Lesson 3 – Romans Chapter 1:14-17
Rom. 1:14
“I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to wise and to unwise.”
Another translation words it, that Paul was under obligation. We saw when Paul was Saul, when he was doing as much as he could to destroy Christians… but as Paul, he’s been transformed, and now the life he lives, he lives for Christ.
Paul explains this in I Cor. 9:16-17
“Yet preaching the Good News is not something I can boast about. I am compelled by God to do it. How terrible for me if I didn’t preach the Good News! If I were doing this on my own initiative, I would deserve payment. But I have no choice, for God has given me this sacred trust.” (NLT)
“To Greeks and to barbarians”
It’s said of the Greeks at that time, that they were very cultured or sophisticated, meaning they were highly educated. You might say that they had a high opinion of themselves. The barbarians however were quite the opposite, they were foulmouthed, uneducated, and uncivilized.
To the Greeks, when they heard the barbarians speaking, to them, it sounded like nothing but gibberish. So the Greeks would mimic them by saying; “bar, bar, bar,” this is pretty much where the term barbarians comes from.
Col. 3:11
“In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized,
slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us.” (NLT)
All this being said, Paul wanted to reach every people group, every nation.
Rom. 1:15
“So, as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also.”
Paul was not only ready to preach God’s word, he was eager and excited to do it. I believe when you’re called into a ministry for God, don’t be surprised if you find yourself getting excited about it. When that happens, then you know you’re in the right place.
Rom. 1:16
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.”
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ”
Mark 8:38
“For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”
Did you ever have the experience in your life, when perhaps you did something wrong or just plain stupid, and one of your parents said, “I’m ashamed of you?” How did that make you feel?
Now imagine you’re standing in front of Jesus and He says, “I’m ashamed of you.” For me, I think all of the life in me would just be gone.
To avoid hearing this, a life lived for Christ is well worth it, and here’s the secret;
I John 2:28
“And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming.”
John gives us good advice, abide in Jesus, which means for us to have a permanent union with Jesus Christ.
There was nothing in Paul to indicate that he was ashamed of the gospel of Christ.
II Cor. 11:23-28 (I know you’ve heard this, but it bears repeating)
“I know I sound like a madman, but I have served him (Christ) far more! I have worked harder, been put in prison more often, been whipped times without number, and faced death again and again. Five different times the Jewish leaders gave
me thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. Once I spent a whole night and a day adrift at sea. I have traveled on many long journeys. I have faced danger from rivers and from robbers. I have faced danger from my own people, the Jews, as well as from the Gentiles. I have faced danger in the cities, in the deserts, and on the seas. And I have faced danger from men who claim to be believers but are not, I have worked hard and long, enduring many sleepless nights. I have been hungry and thirsty and have often gone without food. I have shivered in the cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm. Then, besides all this, I have the daily burden of my concern for all the churches.”
I’m pretty sure that none of us will ever have a testimony even close to what Paul had to endure. That’s why I think Paul is the champion of the New Testament.
II Tim. 4:2-4
“Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching. For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. They will reject the truth and chase after myths.”
When it comes to telling others about God’s salvation, and His saving grace… be prepared. Being prepared can be as simple as telling someone your story… how did God get your attention? Then let the Holy Spirit do the heavy lifting.
Remember, if a person should say “no” to you, don’t take it personally, they’re saying “no” to God.
“For it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes”
It is the power; the Greek word for power is Dunamis, this is where we get our word for dynamite. This is the very power of God… His omnipotence.
What I said earlier, let the Holy Spirit do the heavy lifting, this is it, the power of God… only God can save, only He has the power.
• What are some examples of God’s power?
The clearest example would be, is what God did on the cross for our sins.
All the way back to the Garden of Eden, when sin and death entered into all of creation because of man’s disobedience, mankind was separated from God. Not until Jesus came to this earth, there was only animal sacrifices which God allowed, but that was only a covering up of sins… not a forgiveness of sins.
We celebrate Christmas this week, remembering that Jesus left His throne in heaven, to come to this earth and become the God/man. Jesus, the spotless Lamb of God, who lived a sinless life, showing man the kingdom of God through His life.
