I Am Not Ashamed

 "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 for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”-Romans 1:16-17

As an American, I live in relative freedom every day. I have the freedom to live and believe as I so choose. So it is easy for me to say that I am unashamed of the Gospel of Christ. But in almost every other nation in the world, Christians are living in fear for their lives from their governments, which are continually persecuting them for their faith. One would think that these believers would try to conceal their faith. But on the contrary, we hear stories almost daily of how believers are standing firm in their faith, even in the face of imprisonment and even worse, death.

            What is it that keeps our brothers and sisters in foreign lands to continue to stand for their faith in the face of death? They understand that the gospel is the most important message in the history of the world. This gospel is the message of Christ, who gives all people, regardless of race, gender, or socioeconomic status, salvation through their faith in Him. It is as powerful as dynamite, which is what the Greek word for “power” means. It brings life and deliverance from sin to those who believe, but death and banishment to those who do not.

            Paul, as a Jew, was not ashamed to be preaching a doctrine that went against popular Jewish belief. John MacArthur notes, “He had been imprisoned in Philippi, chased out of Thessalonica, smuggled out of Berea, laughed at in Athens, regarded as a fool in Corinth, and stoned in Galatia, but Paul remained eager to preach the gospel in Rome…Neither ridicule, criticism, nor physical persecution could curb his boldness.”

            It is only through the gospel that the righteousness of God is granted to mankind through faith in Christ. Righteousness is perfectly conforming to God’s law. Since it is impossible for totally depraved humanity to achieve righteousness, therefore the perfect righteousness of God is granted through faith in Christ. This is why Paul quotes Habakkuk 2:4, noting that salvation has always been given to God’s people through faith alone.

            Even though Western Christians live in relative ease, we believe a doctrine that goes against the "touchy-feely" experience-driven religion of popular culture. Our faith lies in Christ, not ourselves, nor science. We must be willing to take a stand for the gospel and to preach salvation through faith alone in Christ alone to all.

Paul's Desire For Rome

"First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed in all the world. For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I mention you always in my prayers, asking that somehow by God's will I may now at last succeed in coming to you. For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you—that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith, both yours and mine. I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that I have often intended to come to you (but thus far have been prevented), in order that I may reap some harvest among you as well 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 I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome."

Romans 1:8-15

 

Paul seemed to be writing to the Romans as if they were his own children. His words are like those of a proud father who is taking glory in the fact that his children have been proclaiming their faith in Jesus Christ throughout the known world. Paul was thankful for the opportunity to write to and encourage the hearts of the Roman Christians.

 

His heart was full for the Romans, as he prayed for them continually, without ceasing. We know that Paul is using a figure of speech and is not praying every second of the day for them. However, he is constantly in prayer--probably praying small prayers throughout the day at different times—and when he prays, he is praying for the specific needs of the Roman church, and also that the Lord would grant him the opportunity to visit them. We should use Paul’s example of prayer, taking time out of the day to continually pray for the needs of the saints. 

Paul’s hope and desire was to finally visit the Roman believers in order to encourage them and to impart a spiritual gift of grace to strengthen the congregation through the message of Christ, general blessings from God, and specific ministerial gifts. His hope and prayer was that both he and the Roman believers would be encouraged by each other’s faith in and testimony to Christ. Not only did the Apostle seek to impart the spiritual wisdom and discernment that the Lord had provided him, but he also sought to be encouraged by and learn from the Romans’ faith.  

Paul’s great desire was to come and personally minister to the Roman church. He no doubt had tried, but he was under divine obligation to preach the gospel to the Greeks, which prevented him from visiting the Romans. We know that God is sovereign and works in all things. God did not want Paul to visit the Romans at this time, but instead to continue to minister to the Gentiles in Greece and Asia, and to those who professed themselves to be wise, but were actually fools (1:22).

Loved and Called by God

Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus...to all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."

