of all men, and will impact our lives for our eternal benefit for the rest of our lives, both here on earth and for all Eternity!

Before you begin this study, write down what you believe GRACE really is. Think about it carefully, and write down what it is and what it means to you. When we have completed this study; your understanding of GRACE will be vastly different. As we better understand God’s Grace, we become changed ~ metamorphoses ~ people; completely transformed in such a powerful way that we will become more and more like Jesus. Jesus tells us that we will be changed from ‘glory to glory’. We will bring glory to Jesus by our transformation or metamorphoses!!