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Romans: From Guilt to GloryLesson 1 -- 07/08/18

GREETINGS FROM ROME

Text: Romans 1:1-7

Introduction: If you have your Bibles, I’d invite you to turn with me to Romans, chapter 1, as we begin our study of this great thesis of the apostle Paul to the Romans. I say thesis because Romans is so much more than simply a letter. Personally, I see Romans as the fifth gospel – Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and Romans. If I could have only one book of the Bible, it would be this book, because within it you will find everything you need to know about God’s gifts of forgiveness and salvation; you will learn how to invite Christ into your life and have a personal relationship with Him; and you will find pretty much everything you need to know to live the Christian life.

The book of Romans has been used mightily by God over the course of church history. There are many examples that come to mind, but let me share just one of them with you.

More than 1,500 years ago, a young man named Aurelius Augustan was born in North Africa. He was an adherent of a false gospel of that day called Manichaeism. [Originally a Persian religion, it was basic dualism – the struggle between the light side and the dark side with elements of all the major religions of the day including Christianity].

Think Star Wars

Aurelius made his way to Rome with some of his friends, who were also committed to Manichaeism. While in Italy, they wanted to hear a man named Ambrose speak, because he was considered to be the greatest orator of their day. They didn’t really care what he said, they simply wanted to hear how he said it, and what made him such a great speaker.

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So they went to Milan where Ambrose was the pastor of the Christian church and they listened to him speak for a few days.

Aurelius’ friends grew tired of it, but his heart was gripped by Ambrose’s exposition of the book of Genesis. Ambrose happened to be teaching the early chapters of Genesis when Aurelius and his friends were there.

Aurelius found that his heart was moved by the message that Ambrose was preaching, not so much the way in which he said it. Soon after this encounter, as he was reading through the Bible on his own, he read Paul’s epistle to the Romans. Aurelius’ heart was convicted, and he gave his life to Christ; an answer to the lifelong prayer of his mother, Monica.

From that point forward, Augustine of Hippo, made a great impact on the history of Christianity, especially western Christianity. And it began as the Holy Spirit used Paul’s presentation of the gospel in the epistle of Romans. A thousand years after the time of Augustine, an Augustinian monk named Martin Luther, who was a professor of New Testament in the City University of Wittenberg, was wrestling with the idea of the justice of God. In fact, he said, when he came to Romans 1:17, it made him hate God because this passage speaks of the righteousness and justice of God, and Luther knew he had no righteousness of his own to offer to God. So he felt hopeless and destined to be rejected by God, no matter what he did. And he did everything that the Roman Catholic Church of his day told him to do to be right with God, yet he had no peace. And he tells us that when he finally understood what Paul was talking about in Romans 1:17, it was as if the gateway to heaven had been opened to him. Five hundred years of Christianity has been impacted by the Protestant Reformation, all of it a direct result of a proper understanding of Paul’s letter to the Romans.

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And now, we as a church family have the privilege of being able to study the book of Romans together. Before we read today’s text I should tell you that Romans has the longest greeting of all of the apostle’s letters. As we read the first seven verses, I want you to notice that even though Paul doesn’t actually give us a definition of the gospel, everything in his greeting is infused with the gospel itself. So, even in his greeting to the church at Rome, Paul is already talking about the gospel of grace. Now, let’s begin: [READ Rom. 1:1-7] 2 Slides

1 Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God, 2 (which He had promised afore by His prophets in the holy scriptures,) 3 concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; 4 and declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead: 5 by whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for His name: 6 among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ: 7 to all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Prayer: Our Father, so many of us come with preconceptions about You and Your gospel that it blinds us to Your glory and to the sheer extravagance of Your grace displayed in the gospel. We pray that by the work of the Holy Spirit You would not only enable us to understand the truth of Your word as Paul sets it forth; but that You would remove the scales from our eyes which prevent us from appreciating the glory of the gospel -- enable us to see, to believe, to trust and obey. We ask in the name of Jesus, Amen. Let me say up front, it’s my hope that as we study Romans together, it will challenge our understanding of Christianity. By that I mean that we will all come away with an even greater appreciation for how amazing

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the gospel of grace is, and be changed for the better by the power of the truth Paul presses upon us in his thesis.

