SUNDAY, JULY 11, 2021 “POWER OF THE GOSPEL”

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Lesson:  Romans 1:8-17; 

Time of Action: 56 A.D.; Place of Action: From Corinth

Golden Text:  “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16).

I. INTRODUCTION. The Apostle Paul traveled extensively throughout the Mediterranean world establishing churches.  Desiring to preach the gospel throughout the known world, Paul determined to visit the Roman church and from there journey to Spain.  Paul introduced himself to the Roman Christians as the servant of Jesus Christ (see Romans 1:1) and the apostle to the Gentiles (see Romans 11:13).  He expressed His desire to visit Rome to spiritually benefit his readers.

II. THE LESSON BACKGROUND. Paul’s letter to the Christians in the city of Rome is perhaps the weightiest of all his epistles. It sets forth in a clear and systematic fashion the gospel he proclaimed as “the apostle to the Gentiles” (see Romans 11:13).  Writing from Corinth in about 56 A.D. on his third missionary journey, Paul was anticipating an evangelistic tour to Rome and beyond.  There is very little information available regarding the origins of Christians and the establishment of the church in Rome.  In all likelihood, the church in Rome was started by Jews who were converted on the Day of Pentecost (see Acts 2:10) and then returned home to Rome.  Paul had not been to Rome, but he had a desire to go there as soon as possible.  He began his letter by introducing himself and presenting his credentials as both a servant and an apostle called to preach the Gospel of God that was promised long ago through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures (see Romans 1:1-2).  He went on to say that the gospel or the Good News is about God’s Son, Jesus Christ our LORD who was born from the family of David.  But through the Holy Spirit He was shown to be God’s powerful Son when He was raised from death (see Romans 1:3-4).  Paul also told these Roman Christians that they were among those who have been chosen by Jesus Christ (see Romans 1:6).  Then he gave his customary greeting (see I Corinthians 1:3; Galatians 1:3; Ephesians 1:2; Philippians 1:2; Colossians 1:2) to his readers and acknowledged that this letter was to everyone in Rome who were called to be saints (see Romans 1:7). Our lesson begins with verse 8.

III. PRAYERS OFFERED (Romans 1:8-10)

 A. Faith proclaimed (Romans 1:8). Our first verse says “First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.”  After introducing himself and acknowledging that the believers in Rome, like all Christians, were called to be saints (see I Corinthians 1:2; II Corinthians 1:1; Ephesians 1:1; Philippians 1:1; Colossians 1:2), the first thing Paul did was declare his thanks for the church at Rome\when he said, “First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all.”  The fact that such a strong congregation of God’s people was located in the imperial city of Rome was not only remarkable, but was also strategic for the cause and spread of the gospel.  Paul directed his “thanks” to “my God” stressing his personal relationship with the Almighty.  He gave “thanks…through Jesus Christ,” the only One through whom he could claim God as his own.  It’s significant that no prayer—even a prayer of “thanks”— is acceptable to the Father unless it is offered under the authority of “Jesus Christ,” the Mediator for sinful man (see Ephesians 5:20; Colossians 3:17).  In expressing his “thanks…for you all,” Paul displayed his interest in the Roman believers as individuals.  Although, he hadn’t been to Rome, his greetings at the end of this letter (see Romans 16:3-15) revealed that he knew many of the Roman Christians by name, but even those he didn’t know personally were included in his thanksgiving.  In time, Rome would become a great persecutor of Christians.  Nevertheless, Paul could “thank God” for these believers because he said “your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.”  When the term “world” is used in the New Testament, it usually refers to the then known “world,” that is, the Roman Empire.  It stretched all the way from Persia in the east to Britain in the west.  Of course, the people in this vast region were not aware that the Western Hemisphere existed.  The gospel was making inroads throughout the Roman Empire and wherever the church was established, the “faith” of the Roman Christians became known.  Reports about the “faith” of the Roman Christians were made possible by the ease of travel within the empire and the prominence of Rome as its capital.

