Romans Hope of the Nations

Notes

PREFACE

From the conception of the Practical Christianity Foundation (PCF), it has been the goal of the organization to convey the truth in Scripture through verse-by-verse devotional studies such as this one. As part of that goal, we agree in an attempt neither to prove nor to disprove any traditional or alternative interpretations, beliefs, or doctrines but rather to allow the Holy Spirit to reveal the truth contained within the Scriptures. Any interpretations relating to ambiguous passages that are not directly and specifically verifiable by other scriptural references are simply presented in what we believe to be the most likely intention of the message based on those things that we are specifically told. In those instances, our conclusions are noted as interpretive, and such analyses should not be understood as doctrinal positions that we are attempting to champion.

This study is divided into sections, usually between six and eight verses, and each section concludes with a Notes/Applications passage, which draws practical insight from the related verses that can be applied to contemporary Christian living. The intent is that the reader will complete one section per day, will gain a greater understanding of the verses within that passage, and will daily be challenged toward a deeper commitment to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Also included at certain points within the text are Dig Deeper boxes, which are intended to assist readers who desire to invest additional time to study topics that relate to the section in which these boxes appear. Our prayer is that this study will impact the lives of all believers, regardless of age, ethnicity, or education.

Each of PCF’s original projects is a collaborative effort of many writers, content editors, grammatical editors, transcribers, researchers, readers, and other contributors, and as such, we present them only as products of the Practical Christianity Foundation as a whole. These works are not for the recognition or acclamation of any particular individual but are written simply as a means to uphold and fulfill the greater purpose of our Mission Statement, which is to exalt the holy name of God Almighty by declaring the redemptive message of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to the lost global community and equipping the greater Christian community through the communication of the holy Word of God in its entirety through every appropriate means available.

Practical Christianity Foundation Value Statements

1.   We value the Holy Name of God and will strive to exalt Him through godly living, committed service, and effective communication. As long as you live, you, your children, and your grandchildren must fear the Lord your God. All of you must obey all his laws and commands that I’m giving you, and you will live a long time (Deuteronomy 6:2).

2.   We value the redemptive work of the Lord Jesus Christ for a lost world and will strive to communicate His redemptive message to the global community. Then Jesus said to them, ‘So wherever you go in the world, tell everyone the Good News’ (Mark 16:15).

3.   We value the Holy Word of God and will strive to communicate it in its entirety. ¹⁶Every Scripture passage is inspired by God. All of them are useful for teaching, pointing out errors, correcting people, and training them for a life that has God’s approval. ¹⁷They equip God’s servants so that they are completely prepared to do good things (2 Timothy 3:16–17).

4.   We value spiritual growth in God’s people and will strive to enhance that process through the effective communication of God’s Holy Word, encouraging them to be lovers of the truth. But grow in the good will and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Glory belongs to him now and for that eternal day! Amen (2 Peter 3:18).

5.   We value the equipping ministry of the church of the Lord Jesus Christ and will strive to provide resources for that ministry by the communication of God’s Holy Word through every appropriate means available. ¹¹He also gave apostles, prophets, missionaries, as well as pastors and teachers as gifts to his church. ¹²Their purpose is to prepare God’s people to serve and to build up the body of Christ (Ephesians 4:11–12).

INTRODUCTION

The book of Romans is a masterpiece of Christian doctrine in which the apostle Paul(view image) explained and defined many fundamental articles of the Christian faith. Doctrine is defined as a body of principles presented for acceptance or belief, as by a religious, political, or philosophic group.¹ This letter contains the basic principles of God’s teachings for His followers and provides clearly defined precepts that all Christians should adopt as their guideline for belief and practice.

Paul’s authorship of this epistle should never be questioned. It has the unbroken testimony of the early church writers and has even survived the investigations of modern criticism.²

Throughout this letter, Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ (Romans 1:1), explains the doctrine of sin—humanity’s fallen condition, and the doctrine of salvation—God’s sovereign provision for redemption. Throughout the entire treatise, Paul inexorably demolishes humanity’s alibis, pretenses, and self-justification. His logic carefully and thoroughly dismantles every argument that people can muster against Almighty God’s truth.