Just as Paul does in his writing, I want us to begin looking at the subject of the gospel immediately. First, in verse 1, Paul introduces himself to the congregation by describing his ministry’s position, authority, and purpose. Second, in verses 2 through 6, Paul tells us three important things we need to know about the gospel. And third, at the end of verse 5 and down to verse 7, Paul explains the transforming power of the gospel over our lives so that we can have a proper understanding of it.

I. AN INTRODUCTION TO THE AUTHOR OF THE GOSPEL (Rom. 1:1)

[READ Rom. 1:1]

1 Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,

Notice Paul’s words. He says three things in this little verse. First, that he is a servant of the Messiah. That’s who he is. I’m a servant of the Messiah who is Jesus. Christ Jesus is my master. So Paul introduces himself to the Romans first as a servant. This was imagery that the Romans understood very clearly because in that ancient culture either you had servants or you were a servant yourself.

Paul’s servitude was an important balance to the next truth that he announces to them. Because the very next thing he’s going to say is that he’s not only a servant of Christ, but that he is also a called apostle. Paul could honestly say that the Lord Jesus Christ visibly and audibly met him and called him not only to salvation, but to His service as an apostle.

You might remember that Paul was on his way to Damascus, Syria, to persecute the Christians there. But along the way he encountered the

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risen Christ whose servants he was persecuting. And not only did the Lord Jesus stop him in his tracks, He also knocked him off his high horse (literally). Christ humbled Paul, brought him to repentance, and converted him. At first nobody believed his story, they were suspicious of him, thinking he was trying to pull some kind of trick; but Jesus spoke to the Christians there and told them it was safe to welcome Saul of Tarsus into the Christian community. The Lord explained, “I will reveal to him just how much he must suffer for My sake.” So, from the outset of his conversion Paul was set apart for a special ministry, called by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself to be an authoritative messenger and representative of God.

So Paul writes to these Roman Christians, I’m a servant of Christ. I’m not writing to in any way lord it over you; yet at the same time you need to know that I am an authoritative messenger, a called apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul gives us an inkling of what that entails in 1 Thessalonians.

[READ 1 Thes. 2:13]

13 For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.

Paul compliments the Thessalonian Christians. He says, “I thank God that when you heard me proclaim the truth to you, you understood that my words were not just men’s words, that they weren’t just my opinions, my thoughts, my reflections, and my experience. But that they were God’s words. You accepted the message for what it truly is.”

So, he lets these Roman Christians know that he is an authoritative messenger and representative of God. Then he goes on to inform them that he is wholly devoted to proclaiming God’s good news. He was set apart to deliver the gospel of God. Even though Paul refers to God’s

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good news as “my gospel” in some of his other letters, we understand that ultimately he meant, it’s the gospel of God. Paul was not serving his own agenda, but rather the program of the Lord Most High. It’s God’s gospel that Paul was serving. We need to understand the radical claims that Paul is making here. You and I live in a day and age where people are very uncomfortable with authority and even with the truth. I read this week about a certain Russian history professor who told his class as they were studying the Soviet Revolution, “The Bolsheviks were a lot like Christians. They thought they’d found truth with a capital T.” Then he gave his class some typical worldly advice: “If you ever run into anybody who believes in truth with a capital T, run in the opposite direction as fast as you can.” You see, the world is very uncomfortable with claims of absolute truth because the world is afraid that real, genuine truth will restrict its freedom to do as it pleases. And, of course, it will. Truth, to a certain extent, does restrict one’s freedom to do as they please.

But let me tell you something, it is the only thing that will save you from despotism in the long run. It is only belief in a transcendent truth that does not change, that saves you from the tyranny of the fifty-one percent majority. If a person tolerates you only because they believe there are no moral absolutes, or that what truth exists is relative, then they can change their mind about you tomorrow. On the other hand, if a person tolerates you on superlative principles that cannot change, then you have a relationship which can last. But if you take away belief in a transcendent truth, you are in trouble. Paul addresses the Romans with this kind of unshakeable, undeniable truth and authority.

