Romans, epistle being a word referring to a letter. It is a letter that he wrote to not merely the Romans, but particularly the Christians in Rome. I'm going to begin by simply reading the first 17 verses, the beginning of this book. Romans chapter 1, starting in verse 1. 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. 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. 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 might 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. 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. And that's how he begins this rather lengthy epistle that he writes to the church at Rome. As you'll see there in the notes, he wrote this letter to the saints in Rome probably in AD 57. And he mentions in the letter itself that he was about to go to Jerusalem to bring offerings that he had collected in Greece and Macedonia to the saints in Jerusalem who were suffering. And so he was probably in Corinth in particular at this time when we compare to the book of Acts. he had spent about three months there and so writing from Corinth to Rome as he's about to leave Corinth to Jerusalem and then he says he's after he's done in Jerusalem he plans to go to Rome and then beyond Rome to Spain because he's preached the gospel throughout Asia Minor and Greece and now he's going to go even further. Now we know from what actually happened he did go to Jerusalem And he did go to Rome, but not quite the way that he was planning. He gets arrested in Jerusalem and he appeals eventually to Caesar and after two or three years he is brought to Rome and he spends some years there. Perhaps he was released and eventually went on to Spain and then was arrested again, but we don't know as many details at the end of those last couple years. But when he wrote this letter, he had not been to the church in Rome. He hoped to receive help from them on his way to Spain. He mentions that. So that's at least part of the reason he's writing this letter, to introduce himself to them, but also to provoke a zeal for the spread of the gospel, the ministry of the gospel. Tertius is the scribe who wrote down Paul's words. So Paul was dictating this, and he's the one who wrote it down. His name is recorded near the end. And Phoebe is possibly the one who carried the letter to Rome. He commends her in the letter, which would make sense if she's the one traveling there with the letter. There's also a context within Rome that could also be part of the reason Paul writes this letter. It seems at this time, at least judging from the epistle, that there was some tension between Jews and Gentiles, Jew and Gentile believers in Rome. We know from the Book of Acts and from history outside the Bible that in the year 49, the Emperor Claudius had commanded the Jews to leave Rome because of their disputes about Christ. That there was some uproar is not surprising when you read the Book of Acts, that there was some conflict among the Jews. uh... either all the jews or at least the ones connected to this dispute were told to leave and that's why priscilla and aquila uh... leave rome and meet paul as he's traveling on his journeys But it seems that the Gentile believers in Rome were not forced to leave. It was the Jews that were told to leave. By the time that Paul writes this letter, about, I think, eight years later, 57, Claudius had died. The Jews were returning to Rome. And in fact, at the end of this book, we find that Priscilla and Aquila were back in Rome. And so with these Jews who had been sent away had come back. And so what seems to have been the case is that these Gentile Christians who had now become dominant in the church in Rome were having a hard time welcoming and accommodating the Jewish believers who were coming back. And this context is helpful for understanding the way that the epistle is written, because if you don't take that into account, chapters 9 through 11 about what happens, what's God's plan concerning the Jews, why aren't they all getting saved, And then his comments in 14 and 15 about the weak and the strong and matters of conscience and eating different foods, that might seem like digressions from his main purpose, if you don't take that context in mind. But when the context is there, that's actually maybe a large part of why he's writing the epistle. But of course, his theological arguments are essential to his message to them, that it's important to understand the basis of the gospel, that we're saved by faith alone, and so Jew and Gentile are equal partners in the body of Christ. And so a key theme throughout the epistle is Jesus' fulfillment of the promise to Abraham to both Jews and Chantiles, that Abraham is the father of both Jewish believers and Gentile believers, all those who walk in the footsteps of the faith of Abraham. And so that's when we come back to the key passage that I mentioned last week, Romans 1, 16 through 17, we have a lot of the themes of the book then in seed form, kind of his thesis statement. Did anyone work on memorizing this passage from last week. Alfred, do you want to give it a try? Give it a try without looking. For it is the power of God for That's right. So it's the gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. So it's everyone who believes is saved by the gospel. And that's true for the Jew and for the Greek. First for the Jew, it came first to the Jews, but also to the Greeks. And then the next verse expands on that. For in it, in the gospel, the righteousness of God is The righteousness of God is revealed from faith, for faith, or there's different ways to interpret that, but basically