A Study in the Book of Romans

Pt. I

General Discussion:

Read Romans 1:1

Romans was written by The Apostle Paul near the end of his third missionary trip, probably from Corinth.

We know Paul wrote it because he identifies himself clearly as:

  1. bondservant of Jesus Christ – some translations say – servant or slave. Paul is looking at himself as a Jew. The Israelites were the servants of the Living God, we are his children.

Paul is saying he is a willing slave to The Lord Jesus. A slave has no rights, no privileges or life outside of his master. Generally we think of it is very negative terms, but in fact this is what we are to be, a willing slave in the service of Jesus Christ, one who submits humbly to our Lord in everything, yielding our life to him, in all area…. Through Him, By Him and For Him!

It was written to the Christians in Rome, both Gentile and Jew.

It was one of the oldest New Testament churches.

The origin of the church in Rome is not really clear, there are many theories;

  1. It was begun by Jewish visitors to Jerusalem at the day of Pentecost, who returned to Rome and established the church. Acts 2
  2. It was begun by people led to the Lord by Paul in other cities, who returned to Rome and established the church. This to me is least likely theory as it was oldest church noted.

Paul writes the letter for many reasons: Read Ro. 1:8-15, 15:22-29 (world hx according to tins.)

  1. To establish and correct their thinking regarding the Gospel. Acts 2:14-39,41
  2. To notify them of his earnest desire to visit them.

He has had a burning desire to come to Rome, on his way to Spain. He has been stopped for many reasons.

  1. It was not in the perfect will of God, for him to come.
  2. Buffet and interference by the enemy.

Now we have established the general history of the book, let’s move on.

Read Ro. 1:7

Let’s talk about grace and peace.

Grace- Favor or kindness shown without regard to the worth or merit of the one who receives it and in spite of what that person deserves. It is one of the attributes of God. Exodus 34:6-7

Read 1Chronicles 16:34

Mercy and goodness are other attributes of God, God has to be real to us…. (Mark and Kenneth Hagin.)

To understand grace, we need to understand sin, what it is, how it is identified and why we need to be redeemed from it.

Read Ro. 1:18-23 – describes sin in world, despite God’s evident presence.

Read Romans 3:9-20 –knowledge of sin…..

Let’s look at several things. Romans 5:12-16

1. Adam and the fall: Adam was created the first man, He had God’s nature dwelling in him,,, He was eternal. it is important for us to understand what God created. Man was not some after thought, we were created to be His children. We are children of God.

Genesis 2:7: " And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul."

God formed the human body out of the elements of this earth.

He created the Earth, but He formed Man out of what He had already created.

God created man in His own image, He breathed the breath of Life into him.

That is when man was really created. The life of God is the life giving source of that man. He had no lack of anything, no lack for knowledge or provision of any kind.

He walked in a likeness of God. He was the ruler of this world, and He was a free moral agent.

In other words he was given a free will. Every single thing that God created, He created for his man Adam. And God gave Adam total dominion over all His handy works.

Gen. 2: 17: "But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die". spiritual death which will ultimately lead to physical death.

So what happened? Adam committed high treason. He gave everything he ruled to Satan.

Genesis 3:1-19, Romans 5:12-16

Through Adam’s one act, death reigned. We were eternally separated from God, and God cannot associate with sin and death.

At that point in time God’s hands were tied, He had to legally honor what had happened.

God couldn’t just start over and create a new man, He doesn’t work like that.

He always honors His Word. ALWAYS He has to honor His word .

even if it was His, which it wasn’t, He had to find another way to get his man back legally.

Spiritual death was in man and God had to use a legal way to get back in and kick

Satan out.

But…God had a plan….

Genesis 17:1-7, 9-11

God made a legal agreement. That’s what a covenant is. He had Abraham cut his skin

and shed his blood in order to mark himself with God. circumcision

It was not the act of circumcision that fulfilled the Covenant but the faith of those who participated in it. Romans 2:25-29

Romans 4:1-12

Father of both uncircumcised and circumcised. Both depend on faith not the actual act.

It is faith that brings righteousness, not the law.

But… the law identifies sin for us.

Romans 7:1, 4-12

The law was created for two reasons:

  1. To identify sin and its consequences.
  2. To establish a temporary solution for limited fellowship with God until redemption and salvation through Jesus. Romans 1:16-17

Romans 7:7-9

We are alive, then we come to the full knowledge of sin, we die spiritually.

A baby when it dies in childbirth, where does it go? Heaven or hell?

A little child dies tragically, where does it go? Heaven or hell? Why???

Because it is born alive, then at sometime becomes aware of sin, through the law, chooses to sin and dies. Romans 7:10

(talk about your time of knowledge in car with mother.) Reread Genesis 3:1-9