Paul’s letters and the book of Acts provide some information concerning his background and education. From these writings, we learn that Paul was a Pharisee and the son of a Pharisee (Acts 23:6); he was a Jew from the tribe of Benjamin (Philippians 3:5); he was a citizen of Rome, born in Tarsus(view image), a thriving city of Cilicia (Acts 22:3, 28); he was educated in Jerusalem at the feet of Gamaliel, a highly respected expert in Moses’ teachings (Acts 5:34; 22:3).

As a Pharisee, Paul devoutly adhered to the law and sought to maintain the purity of his religious belief by persecuting Christians (Acts 9:1–2; 22:20). When traveling to Damascus(view image) to continue his harassment of the Christian community, he was confronted by the risen Christ and his life was never the same. He became the Apostle to the Gentiles, using every faculty of his background and education to convince people of the truth of Christ’s gospel (Romans 11:13; 1 Corinthians 9:21–22).

Paul wrote this letter to the Romans from the city of Corinth(view image). The chronology of Acts chapter twenty leads scholars to conclude that it was written in late winter or early spring of A.D. 57–58. When completed, Paul sent the letter along with a woman named Phoebe who was sailing for Rome (Romans 16:1–2).

The purpose of Paul’s letter to the believers in Rome was to leave on file, in the capital of the world, a written explanation of the Nature of the Gospel of Christ.³ Since there is no record of any apostolic mission to the city of Rome, how was the church there formed? Where did the gospel come from? Who was the messenger? How long did the church in Rome exist before Paul wrote this letter? The answer is relatively simple: The nucleus of the Roman church probably had been formed by the Romans who were at Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost.⁴ This conclusion is supported by what we read in Acts 2:10, We’re Jewish people, converts to Judaism, and visitors from Rome.

Because of persecution, Paul was not sure that he would ever leave Corinth alive, but he deeply desired to visit Rome because it was the capital of the Gentile world, and his primary ministry was directed toward non-Jews (Romans 11:13). Three years after writing this letter, he would finally arrive in Rome, although under trying circumstances. At that time, Paul would be arrested in Jerusalem and would come to Rome as a prisoner, taking his appeal as a Roman citizen to Caesar.

Ultimately, the apostle Paul, servant of the Lord Jesus Christ and ambassador to the Gentiles, was beheaded for his faith in Jesus Christ about eight years after he wrote this letter. Through this servant, God has given us as readers a glimpse into His heart. In this letter, we are reminded that people are not out of God’s reach and that "man’s justification before God rests fundamentally, not on the Law of Moses, but on the mercy of Christ. It is not a matter of Law at all, because man, on account of his sinful nature, cannot fully live up to God’s Law, which is an expression of God’s holiness. But it is wholly because Christ, out of the goodness of His heart, forgives men’s sins."⁵

As we study this letter to the believers in Rome, may we be humbled by the divine work of the Almighty God to draw the lost unto Himself, and may we consider the import of this question: To whom do we owe our salvation?

CORNELIUS—Roman centurion in Caesarea who was instrumental in spreading the gospel to Gentiles (Acts 10:1–11:18).

The accounts in Acts 10–11 about Cornelius make it a key text in the development of the early church’s mission to the Gentiles. The Old Testament describes the Israelites as special to God in a way that Gentiles were not (Exodus 19:5; Deuteronomy 7:6, 14:2, 26:18). According to Old Testament law, Gentiles who responded in faith to the God of Israel had to become Jewish proselytes in order to be incorporated into Israel’s community. This involved circumcision and the observance of food regulations. Many early Jewish Christians assumed that Gentiles had to become Jewish proselytes in order to be part of the Church (Scott, The Cornelius Incident, 477).

Because Caesarea was the base for Roman military administration, loyal Jews in Jerusalem considered Caesarea a pagan city (Kee, Good News, 50–51). The conversion of a Roman centurion—a captain in charge of about 100 men—surprised Peter (Acts 10:20, 28–29, 47; 11:17), the Jewish Christians that accompanied him (Acts 10:45), and the Jerusalem church (Acts 11:2–3). God was now acting in the same way toward uncircumcised Gentiles that He previously had acted toward circumcised Jews (Acts 11:17–18, compare Acts 2:1–4).¹

¹David L. Woodall, Cornelius, ed. John D. Barry et al., The Lexham Bible Dictionary (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015).

