The Power of the Gospel: Romans 1

Not Ashamed of the Gospel
Romans 1

INTRODUCTION:
The Lads youth will be studying the letter of Romans this year. To encourage you to study and learn of the gospel from the letter of Romans, Jared and I are doing a couple things every week. Jared and Michelle and Rachel and I are putting together these outlines of the letter, in paragraphs of 7-10 verses for you to study on your own, at home, with your own Bible. Secondly, Jared is also doing a short devotional each week on the church’s FB page over that specific paragraph from Romans.

But thirdly, because I had some slots in my sermon schedule for textual studies, I decided to use those times to also go over the “Gospel According to Romans.”

All of these efforts are, prayerfully, designed to help you grow in your knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ and to grow in knowledge of His grace, while you are growing in your knowledge of the letter of Romans.

We begin in chapter 1…

THE ORIGIN AND CONTENT OF THE GOSPEL - Romans 1:1-7:
“Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which He promised beforehand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning His Son, who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh, who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for His name’s sake, among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ; to all who are beloved of God in Rome, called as saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Paul identifies himself as a “bond-servant” or “slave” of Jesus Christ as he suggests that all he does and teaches are guided by the risen Jesus Christ.
He identifies himself as a “apostle” to denote the authority behind his message.
But notice also he says he was “set apart for the gospel of God.” The “gospel” is the theme of Romans. Paul was “set apart.” In Acts 9:15, Jesus had told Ananias that Saul of Tarsus was a “chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel.” Paul will say in Galatians 1:15-16 that God had set him apart from his mother’s womb and called him to reveal the Son in him so he could preach the gospel among the Gentiles. This letter of Romans is an explanation of that gospel message.

The gospel was promised through the OT prophets in the holy Scriptures. The gospel being preached by gospel preachers today is nothing new. He has been around, not just the NT, but since the times of the OT. Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of the OT predictions.

The “content” of the gospel in two words is: Jesus Christ. He was born of a descendant of David. Only Matthew and Luke record the virgin birth of Jesus but this is an allusion to that event. Jesus, on His mother’s / human side, was from the family of King David, “according to the flesh.”

Yet, He was declared to be the Son of God with power by the resurrection of the dead, as the message has been presented and verified by the “Spirit of holiness,” that is the Holy Spirit which makes us holy.

It is through the Lord Jesus Christ, Paul writes in verse 5, that he had received grace (detailed more in 1 Timothy 1) and the “apostleship” to share the gospel especially among the Gentiles. That is, to “bring about the obedience of faith among the Gentiles for the sake of Christ’s name.” Here and at 16:26, Paul combines the word “obedient” to faith to make sure we all understand that the faith that saves is the faith that obeys. Martin Luther, reacting against the Catholic Church, had inserted the word “only” in Romans 5:1, perverting Paul’s words to say we are “justified by faith only.” So far as I can tell, that error has been corrected.

The audience is from among the Gentiles, and were “the called of Jesus Christ.” In other words, they were Christians.

THE URGENCY OF THE GOSPEL - Romans 1:8-17:
“First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, because your faith is being proclaimed throughout the whole world. For God, whom I serve in my spirit in the preaching of the gospel of His Son, is my witness as to how unceasingly I make mention of you, always in my prayers making request, if perhaps now at last by the will of God I may succeed in coming to you. For I long to see you so that I may impart some spiritual gift to you, that you may be established; that is, that I may be encouraged together with you while among you, each of us by the other’s faith, both yours and mine. I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that often I have planned to come to you (and have been prevented so far) so that I may obtain some fruit among you also, even as among the rest of the Gentiles. I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. So, for my part, I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome. For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “But the righteous man shall live by faith.”

The first thing Paul does is thank God, through Jesus Christ, for the Roman Christians:

That their faith was being talked about all over the world.
And that, with God as His witness whom he serves in his spirit in preaching the gospel of His Son, Paul mentions the Roman Christians unceasingly.
And Paul was making request that if perhaps now at last, it might be the will of God for him to come see the Roman Christians.

Paul wanted to share a spirit gift with them - which suggests that no other apostle had been to the Roman congregation yet. This was done to “establish” them in their faith - to know that what they had been hearing was true and they could share it with others.
And that he could be encouraged by their faith and encourage them in their faith.
He wanted them to know that he had often desired to come see them
But was frequently prohibited
He wanted to come to “obtain some fruit” among them: either new conversions or maturity among the Christians themselves

Paul makes four statements in the next few sentences:
Paul felt an obligation to share the gospel; he was saved; he wanted to save others.
He was eager / zealous to share the gospel in Rome.
He was not ashamed of that gospel, because it was God’s power to save.
In the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed “from faith to faith” (Hab. 2:4).

THE OBVIOUS EVIDENCE OF THE GOSPEL - Romans 1:18-25:
"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures. Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.”

Paul had said that the righteousness of God was revealed in the gospel (1:17). Here, he states that the “wrath” of God has also been revealed…
Against all unrighteousness and ungodliness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness
Why is God’s wrath revealed? Because what is known about God is made evident to them.
Because since the creation of the world, the invisible attributes of God have been clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, so they are without excuse.

They knew God, but did not honor Him as God. They allowed their speculations to become futile and they allowed their hearts to become darkened, by which they became foolish. They professed themselves wise, but became fools. How so?

They exchanged the image of the incorruptible God into an image in the form of corruptible man, birds, four-footed animals, and crawling creatures. They engaged in idolatry!

The consequence is that God “gave them up” (said three times here: 1:24, 26, 28). First, God “gave them up” in the lusts of their minds to impurity so their bodies would be dishonored. Why did they do this? Because they exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator!

THE MORAL IMPLICATIONS OF REJECTING THE GOSPEL - Romans 1:26-32:
“For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error. And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.”

Secondly, as a consequence, God “gave them over” to degrading passions with the women exchanging the natural function of the woman for what is unnatural and the men abandoned the natural function of the women and burned in their desires for each other, committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty for their error.

Homosexuality is a direct result of exchanging the truth of God for a lie. It is a direct result of turning from worshipping the incorruptible God and worshipping corruptible man, including the sexual relationship, or worshipping birds, four-footed animals, and crawling things.

Immorality is a direct result of idolatry. But wait, there’s more!

In verses 29-31, Paul gives an extended list of vices that flow from refusing the truth of God, refusing to worship and serve the Creator who is blessed forever:

Unrighteousness
Wickedness
Greed
Evil
Full of envy
Murder
Strife
Deceit
Malice
Gossips
Slanderers
Haters of God
Insolent - rude
Arrogant
Boastful
Inventors of evil
Disobedient to parents
Without understanding
Unloving
Untrustworthy
Unmerciful

These people about whom Paul speaks “knew” the ordinances of God and they “knew” that those who practiced such things were “worthy of death.” But regardless, not only did they “do the same” but they also gave “hearty approval” to those who practice them.

That’s why mankind needs the gospel!

Take home message: Man needs the gospel because it is the message from the heart of God that has the power to save from the wrath of God those who believe.