It’s important for us to face up to the authority of his claims. He wants us to see the positive impact of the truth that he will press home in his epistle. When Paul says, I am an apostle, and I’ve got a message from God for you, he wants us to understand that his message has ramifications for the entirety of our lives; for the way we think, for the way we live, and for the place we will spend eternity. He is claiming to address the Romans (and us) directly on behalf of God. Paul is not

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saying, this is the church’s opinion, this is the community of faith’s opinion, or this is my individual opinion; he’s not claiming this is the result of his own private mystical encounter with God. No, he is saying this is God’s word for you. This is the good news of God.

Beloved, it is vital for us to grasp this point. We must embrace the gospel, not just because we think it’s good for us, but because it is true. If it is not true, then it is not good news. Paul doesn’t present the gospel as one of many options that might work out for you. He presents it as the one and only truth of how God relates lovingly to sinners. If it’s rejected, it means eternal damnation. If it is embraced, it means eternal bliss. It’s that simple. That’s not a popular belief in this relativistic, pluralistic age in which we live. Paul is throwing down the gauntlet, and he’s saying, this is God’s message for you. There’s only one way, one gospel, one hope, and one Lord. The gospel that Paul preached, the gospel that I am preaching to you today is authoritative.

II. THE IDENTIFICATION OF THE GOSPEL (Rom. 1:1-6)

Next, I want you to see three crucial things Paul said these Roman Christians needed to know about the gospel. By the way, so do we. Watch carefully now ...

[READ Rom. 1:1-6]

1 Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God, 2 (which He had promised afore by His prophets in the Holy Scriptures,) 3 concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; 4 and declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead: 5 by whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for His name: 6 among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ:

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Did you catch them? He says, (1) the gospel is rooted in the Old Testament scriptures; (2) He tells us that the gospel is Christ-centered; and (3) He tells us that the gospel is also for the Gentiles. Now let’s put some meat on these bones.

The Gospel Is Rooted in the Old Testament

First, Paul says that the gospel was promised by God beforehand through His prophets, in the Holy Scriptures. He’s telling us that the New Testament gospel is rooted in the Old Testament Scriptures. The New Covenant presentation of the grace of God made available through Jesus Christ is the fruition of, the fulfillment of, what God had already laid out in the Old Covenant Law by His prophets. You might say that Paul is picking up right where Matthew left off as he presents the gospel. The gospel is rooted and established in Old Testament revelation. And Paul is saying to these Gentile Christians, “Look you can’t just ignore the Old Testament. You can’t say, oh, isn’t it wonderful, we’ve got these New Testament revelations, we’ve got these New Testament books, and we have the New Testament gospel -- so we don’t need to bother with Genesis anymore. We don’t need to bother with Isaiah anymore.” Paul is saying, “No way, absolutely not, the gospel that I am preaching to you is rooted in the Old Testament. You can’t forget the Jewishness of Christianity.” Years ago, a fellow visited our church for a while. One Sunday he cornered me after a service and proceeded to let me know how upset he was that I preached and taught out of the Old Testament as well as the New. He didn’t believe there was any place for the Old Testament in the New Testament church. Beloved, you can’t get the whole picture of God’s plan for mankind, and you certainly can’t see just how amazing grace really is without the Old Testament!

The Gospel Is Christ-Centered

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Next, Paul explains the gospel is primarily and supremely about God and His Son. The gospel is God’s redemptive plan for man as it’s revealed through the person and work of Jesus Christ. And that’s a message that we need to hear today.

If you were to ask the average Christian, “Hey, tell me, what is the gospel?” They will answer something like: “Well, the gospel is that you need to repent of your sins, believe in Jesus Christ, and invite Him into your life.” Nope. They’ve started with a response to the gospel.

The correct answer is, even though you are under the righteous condemnation of God by virtue of your own sin and enmity toward Him, as well as your participation in Adam’s original rebellion, God in His mercy and grace has sent His Son to die on your behalf, so that you might become the righteousness of God in Him.

