Paul’s Responsibility for the Gospel to Rome
Romans 1:1-32
- BREAKDOWN OF LINKS TO PERICOPES (considering ebible, listeners' commentary & Serendipity)
- What did it mean to the original reader or original audience?
Summarize the main story: Describe the events and context of the chapter in your own words.
Review and retell the story.
• Writer: Paul, nearing the end of his third journey (Acts 20).
• Location: Likely Corinth; references to Phoebe of Cenchrea (16:1-2) support this.
• Time: Around AD 57, early in Nero’s reign.
Recipients and Setting
• Mixed house churches of Jews and Gentiles.
• Rome’s bustling streets held temples to Jupiter, Venus, and the imperial cult—an atmosphere matching Paul’s comments on idolatry.
• The recent return of Jews after Claudius’s expulsion (Acts 18:2) meant tensions over food laws and calendar days still simmered (see Romans 14–15).
Purpose of Chapter 1 in the Larger Letter
1. Signal that the gospel unites everyone under the same need and the same rescue.
2. Show why God is right to judge: humanity has ignored unmistakable evidence of Him.
3. Prepare the ground for the good news of chapters 3–8 by revealing the bad news first.
INITIAL SUMMARY OF ROMANS CHAPTER 1:
In the opening of Romans, Paul identifies himself as a servant of Christ Jesus, called to spread the gospel promised in the Scriptures. He emphasizes Jesus' lineage from David and His divine appointment as the Son of God through resurrection. Paul expresses gratitude for the faith of the Roman believers, which is known worldwide, and he longs to visit them to share spiritual gifts and mutual encouragement. He feels obligated to preach the gospel to all, including the Romans, and asserts that he is unashamed of the gospel, which reveals God's righteousness through faith.
Paul then addresses God's wrath against humanity's wickedness, highlighting that people suppress the truth about God despite His qualities being evident in creation. He notes that, although they knew God, they failed to honor Him, leading to futile thinking and darkened hearts. This rejection of God resulted in shameful desires and immoral behaviors, with both men and women engaging in unnatural relations. Paul describes the moral decline of humanity, filled with various forms of wickedness, and concludes that those who commit such acts deserve death, yet they continue and even approve of these behaviors.
OUTLINE
ROMANS 1
Paul opens his letter to the Roman church by describing God’s anger at sin. The opening chapter may be thought of as a trial, where God is the judge and sinful humans are the accused.
I. The Court Recorder (1:1–17): Here Paul, author of Romans, provides his readers with some pretrial introductory material.
A. His credentials (1:1, 5): Paul relates four facts about himself.
1. He is a servant of Jesus (1:1a).
2. He is an apostle (1:1b).
3. He has been set apart to preach the gospel (1:1c).
4. He is a missionary to the Gentiles (1:5).
B. His Christ (1:2–4)
1. The Messiah was prophesied in the Old Testament (1:2).
2. The Messiah is now proclaimed in the New Testament (1:3–4).
a. With his human nature (1:3): He is a descendant of David.
b. With his divine nature (1:4): His resurrection proves his deity.
C. His congregation (1:6–15): Paul writes this epistle to a local church assembly.
1. The identity of this church (1:6–7): It is the congregation in Rome.
2. The intercession for this church (1:8–10)
a. His praise of them (1:8): Paul praises them for their universally known faith.
b. His prayers for them (1:9–10): He prays for the church and asks God that he be allowed to visit them.
3. The interest in this church (1:11–13)
a. Paul desires to see them (1:11–12).
b. Paul desires to serve them (1:13): He desires to sow seed among them.
4. The indebtedness to the church (1:14–15): Paul feels an obligation to minister to them.
D. His confidence (1:16–17): Paul expresses his full assurance in the power of the gospel to accomplish two things.
1. To bring about saving faith for sinners (1:16): Through faith a sinner may be saved.
2. To bring about sanctifying faith for saints (1:17): Through faith a righteous person may have life.
II. The Court Record (1:18–32): Paul records the evidence presented at this trial.
A. The general charge (1:18–19): “God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who push the truth away from themselves. For the truth about God is known to them instinctively.”
B. The specific charges (1:20–32)
1. First indictment—inexcusable ignorance (1:20): God has always revealed his existence and power to mankind.
2. Second indictment—ingratitude (1:21): People are ungrateful, refusing to worship their Creator.
3. Third indictment—insolence (1:22): Claiming themselves to be wise without God, they become fools instead.
4. Fourth indictment—idolatry (1:23): They exchange God’s glory for idols resembling mere people, birds, animals, and snakes.
5. Fifth indictment—immorality (1:24–27): They are guilty of lesbianism and homosexuality.
6. Sixth indictment—incorrigibility (1:28–32)
a. They embrace their wicked deeds (1:28–31).
b. They endorse their wicked deeds (1:32).
People | Places | Points of Teaching | Practical Application |
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- God is ... What do we learn about God in this passage?
- We are ... What do we learn about people in this passage?
- I will ... What has the Holy Spirit revealed to us in this passage? How can I apply it to my life this week?
- What transformative move needs to be made?
- You can ... Who do you know who needs to hear this? Feel free to share with others by social media links at the bottom of this.
Take Away Challenges
What has the Holy Spirit revealed to you in this passage? How will you apply it to your life this week?
Whom do you know who needs to hear this?
What is God bringing to your attention in this discussion? What beliefs, thoughts, or actions need to be addressed or changed?
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