Romans 1:1; 7

The everyday first century Jew believed he was loved by God based on his nationality. The Jews were God's chosen people. He had promised to create the Jewish people from faithful Abraham. This people had been called to be set apart from the other nations of the world. Thus, they had certain dietary and lifestyle restrictions, they had to perform bloody sacrifices to atone for their sin, and they had to follow the law of God. The fact that one had Abraham's, Issac's, Jacob's, and David's blood flowing through their veins was a source of pride for a Jew. Thus, many Jews believed that God had a greater love for them because, of course, they were His chosen people. So the fact that Paul opens the letter by calling the Roman Gentiles "loved by God" would have been sure to make any Jewish reader gasp. But the fact is that God does not make a distinction between races, as we will discuss in further detail in the coming chapters. God loves His own. He loves those who put their trust in Him, no matter whose blood is flowing through their veins. He loves His people, His chosen elect.

Not only does Paul note that God loves the Gentile Romans, he says that God has called them. In essence, God had chosen them to be His saints, thus reiterating the fact that God makes no racial distinctions but chooses whom He pleases. God's election is mysterious, but wonderful. God effectually calls His people, drawing them near to Him by faith. 

Finally, Paul extends his usual standard of greeting to the Roman believers, wishing them grace and peace which only God can provide through the death of His Son. God has set His elect apart from sin, drawing them near to Him so that they are called holy, regardless of their race.

Paul's Greeting to the Romans

Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be 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 descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ,

Romans 1:1-6 

To begin our study of Romans, we will take a look at Paul's greeting. Deep theological truths are prevalent in the greetings in Paul's other epistles, but none more so than in Romans. Here, Paul outlines the whole gospel in a single paragraph, a feat that many people would not be able to do in a single page. But of course, Paul was writing through the direct work of the Holy Spirit. 

Paul identifies himself as "a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God". Paul wants his readers to know that he has given his life over to the Lord. He is no longer a slave to sin, but to the Lord. In identifying himself as an apostle, Paul means that he has been sent directly by Christ Himself. Christ appeared to Paul on the road to Damascus and called him to be set apart as a minister for the gospel--the good news of Christ. This good news that Christ brought was the same one that was promised through the prophets in the Old Testament. It is the promise of a Messiah that would save God's people from their sins. This was not a revolutionary message that went against Scripture, as the Jews had accused. This was a message that had been foretold by Moses, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and others.

Christ Jesus, the Son of God, was the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies because He is a blood relative of David (II Samuel 7:12-13, Matthew 1:1-17, Luke 3:23-38). But not only that, He proved Himself to be the Son of God by His resurrection from death. In coming to earth, Christ submitted Himself to the will of the Father by voluntarily giving up His throne in heaven to become a man, born through a sinful woman. It was the Holy Spirit that guided and directed Christ during His ministry on earth. It is that same Holy Spirit that directs and guides God's people today. Through Christ's death and resurrection, His people receive grace through their faith. This grace is not given through our own meritorious works, but through the love and sovereignty of God. 

Since the grace of Christ is given through faith, therefore it is granted to all who believe, regardless of race. This is the supreme theme of this epistle. Those who are called, or the elect, of God are of many colors, cultures, and people groups. John MacArthur notes, "the 'call' of God refers to God's effectual call of elect sinners to salvation, rather than the general call to all men to believe. Salvation comes to those whom God has elected for Christ to save. 

An Introduction to Paul's Epistle to the Romans

After having taken a look at specific verses in the Bible for the last couple of months, I have decided to take a more in depth look at the book of Romans. My resources for this study will include the English Standard Version of Scripture, John MacArthur’s commentary on Romans, and my own personal notes and thoughts that I have compiled over the years.

Of the letters written by the Apostle Paul, his letter to the Roman church is the longest. Paul’s purpose for writing the letter, stated in 1:16-17, is to proclaim that the gospel of Christ is “the power of God for salvation for everyone that believes”. This includes those who are not Jews. He proves this by showing how our righteousness does not come from ourselves, but from God. It is He who justifies sinners by their faith in the finished work of Christ alone. 

Paul also wrote to officially introduce himself to the Roman believers. Although Paul had never visited there, we know that he planned to be there soon because he wrote to edify the believers (1:11), preach the gospel (1:15), and so that the Romans would be able to pray for him (15:30) and help him with his planned ministry in Spain (15:28). 

Many scholars believe that Paul wrote this letter from Corinth during his third missionary journey in approximately 57 A.D. Shortly after this, Paul was arrested upon returning to Jerusalem.

Throughout this study, I will discuss difficult doctrines, such as original sin, election, and the sovereignty of God. I hope that the Lord will encourage you through your reading as we traverse the theologically challenging epistle of Paul to the Romans.