That’s where the gospel starts. Not with our response. And until you understand that the gospel is about God and His initiative, you don’t have a complete view of the gospel. So Paul begins Romans by establishing that the gospel is about God and especially the work of His Son. Notice the things Paul tells us about God’s Son.

1) First of all he tells us about Christ’s Person.

[READ Rom. 1:3]

3 concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh;

He says that God’s Son is truly human, and that according to the flesh, He is descended from David. Therefore, genealogically

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speaking, Jesus is tied to the Davidic promise that the Messiah of God would come through the line of David.

2) Secondly, he tells us about Christ’s Position.

Also notice while we’re in verse 3, that Paul clearly states that God’s Son, Jesus, is the Christ (Messiah), who is our Lord; which is to say that He is our Master. Paul is deliberately articulating that it is the Lord Jesus Christ who has called him into service to take God’s gospel to the Gentiles.

3) Thirdly, he tells us about Christ’s Power.

[READ Rom. 1:4]

4 and declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead: Here Paul is speaking of Christ’s exaltation. He was revealed to be who He claimed to be -- the one and only Son of God by His resurrection from the dead, and by the testimony of the spirit of holiness, meaning the Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the Trinity. Christ should be exalted in our eyes.

The Gospel Is for Everyone

Then Paul announces that the gospel is for all nations:

[READ Rom. 1:5-6]

5 By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for His name: 6 among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ:

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Here Paul identifies himself as the apostle to the Gentiles. So, not only was his message good news for the Jews who believe, (“to the Jew first and also to the Greek” ~ Rom. 1:16), it was also great news to all the Gentiles, because God was bringing together Jew and Gentile, slave and free, barbarian and Scythian. He was bringing them all into the kingdom He is building. The gospel is for all nations; the gospel is for everyone.

Beloved, in light of what Paul says just in the introduction to Romans, we all probably need to ask the Holy Spirit to do a radical reboot of our understanding of the gospel. If we view the Old Testament as basically irrelevant to our Christianity, then we don’t understand Paul’s gospel. Paul says that the Old Testament is the foundation for our Christianity. If we view the primary importance of the gospel as being about something we do, then we are way off base. Paul says that most importantly the gospel is about God. It’s about who He is and what He does. It is about who the Lord Jesus Christ is and what He does for us. Also, if you think that the gospel is simply something that’s fine for people who need a religious crutch, or people who are just not quite all there psychologically and need a little something to help them through the trials of life; but that you don’t need it because you are self-sufficient, then, my friend, you need it most of all. Why? Because “That’s fine for you” is not an available option in response to what Paul says. The gospel Paul presents in Romans is the one and only gospel for all nations! The gospel begins and ends with God, not with what we want or think we need. We all need to radically rethink the gospel in light of what Paul says here.

III. THE IMPLICATIONS OF THE GOSPEL

Finally, Paul reveals to us how important the implications of the gospel are for how we view ourselves, or for our own self-understanding. Paul knew that these Roman Christians, and us by extension, needed to understand what the gospel does for us. The gospel is not a little dollop

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of whipped cream on top of our ice cream. It’s not simply a nice thing to add to who and what you are. The gospel transforms us. It infuses our reality. It changes who we are. God’s grace re-makes us. The gospel defines who we are and what we are for. He names four things specifically:

We Are Part of a United Body (Rom. 1:5b-6) [READ Rom. 1:5b-6]

5 ... for obedience to the faith among all nations, for His name: 6 among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ:

Paul makes it clear that we are part of a united body that includes both Jews and Gentiles, slaves and free. We are now linked together by the bonds of the gospel. God is doing a great work to bring both Israel and all the Gentile nations together into one church, uniting us in spite of all the things that separate us into an absolute, unwavering conviction and confession of the Lord Jesus Christ. We now have this gospel super glue bonding us together which transcends every other distinction and difference. We are part of a united body. That’s who we are. The gospel redefines us. It changes the way we look at one another, and it changes the way we look at the world.