beginning and ending in faith. As it is written, the righteous shall live by faith. Or we might say, the righteous by faith shall live. They will have life through faith, and they will be the righteous ones by faith. And Paul expands on that, the doctrine of justification, becoming righteous, being declared righteous. by faith in Jesus Christ. Any questions so far about the epistle to the Romans, its context, Yes, yes. And it's helpful to understand throughout the gospel the word just and righteous are basically the same Greek word. So when we talk about justification, we're talking about being declared just or being declared righteous. So that's an important point to make. Or when he's... God is the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus Christ. He's the one who declares him righteous, not guilty. not condemned. And in fact, Romans supplies one of the arguments for why the word justification refers to us being declared righteous or not, rather than being made righteous people in our actual character. Because in Romans 8, Paul contrasts the word justify with the word condemn. Who is there to condemn? It is God who justifies. So just the opposite of justification would be condemnation rather than a Roman Catholic idea would be that we're justified by being made righteous by God's grace so that we do good works and that's the basis for us being considered righteous. But I digress a little bit. So you see the outline here. It's an easy way to remember it is with all of the words here that begin with the letter G. The introduction is describing the gospel. The gospel is very prominent in these first 17 verses. He's a minister of the gospel, the gospel of the Son and the power of God for salvation. And then he begins talking in verse 18 about the guilt of mankind. He first talks about how the Gentiles are guilty before God, that they are not without witness to God and to His law, their accountability before Him. And then in chapter two describes how the Jews are also guilty before God, that both are under sin. And then finally in the chapter three, verse nine through 20, all, both Jew and Gentile are under sin. There is none that is righteous. No, not one. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. And that introduces us into the next topic, which is that of grace, beginning in chapter 3, verse 21, continuing through chapter 11, that God shows grace to those who are guilty, to those who are condemned, upon whom the wrath of God is coming. He begins by talking about our justification, that condemnation being removed by us being declared righteous, and that being obtained by faith alone, not by the works of the law. Apart from the works of the law, he even says, that we are declared righteous on the basis of the propitiation of Christ and His righteousness. And that's true for Jew and Gentile, just as both are under sin. Then he begins in chapter 6 to talk about our sanctification. Does anyone want to describe what sanctification is and how it's different from justification? Yes, that's one way to distinguish it. Justifications and act, which think of like a pronouncement by a judge. You are innocent. It's accomplished right away just because he said so. Sanctification is a work because it's a changing, a transformation of a person and his character. So adoption, for example, is also an act. You are a son. That's pronounced. It's declared, so be it. Sanctification, though, is us being renewed after the image of God more and more. And with respect to this life, it's only accomplished, only finished in glory. And so Paul's meeting the objection, justification by faith alone. Does that mean that we should sin all the more so that grace may abound? By no means. He argues we've died with Christ, so we'll also rise with him to newness of life. And then in chapter eight, he talks about adoption, another act. We are declared children, particularly sons, whether we're male or female, we're sons of God, meaning that we are heirs of God, that we would inherit eternal glory. And so he also talks about our glorification at the coming of Christ. And then chapters 9 through 11 addresses, well, what then of Israel? And in talking about Israel, he talks about our election by grace, that God predestines those who will be saved. He talks about the ministry of the gospel. He talks about eschatology, what's going to happen in the future. and how the wisdom and glory and justice of God is all magnified by the way he accomplishes these things. Finally, in chapters 12 through 16, he talks about gratitude that we are to show for this grace, that we who are condemned and guilty and who have been saved by God's grace, therefore should, he appeals by the mercies of God, by all of these things that you've seen, be transformed, be renewed, offer your bodies a living sacrifice to your Savior. So he gives directions for the Christian life in 12 and 13. In 14, he talks about peace and unity among the body of Christ. Kingdom of Christ is not a matter of food and drink, but of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. Let's maintain peace and unity and bear with one another. Then he ends 15 by talking about his gospel ministry and his plans. And then chapter 16 greets those who are there, gives a final warning against those who cause divisions and place obstacles contrary to true doctrine, which again is keeping that context in mind, those who were unnecessarily dividing the body of Christ by placing obstacles that shouldn't have been there. And then concludes with a doxology that picks up a lot of the themes of his introduction. So any questions