CILICIA — Geographical area and/or Roman province in southeastern Asia Minor. The region was home to some of the people who opposed Stephen (Acts 6:9). It was located on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the southeast part of Asia Minor. One of its important cities was Tarsus, the birthplace of Paul the apostle (Acts 21:39; 22:3). By the time of the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15), Christianity had already penetrated Cilicia. Paul passed through the region during the course of his missionary travels (Acts 15:41; 27:5; Galatians 1:21).

The western portion of the geographical area, about 130 miles long east to west and 50 to 60 miles wide, consisted almost entirely of the westernmost extension of the Taurus Mountains. It was called mountainous Cilicia and was sparsely populated, important primarily for timber. The eastern portion, about 100 miles long east to west and 30 to 50 miles wide, consisted of a fertile coastal plain and was called level Cilicia. Through the Cilician Gates (pass) in the Taurus Mountains to the north, through level Cilicia itself, and through the Syrian Gates in the Ammanus Mountains to the east, ran the great international highway between central Asia Minor and Syria, Mesopotamia, and Egypt.¹

¹James A. Brooks, Cilicia, Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary, ed. Chad Brand, Charles Draper, Archie England, Steve Bond, E. Ray Clendenen and Trent C. Butler (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2003). 299.

CORINTH—Prominent city of Greece, formerly the capital of the ancient province of Achaia, in which the apostle Paul preached. The site of ancient Corinth lies to the west of the isthmus separating the Peloponnesian peninsula from mainland Greece. The ancient ruins, largely of Roman origin, are situated about eight/tenths of a mile (1.3km) from present-day Corinth. The area was inhabited from Neolithic times.

Corinth is dominated by an outcrop of rock known as Acrocorinth (Upper Corinth). The grandeur of the Greek period is evident in the remains of the temple of Apollo, whose massive columns dominate the site. Entrance to the ancient city is by means of a very broad avenue which lies in a straight line from the city gate. That avenue ends in the marketplace, with roads leading from there to the Acrocorinth. In the apostolic period the city was a bustling commercial and industrial center boasting a population of almost 700,000.¹

¹Walter A. Elwell and Barry J. Beitzel, Baker encyclopedia of the Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1988) 513–514.

DAMASCUS — A city in Syria and one of the oldest continuously occupied cities in the world. Damascus is situated 80 km. (50 mi.) inland from the Mediterranean in the Ghutah, an oasis at the base of Mt. Qasyun; Mt. Hermon is to the southwest. The district received water from the Nahr Baradā (river Abana), which flows from the Anti-lebanon mountains at the west, and the Nahr Awaj (river Pharpar), which lies to the south. Located strategically at the junction of major commercial and military routes, the city was an important center throughout ancient times. The present city, Dimashq ash-Sham, is the capital of modern Syria.¹

km. kilometer

mi. mile(s)

¹Allen C. Myers, The Eerdmans Bible Dictionary (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1987). 254.

GAMALIEL — Jewish scholar. This man lived in the 1st century A.D. and died 18 years before the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 by Titus, the Roman general.

Gamaliel is mentioned in Acts 22:3 as the rabbi with whom the apostle Paul studied as a youth in Jerusalem.

When Peter and the other apostles were brought before the enraged and threatening council in Jerusalem, Gamaliel, who was highly respected by the council, offered cautionary advice that probably saved the apostles’ lives in that situation (Acts 5:27–40).

During that period in Israel a number of rabbinical schools evolved. Two of the most influential were the rival Pharisaic schools of Hillel and Shammai. Both of those teachers had vast influence on Jewish thinking. Hillel’s school emphasized tradition even above the Law. Shammai’s school preserved the teaching of the Law over the authority of tradition. Hillel’s school was the most influential, and its decisions have been held by a great number of later rabbis.

Traditionally Gamaliel is considered to be the grandson of Hillel, and was thoroughly schooled in the philosophy and theology of his grandfather’s teaching. Gamaliel was a member of the Sanhedrin, the high council of Jews in Jerusalem, and served as president of the Sanhedrin during the reigns of the Roman emperors Tiberius, Caligula, and Claudius. Unlike other Jewish teachers, he had no antipathy toward Greek learning.

The learning of Gamaliel was so eminent and his influence so great that he is one of only seven Jewish scholars who have been honored by the title Rabban. He was called the Beauty of the Law. The Talmud even says that since Rabban Gamaliel died, the glory of the Law has ceased.¹