We Are Called by Jesus Christ (Rom. 1:6) [READ Rom. 1:6]

6 among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ:

Paul declares that we are called of Jesus Christ. Do you think of yourself that way? When you look in the mirror, do you see yourself that way? What a sure cure for self-esteem issues! We are called by Jesus Christ; we are called by the Son of God Himself! If you have responded in faith to the gospel as it’s proclaimed in the Word of

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God, then you have heard Christ Himself speaking to you, calling you into a relationship with Him. You are called by Jesus Christ.

“So, think of yourself that way,” the apostle says. You’re not only brought into this amazing body of Jews and Gentiles, banded together by the gospel, you are called by Christ Himself.

We Are Loved by God (Rom. 1:7a) [READ Rom. 1:7a]

7 to all that be in Rome, beloved of God, This means we are beloved by God the Father. Think how important that would have been for these Roman Christians. They were hated by the world around them. Many of them would die for their faith. They were thought to be part of a superstitious sect believing in incredible and unnatural things. They were accused of all sorts of immoral behavior. They were despised by their contemporaries. But the apostle Paul tells them -- you are loved by God, your heavenly Father.

Again, Paul is conveying that as Christians we should think of ourselves in these terms. This is who we are. The gospel means this is who we are now. You are a person who is deeply loved by God the Father.

We Are Declared to be Saints (Rom. 1:7b)

[READ Rom. 1:7b]

7 ... called to be saints:

We are loved by God, and He calls us by a new name: “saints.” Do you know what a “saint” is? A saint is a holy one; a person who lives their life in pursuit of holiness.

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Christian teacher Roland Hill said, “I don’t care for any kind of Christianity that doesn’t mean that a man’s cat and dog are the better for it.” In other words, Christianity should bring about such a transformation in the character and behavior of a person that even his pets will notice it. The Gospel changes everything!

Paul affirms Christianity not only changes who you are, it changes what you’re for. Now you are saints. You are a new creation of God who is intended to be holy. You are created for the pursuit of Christlikeness. You are regenerated by the gospel to become the image of God. You’re re-created to walk in righteousness. It’s changed everything about you. It’s changed everything that you are. It’s changed your whole purpose for existing. The gospel changes everything. Black Slide

Conclusion: Even in his words of greeting, Paul introduces us to the authoritative nature of the gospel: it’s rooted in the Old Testament; it’s about God and especially the Lord Jesus Christ; it’s for everyone; and it changes everything about you. You can’t be indifferent about the gospel. It’s an all or nothing proposition. It’s no surprise to any of us that we are living in a cultural context where even for Christians it’s very tempting to try to live with one foot in the world and the other foot in the body of Christ. This temptation was no different for the Roman Christians Paul was writing to in this epistle. So he issues a tremendous challenge by explaining that the gospel is all-consuming; it lays claim to every area of your life. For those who have bought into the deceit of our culture, which says everything is relative, there’s no absolute truth, there are many ways to heaven; we must not think that we have found absolute truth because then we can live in tolerance of one another. The apostle Paul says that is the sure road to hell. My friend, the only way into eternal saving fellowship with God is to recognize that there is one truth represented in one Savior who is the

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Lord Jesus Christ. By embracing the gospel of what He has done you find eternal life in the only way that there is to find it.

And that’s just the introduction! Just imagine what radical truths are waiting for us in the rest of the letter! It is my prayer that in the weeks to come in our journey through Romans, we will see our own lives transformed by the amazing grace of the gospel and thereby come to a new appreciation of what it means to be a Christian. Let’s pray.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I pray that You would humble us and exalt the Savior as we learn the gospel together. I pray that You will make it so clear, so plain, so easy to understand that no one will be able to stumble over its truth. May no one go through this study without knowing for sure that they are saved by your grace, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Invitation # 375: “Jesus Calls Us” (4 vs.)

Benediction: Beloved, go now and live before God in openness and integrity. Set your minds on His ways, not clinging to your own life,but taking up your cross and following Jesus and His teachings. Amen.