about the outline here? Alfred, do you remember any of the words that start with G that I just said? Gospel. What's the second one anyone? Guilt. Next one? Grace. Next one? Gratitude. Yes. Maybe I'll see next week if anyone remembers that. Gospel, guilt, grace, gratitude. It's also a great gospel presentation, too. If you can remember a few verses from Romans, it's a popular book for memorizing verses to be able to share the gospel. I thought I'd pick out a few themes that we find in the epistle to the Romans here at the bottom of the handout. One topic we find discussed is that of natural revelation. Does anyone want to describe what I mean by natural revelation? And what are they revealing? The glory of God? Right, right. So it's revealing the glory of God in the things that can be seen and touched and in the world around us, but it's not enough for salvation. But what is it enough for? It's enough to hold us accountable that we ought to be obeying God, that we ought to be worshiping Him. And of course, for Adam, before we fell, it was sufficient for him to serve God. Of course, God still spoke to him, but he didn't need redemption when God made the world. The gospel wasn't put in the order of creation because we didn't need salvation. It's a grace that adds salvation to us, his own choice to do so, and so that is revealed in the gospel. And so you'll see Romans 1 talks about it being a revelation of God. It can be his nature and his invisible power. It can be seen in the things that have been made. And near the end of that chapter, in chapter 2, he also talks about a revelation of his law, that there is conscience that condemns. There is the fact that there is a natural use of the body which is violated in sin. There's a natural order to things that is a witness to the way things ought to be, his law. And so there is a natural law, which is not anything different than is written law to us. It's just revealed in a different way. Another theme which is easily overlooked, but it's interesting as you follow it through the book, is that of the body. And I mean your literal physical body. In chapter one, he talks about those who sin by dishonoring their body, using it contrary to its designed use in sexual immorality. In chapter 6, he talks about your body. Don't let sin reign in your body, but use it as, present it to God, and as instruments for righteousness. That just as your body served sin as a tool for sin, so present it to God, consecrate it to Him as an instrument for righteousness, as a tool that's being used to do that which is right. And then in chapter 8, he talks about the resurrection of the body. That your mortal body will be given life. What is creation groaning for? What is it longing for in expectation? Your redemption, the redemption of your bodies. The resurrection from the dead at Christ's coming. Just as creation fell in Adam's sin, so it is longing for our redemption, our complete redemption in our resurrection. And then in chapter 12, how does he describe our gratitude, our obedience? Offer your bodies as living sacrifice. Of course it refers to yourself, but it's getting very concrete, very specific. Offer your body as living sacrifice to God by by obeying him, by walking in his ways. And then he talks about how we are also one body in Christ. They're a little bit more of a metaphorical use of the term, but that we are members of one body, body parts of one body, which is the body of Christ. Yes. surprising to those in the Roman Empire Gentiles who were following I think it certainly would have been surprising to certain philosophies and probably a lot of the popular philosophies that degraded the body, that thought, you know, more platonic thought, which would see the body as like a prison of the soul. Or Epicureans that, you know, it doesn't matter what you do with your body, I mean, just appeal to the senses of the body. But Paul's use of the body as something that's actually redeemed that is probably unique compared to a lot of the philosophies of his day and our day. Our day also degrades the body. It doesn't really matter what your body is like. It's all about the choices you make, not about the body you have. Even Christians will be like, yeah, we're saved to get out of the body and live as disembodied souls in heaven forever and forget about the whole redemption of the body that creation is groaning for. It just doesn't happen yet. Your body's going to be groaning for a while. But that is saved morally now to be an instrument of righteousness and saved physically in the coming of Christ in time to come. But perhaps the Christian neglect of the importance of the body is maybe related a little bit to our secular degrading of the body, that it's not that important telling us how to live our lives, whether you're male or female, for example. Let's quickly turn to Romans 3. 