B. Frequent prayers (Romans 1:9-10).

  1. (vs. 9). This verse says “For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers.”  Having expressed thanks for the Roman believers, Paul now assured them of his prayers.  When he said “For God is my witness” Paul was essentially making an oath to assure the Roman Christians that he was sincerely concerned about them.  He may have invoked “God” as his “witness” to how he felt in order to avoid any misunderstanding over his long delay in visiting Rome.  Paul wanted them to know that his delay was not due to a lack of interest.  The apostle didn’t take using “God” as his “witness” lightly because he also said, “I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son.”  In other words, Paul served God in his innermost being, preaching the “gospel of his Son” Jesus Christ.  This “God” could “witness” to the fact that Paul always mentioned the Romans “without ceasing” in his “prayers.”   The point is that whenever Paul prayed the Roman believers came to his mind.

2. (vs. 10). This verse says “Making request, if by any means now at length I might have a prosperous journey by the will of God to come unto you.”  One of the things that Paul prayed for specifically was the opportunity to come and visit the Christians in Rome.  He told them that he was constantly “Making request, if by any means now at length I might have a prosperous journey by the will of God to come unto you.”  Even as he wrote the letter, Paul didn’t have complete assurance that God would lead him to Rome.  Nevertheless, he continued to pray that “by the will of God” the day would come that he would “have a prosperous journey” to Rome to visit his fellow believers.  Note:  As Paul would later discover, his arrival in Rome would come as the result of being falsely accused in Jerusalem, arrested, and finally being forced into making an appeal to the emperor (see Acts 21:27-32; 25:1-12).  The truth of the matter is that if it was God’s direct “will” for Paul to go to Rome, and it was (see Acts 23:11), he would get there one way or another.  But we should not make the mistake of interpreting every event as God’s direct will, meaning something He is pleased with.  It was God’s will (His permissive will) for Jesus to die for our sins, but certainly, God was not pleased about it (see Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34).  Even so, God can bring good out of bad (see Romans 8:28) to accomplish His will.  This will be seen when Paul eventually arrives in Rome.

IV. PLANS ANTICIPATED (Romans 1:11-13)

 A. Some spiritual gift (Romans 1:11). This verse says “For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established.”  Since Paul personally knew some of the believers in Rome who had been His co-workers like Aquila and Priscilla (see Romans 16:3), he wanted to see them again.  Although Paul had personal reasons to visit his fellow believers in Rome, he also stated another reason.  He said “For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift.”  The term “spiritual gift” refers to a divine ability given by the Holy Spirit to believers to serve the church (see Romans 12:3-8; I Corinthians 12:4-11 and chapter 14; Ephesians 4:11-12).  Here, Paul probably meant that he desired to give the Romans the spiritual benefits of his gifts by using them among these believers.  We can see Paul’s humility and humbleness concerning his gifts in his use of the word “some.”  So, whatever benefit God saw fit to bestow on the Roman believers through Paul would be reason to be thankful.  Paul was hopeful that God would use his spiritual gifts “to the end ye may be established.”  The word “established” means “made strong.”  It was not that the Roman believers were weak, but they could be stronger, like we all can be.

B. Mutual encouragement (Romans 1:12). This verse says, “That is, that I may be comforted together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me.”  Just in case the Roman believers misunderstood Paul to be presuming that spiritual blessings only flowed one way—from him to them—he added “That is, that I may be comforted together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me.”  In other words, both the Roman Christians and Paul could be strengthened spiritually by his visit.  He could encourage them, and they could encourage him.  Even the seasoned apostle Paul recognized that he still needed to grow through the spiritual contributions and encouragement of others.  Every mature saint today will readily admit the same thing.

C. Potential fruit (Romans 1:13). This verse says “Now I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that oftentimes I purposed to come unto you, (but was let hitherto,) that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among other Gentiles.”  Paul reinforced his statement of desire to see the Roman Christians by revealing his frequent but hindered plans to visit them.  His words “Now I would not have you ignorant, brethren” stresses what he was about to say.  Unless they knew of Paul’s previous intentions to come to them, they might come to false conclusions about his desire to come now.  So he went on to say “oftentimes I purposed to come unto you.”  The term “purposed” would let his readers know that he did look ahead and plan his missionary and evangelistic trips (see Acts 13:4-6, 13-14; 14:6-7; 15:36-41; 16:1, 11-13).  

