Romans Chapter 1

Justification by Faith and Life in Christ

Outline:

vv.1-7 General Greeting.

vv.8-15 Paul’s Desire to Come to Rome.

• He desired to come for,

  1. Spiritual Impartation and
  2. Mutual Encouragement.

• He is delayed because of reaping a “harvest” preaching the gospel.
  Therefore, impartation and mutual encouragement are second to preaching the gospel.

vv.16-17 God’s Reward for Faithfulness.

• v.16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel…
• v.17 “For in it (the gospel) the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith.
• v.17 “The righteous shall live by faith” (Paul quotes Habakkuk 2:4).

vv.18-32 God’s Wrath for Unfaithfulness.

• v.18 “…unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.
• v.19-20 Plain truths about God are clearly perceived – there will be no excuse.
• v.21 “They” …know God but did not “honor” or give “thanks”.
• “They” would inevitably exchange the “Glory of God”.

vv.24-32 Three Areas God “Gave Them Up”.

• vv.24-25 Lusts of their Hearts to Impurity.
• vv.26-27 Dishonorable Passions.
• vv.28-32 To a Debased Mind.

vv.32 Special attention given to “though they know”.

• Despite “knowing” they not only work unrighteousness, but they also approve of
  others working unrighteousness.

I. God’s Reward for Faithfulness

11 For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you— 12 that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine. 13 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. 14 I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. 15 So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome. —Romans 1:11–15 (ESV)

Impartation and Encouragement are secondary to preaching the gospel

• Both Impartation and Encouragement are essential and mostly happen within the
  church.
• The Great Commission (“Go into all the world…”) is our primary obligation.

• Paul is demonstrating faithfulness to the gospel and is rewarded in reaping a
  harvest (of souls).

  16 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. 17 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 (ESV)

“Justification by Faith”

• “Pronounced Righteous by God because of our Faith”.
• “The imputation of Christ’s righteousness to the believer without merits” (Luther).

v.17 … “For in it” (gospel proclamation) the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith. πίστις to πίστις (pistis to pistis).

Faith = pistis (faithfulness).

God’s righteousness is revealed from faithfulness to faithfulness.

Paul quotes Habakkuk here:

Habakkuk 2 4 “Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him, but the righteous shall live by his faith.

“Faith” (Hebrew)
אֱמוּנָה emû nā(h)

“Faith” (Greek)
πίστις pistis

Faithfulness is not demonstrated in perfection but in a resolute mind to walk with God.

Rejoice not over me, O my enemy; when I fall, I shall rise; —Micah 7:8

II. God’s Wrath for Unfaithfulness

God’s Wrath on Unrighteousness
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. —Romans 1:18 (ESV)

There is a principle for both Believer and Unbeliever.

• For the unbeliever, “what can be known about God” is made plain in his invisible
  Attributes (vv.19-20).

• For the Believer however, it is possible to “know” and yet “suppress” the truth!

  19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So, they are without excuse. —Romans 1:19–20 (ESV)

“Law of Life” for instance, is one of many clear testimonies of God’s essence.

• God is love.
• Love selfishly gives.
• Nature demonstrates this (oxygen from plants to us, the cycle of water from sky to
  Earth, etc.).
• When this is broken, death ensues.

(Remember the principle that applies to both Believers and Unbelievers)

21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. —Romans 1:21 (ESV)

Rejecting the knowledge of God is a demonstration of unfaithfulness (whether believer or not).

What happens to a Believer who does not honor him as God (i.e. rejects God knowledge)?
What happens to a Believer who does not give thanks to him?

You become “futile” (empty) in your thinking and your hearts become darkened.

22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. —Romans 1:22–23 (ESV)

Three Areas God Gave “Them” Up

24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.
26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 27 and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.
28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. —Romans 1:24–28 (ESV)

1. Lusts of their hearts to impurity (vv.24-25) (lustful thoughts)
2. Dishonorable passions (vv.26-27) (dishonorable passions/pathos)
3. To a debased mind (vv.28-32) (disqualified mind)

This is not a sole indictment on homosexuality; this is an indictment on unfaithfulness.

• Consider Paul’s list below.

• Although Paul deals with homosexuality, he lumps it with other forms of unfaithfulness such as gossip.

  29 They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32 Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them. —Romans 1:29–32 (ESV)

Verse 32 must serve as a warning to anyone who encourages such unfaithfulness.

• Unbelievers
• Believers
• False Teachers