23 and following. Obviously, one important theme of Romans that it's famous for is the doctrine of justification. And we have a very good summary of that in chapter 3, starting in verse 23. Justification by faith does not mean that faith is the one good work that you can do to please God. you know that he'll be really impressed with your faith and and therefore say that's good enough you're righteous enough because you showed faith in me That's not justification by faith the way Paul means it. Faith is an instrument by which we receive the basis of our justification, which is not our faith. It's Christ and His righteousness. And so in Romans 23, we all have sinned, both Jew and Greek, we all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. and are justified, so both Jews and Greeks, how are we saved? Are justified by His grace as a gift. All right, so first of all, justification is a gift. It's by His grace. It's not something we earn. And it's through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by His blood to be received by faith. And so Christ satisfied the wrath of God by his blood, by his death, and that is received by us by faith. This was to show God's righteousness because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. So, God declares sinners righteous. How can he be just then? Well, it's because he's not just declaring sinners righteous, he's declaring sinners righteous on the basis of Christ's righteousness received by them. The one who has faith in Jesus is justified. What then becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. You don't get to boast. That's what happens to your boasting. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from the works of the law. So your works of the law don't contribute to you being declared righteous. This is where we get the idea of not only justification by faith, but justification by faith alone. That faith is the only instrument by which we receive the righteousness of Christ. Another theme of the epistle to the Romans is that of resurrection. Not only our resurrection, but that of Christ's resurrection. At the beginning of the epistle, he mentions how Christ was raised from the dead. declared to be the Son of God in power. He was exalted. He was vindicated in his resurrection. So it's kind of what his resurrection meant concerning himself. In chapter 4, it talks about how he rose from the dead for our justification. At the end of chapter 4, he was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification. Now what did his resurrection have to do with our justification? What do you think those two have in common with each other? What connection do those two have with each other? And so it was essentially the declaration that justice had been satisfied, that he is being raised from the dead. We might call it his justification almost, the declaration that Christ was no longer being condemned for the sins that he bore, obviously not his own personal sins, but the sins that he took upon him, our sins, that they were done away with. And so he rose from the dead. as righteous, all those sins being gone. And so that righteousness is imputed to us. He rose then for our being similarly let free, similarly declared righteous. In chapter six then, his resurrection is also connected with our sanctification. We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life, which is a way of saying new life, newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his." So by virtue of our union with Christ, we are raised with him to a new life, a life that is different than the life that we used to live. And finally, in chapter eight, his resurrection is connected with our resurrection. In chapter eight, verse 11, if the spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his spirit who dwells in you. So just as he rose from the dead, that was the first fruits, the beginning, which we will all participate in, in our resurrection from the dead. Well, there's a lot more to cover here as we come to the end of our time. You can look up some of the verses that I have here in the notes. It talks about what privileges did the Jews have as the visible church at that time, and that is still somewhat applicable also to what privileges does the visible church have today. They have the word of God. They have the ordinances of God. They have the sacraments. They have many privileges. which we ought to receive by faith, talks about election and predestination, and an important discussion of that, especially in chapter 9 and 11, talks about the unity of God's people, that the Gentiles are grafted onto the same olive tree, the same people of God. They were wild olives, but they were grafted onto the same people of God. So we don't have two peoples of God, Israel and the church, but rather one church. that is in Old and New Testaments. And finally, let me end with chapter 15, 15 verses 5 through 9. And I think here Paul brings together kind of the, a lot of the practical import of his teaching, that just as God received us by his grace, so we ought to welcome one another. He says, may the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another in accord with Christ Jesus that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you for the glory of God. For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God's truthfulness in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy. And so we have both Jew and Gentile brought together by His faithfulness to His old promises to Abraham. And as He has received us by grace, so we ought to welcome one another, and in unity, with one voice, as we're about to do here in worship, right? To worship the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Let's close with prayer. Dear Father, we thank you for your grace, your favor that you show us, and the gifts of this favor, the forgiveness of our sins and our righteous status for our inheritance in the age to come. which is confirmed to us, your children, for the new life of righteousness that we may be freed from the dominion of sin through Jesus Christ and raised to a new life in which even our bodies are instruments of righteousness. We pray, Father, that you would bind together your church in this harmony that you have prepared for us, that we would rejoice in your salvation and give you glory. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.