Although he often planned his evangelical trips, sometimes they were prevented which is the meaning of “but was let hitherto.”  This is an archaic way of saying “hindered or prevented until now.” Paul didn’t specify the kinds of hindrances he had experienced.  They may have been due to natural circumstances he couldn’t control; but certainly, on occasion they were hindered by direct divine interventions (see Acts 16:6-7).  Paul also told his readers that he planned to visit them so “that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among other Gentiles.”  He saw himself as a spiritual farmer gathering a harvest from various fields or groups of people.  Although Paul had already gained “fruit” or won souls to Christ “among other Gentiles” or non-Jews in Syria (see Acts 15:41), Asia Minor (see Acts 19:7-10), Macedonia (see Acts 16:11-13), Greece (see Acts 17:16-21), and Illyricum (see Romans 15:18-19), but he had never harvested or won souls in Rome.  It was his heart’s desire to do so.

V. PREACHING AFFIRMED (Romans 1:14-17)

 A. A debtor (Romans 1:14). This verse says “I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise.” Paul’s desire to harvest spiritual fruit (saved souls) in Rome was part of a larger obligation he felt as the apostle to the Gentiles.  He said “I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise.” Here he used the division of humanity in the Greek world.  In the Greek speaking world of Paul’s day, those who didn’t speak Greek or know the Greek culture were considered “Barbarians.”  The “Greeks” were the same as “the wise” and “the Barbarians” were the same as “the unwise.”  Being “debtor” or feeling obligated to these groups, Paul was committed to reaching all people, regardless of their culture, social standing, or education.  He used the distinctions “Greeks” and “Barbarians” and “the wise, and the unwise” to point out that the gospel of Jesus Christ goes beyond all distinctions and differences.  Note:  As believers, if we look around us, we will see that churches often attract people who are similar to their current membership.  Like Paul, Christians must reach out to all people, even those very different from us.  I know a lot of people may not want to hear this, but it is the truth. In Christ Jesus, earthly distinctions and differences don’t even exist and there can never be any discrimination (see Galatians 3:28; Colossians 3:11).

B. Ready to preach (Romans 1:15). This verse says “So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also.”  Since Paul understood that there are no distinctions when it comes to who hears the gospel, he declared “So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also.”  The word “ready” here means “eager.” This indicates that Paul was not reluctant when it came to sharing the story of redemption.  Considering all the persecutions and trials he had experienced in his missionary work (see II Corinthians 11:23-28), one would think that Paul wouldn’t be so enthusiastic about preaching in an evil city like Rome.  Prior to this time, Paul’s ministry had been in the eastern Mediterranean world, but his apostolic logic told him that he needed to go to Italy, so he was “ready” to go there as well.

C. Not ashamed (Romans 1:16). This verse says “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”  Now the Apostle Paul tells his readers exactly why he was ready to preach the gospel at Rome.  He said “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ.” Although “the gospel” is considered to be fables by those who consider themselves to be cultured, as the Greeks saw themselves, Paul saw his message as divine wisdom (see I Corinthians 1:22-25, 30), and he is “not ashamed” or embarrassed by God’s way of salvation.  If “the gospel of Christ” had been based upon false testimonies (see I Corinthians 15:12-15) or fables (see II Peter 1:16), Paul would have been corrupting God’s Word (see II Corinthians 2:17) and therefore unworthy of his calling.  Note:  We may wonder why Paul would even bring up being “ashamed of the gospel” as he thought about his trip to Rome.  For one thing, “the gospel” was associated with a poor Jewish carpenter who was crucified.  The Romans cared very little for the Jews and crucifixion was the lowest form of execution that could be given a criminal.  So, no doubt many Romans would ask, “Why would anyone put their faith in a Jew who was crucified?” Rome was a great and proud city, but “the gospel” came from Jerusalem, the capital city of a very small nation that Rome had conquered.  Christians in that day were not among the elite of society.  They were common people and some were even slaves.  Rome was known for many great philosophers and philosophies, so why would they pay any attention to a fable or foolishness about a Jew who arose from the dead (see I Corinthians 1:18-25)?  Paul was well aware that the proud Romans would think that it was shameful for a Jewish tentmaker coming to Rome to preach such an unbelievable message.  But Paul was “not ashamed” or embarrassed to preach “the gospel” anywhere including the imperial city of Rome, Italy because he said “for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth.”  The Greek word translated “power” here is “dunamis” from which we get our English words like “dynamo” and “dynamite.”  “The gospel” is the means whereby God releases His power, or His dynamite so to speak, to save and transform people (see I Corinthians 1:18, 21, 24; 2:4-5).  This is what sets the Christian “gospel” apart from every other religion—it does not call on people to seek to appease or satisfy God, but instead, it tells us that God works His “power” in those who “believe.”  Faith in Jesus is necessary to experience God’s “power” in an individual’s life, whether he or she is a “Jew” or a “Greek” (or Gentile).  The regenerating, life-changing “power” of “the gospel” through the Holy Spirit is essential because of humanity’s bondage to sin and Satan, and our weakness and spiritual inability to save ourselves because of sin (see Romans 5:6-9; 8:5-9). 