Then Jesus was rejected by man… they arrested Him, tortured Him, and crucified Him… Jesus took on the sins of the world and He died as the perfect sacrifice for our sins.
On the third day through the power of God’s Spirit, He raised Jesus from the dead, defeating sin, death, and satan all at once. That is the power of God.
Jesus’ death and resurrection is “salvation for everyone who believes”
John 3:16
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
• Does this mean that Jesus died for the world, and so now the whole world is saved?
As Paul would say, “May it never be.”
“For the Jew first and also for the Greek (or Gentiles).”
Does this mean that all the Jews and Gentiles are saved? No! Here’s the litmus test for someone to be saved;
Rom. 10:9-10
“That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
• Who is salvation for?
This wasn’t an exclusive club for the Jews and the Gentiles; it is for everyone.
Mark 16:15-16
“And then he told them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone. Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned.”
Anyone who turns down God’s gracious gift of salvation will be condemned, anyone who has faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ will be saved.
When it comes to eternity, you’re either with God or you’re not, there’s no middle ground. God isn’t going to make anyone stay with Him, the bad news is, if you’re not with God you’re against Him. If you have nothing to do with God, the only place for that person will be, the place of condemnation… hell.
Good luck with that.
Rom. 1:17
“For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”
The word “it” refers to the gospel of God, for in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed.
We are familiar with the effectiveness of the gospel message; that it delivers sinners from the penalty and power of sin. We must ask ourselves, where would any of us be without God’s salvation? It’s God’s righteousness that saves us.
The thought of “righteousness” is used one way or another over sixty times in the book of Romans (with words like righteous, just, and justified). God’s righteousness is revealed in His Gospel.
Looking at the death and resurrection of Jesus, we see the righteousness of God… by punishing sin, sin couldn’t go unpunished. Then by God’s grace and mercy (there’s that word again… grace) God’s righteousness is revealed to us by offering us His salvation.
Rom. 3:26
“To demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”
“From faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”
In the Old Testament, the people were saved by “good works,” but under the New Covenant, we are saved by faith… faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ.
Let’s look at faith a little bit.
Hab. 2:4
““Look at the proud! They trust in themselves, and their lives are crooked. But the just shall live by his faith.”
Faith is not only the starting point to your salvation, faith is the continuing power of your walk with Jesus. Faith is the key element to the Christian life, from beginning to end. “The just shall live by faith.”
I think it’s safe to say that most people in this world life by faith, but not necessarily by a righteous faith in God. A good example would be that we go to the supermarket to buy our food, we have faith that, the food we’re buying for the most part is safe for us to eat… we do that by faith.
Another example would be, we get on to an airline jet to travel somewhere, and we have faith that this giant steel structure is going to take off into the air, fly to our destination and get us there (safely). Then, on the same flight, the faith that we have in the jet working, we’re going to have faith in the pilot to fly the plane for us.
That being said, everyone has some kind of faith.
God blesses His chosen ones with a righteous faith, in which we put our faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ.
That is the supreme act of human faith, the act which, though it is ours, it’s primarily God’s… it is His gift to us out of His grace.
Faith; is a belief in, or having a confident attitude toward God, involving your commitment to His will, for your whole life, it’s not a one time thing.
In the book of Hebrews, chapter 11 we find the heroes of faith in the Old Testament; Able, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and Moses.
Each one of them living by faith, trusting God with their life.
Eph. 2:8 “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,”
There is a story told of a man who came eagerly but very late to a revival meeting and found the workmen tearing down the tent where the meeting was held. He was frantic that he had missed the evangelist, so he decided to ask one of the workers what must do to be saved. The workman, who was a Christian told him, “You can’t do anything, it’s too late.” Horrified, the man said. “What do you mean? How can it be too late?” the worker said to him, “The work has already been accomplished, there is nothing you need to do but believe it.”
I peter 1:8-9
Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls.” The gospel makes known a righteousness that is by faith.
The bottom line, true faith is confidence in God.