There’s no doubt about it, it takes “the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth” to overcome our bondage to Satan and sin.  While preaching and hearing “the gospel” is necessary (see Romans 10:17), the power of “the gospel” is released only when it is “believed.”  In the New Testament, to “believe” in Jesus Christ is not just to accept certain facts about Him.  It means to turn from sin (see Acts 2:38), trust Him for salvation (see Acts 10:43), and follow His commands (see Acts 16:30-33) as given in the Great Commission (see Matthew 28:19-20).  We are saved by grace through faith (see Ephesians 2:8).  Paul also declared that “the gospel” message must be proclaimed “to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”  Historically, this occurred as Jesus’ message moved outward from Jerusalem (see Acts 1:8).  The fact that “the gospel” was to be preached to the “Jews first” is understandable.  Jesus’ ministry focused on His own Jewish people (see Matthew 15:24) and they have a privileged position as God’s program unfolds (see Romans 9:1-5; 11:1-2, 26-29).  Note:  Paul made it a point to go to Jewish synagogues first in cities where they existed.  In the synagogues he would find people, Jews who believed in one God, accepted the Old Testament, and were awaiting the Messiah.  The synagogue became the starting point for “the gospel.”  When Paul’s Jewish brethren refused to listen, he turned to the Gentiles, who often had receptive hearts (see Acts 13:44-48).

 D. The righteousness of God (Romans 1:17). Our final verse says “For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.”  The words “For therein” refer to the gospel of Jesus Christ in the previous verse.  Paul was saying that the gospel is God’s power for salvation because it “is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith.”  In other words, “God’s righteousness” is “revealed” or seen in the gospel.  The gospel reveals “God’s righteousness” as a gift to be claimed by the believing sinner; for in the death of Jesus, “God revealed” His “righteousness” by punishing sin.  In Jesus’ resurrection, “God revealed” His “righteousness” by making salvation available to every believing sinner.  We may ask “How can a holy God ever forgive sinners and still be holy?”  The answer is in the gospel.  Through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God is seen to be both “just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus” (see Romans 3:26).  Paul was showing that through the gospel, because of Jesus’ substitutionary death, sinful people can receive “God’s righteousness” (see Romans 3:21-26; II Corinthians 5:21).  Therefore, as Paul said, “God’s righteousness” is “revealed” in human lives “from faith to faith” meaning from one level of “faith” to another.  Paul’s point is that at every stage of its influence, the gospel depends on “faith,” not works (see Ephesians 2:8-9).  God’s imputed “righteousness” is the basis of the believer’s growth into Jesus’ image (see Romans 8:29-30).  By “faith” we receive His “righteousness,” and by “faith” we show His “righteousness” daily.  Paul concluded this verse by quoting from Habakkuk 2:4 when he said “as it is written, The just shall live by faith.”  When the apostle used the words “shall live” he’s talking about eternal life.  By quoting from Habakkuk, Paul was showing that the way to eternal life being “by faith,” was already revealed in the Old Testament.  Salvation is provided by God’s power and He grants His “righteousness” as a free gift.  All God asks of us is our trust.

VI. Conclusion. The Apostle Paul introduced himself to the Roman Christians as the servant of Jesus Christ and the apostle to the Gentiles. In this week’s lesson, he expressed his desire to visit Rome to spiritually benefit his readers and demonstrate his great passion for the gospel message.  He was bold in proclaiming it because he recognized the gospel as God’s powerful means of bringing people to salvation.  The Apostle Paul serves as a great example for all Christians.  His genuine love for people and his passion for the gospel should inspire all of us.