ADULT

COMMENTARY
This periodical is designed for all adults using the Explore the Bible Series

CONTENTS
Introduction Romans: Good News For You!
UNIT 1 DO YOU KNOW THE GOOD NEWS?
Session 1: Good News to Tell (Rom. 1:1-17)
Session 2: Good News to Hear (Rom. 1:18–3:26)
Session 3: Good News to Believe* (Rom. 3:27–4:25)
UNIT 2 DO YOU UNDERSTAND THE GOOD NEWS?
Session 4: It’s All About Grace (Rom. 5:1-21)
Session 5: It’s All About New Life (Rom. 6:1-23)
Session 6: It’s All About Victory (Rom. 7:1-25)
Session 7: It’s All About Certainty (Rom. 8:1-39)
Session 8: It’s All About God’s Plan (Rom. 9:1–11:36)
UNIT 3 DO YOU LIVE BY THE GOOD NEWS?
Session 9: Does Your Life Please God? (Rom. 12:1-21)
Session 10: Can You Be Counted On? (Rom. 13:1-14)
Session 11: Do You Show Respect to Others? (Rom. 14:1-12)
Session 12: Do You Strive for Peace with Others? (Rom.
14:13-23)
Session 13: Does Your Life Speak Well of God? (Rom. 15:1–
16:27)
* Evangelistic Lesson
 ADULT COMMENTARY
VOLUME 5 • NUMBER 1

ERIC GEIGER
VICE PRESIDENT, CHURCH RESOURCES

TOBY JENNINGS
MANAGING EDITOR

JANICE MEIER
CONTENT EDITOR

PHILIP NATION
DIRECTOR, ADULT MINISTRY PUBLISHING

FAITH WHATLEY
DIRECTOR, ADULT MINISTRY

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COVER PHOTO:
THE COLOSSEUM IN ROME
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MEET THE WRITER

Eli Landrum wrote this quarter’s lessons from Paul’s Letter to the Romans.
Dr. Landrum, a gifted communicator, retired from LifeWay after serving as
an editor for over 23 years. Prior to those years of service, Eli served as a
pastor for 9 years. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of
Southern Mississippi (B.S.) and a doctorate from New Orleans Baptist
Theological Seminary (Th.D). He previously has authored two books as well
as numerous Sunday School lessons for LifeWay.

Eli accepted Christ as Savior at an early age and committed to pastoral

ministry at age 20. He is a member of First Baptist Church, Nashville,
Tennessee, where he and his wife, Barbara, are members of an adult Bible
study class. They have two adult children and four grandchildren.

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INTRODUCTION TO ROMANS

ROMANS: GOOD NEWS FOR YOU!

“I have good news and bad news for you. Which do you want to hear first?”
When has someone spoken those words to you, jokingly or seriously? To
paraphrase one of my favorite cartoon characters, “I want to hear only good
news!” We all could do without bad news, but unfortunately we have to deal
with unwelcome reports—from doctors, brokers, realtors, employers, and
prospective employers. Everybody has received—or will receive—bad news
during life’s pilgrimage. Thankfully, bad news is not the whole story.
Interspersed with unwelcome, unsettling news we have received news that
has been uplifting and elating. The Letter to the Romans presents the worst
of news and the best of news, to paraphrase a well-known line. The worst of
news is that all people are helpless and hopeless under sin’s tyranny; the
best of news is that more-than-adequate grace is available for rescue and
right living.
The Letter to the Romans first presents the bad news that “all have
sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). Yet the glorious,
incredible good news for all peoboyple is that “God proves His own love for
us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (5:8) so we can be
“reconciled to God through the death of His Son” (5:10). The greatest news
anyone can receive is that in Christ, God offers salvation to all who will
receive it by faith.
Chrysostom [KRIH sahs tuhm], one of the great preachers in the early
church, had Romans read to him twice a week. Martin Luther, the great
reformer, considered the letter to be the New Testament’s masterpiece. He
thought Christians should memorize it and meditate on it daily. I believe
you and I would benefit greatly from reading it through at least once a year
to be reminded of God’s great grace to us and to celebrate our relationship
with Him made possible by Christ’s death on our behalf. Prayerfully read
the entire letter as you prepare to teach or as you engage in personal study
this quarter. Our journey through Romans can be an experience of worship
and also can help us mature spiritually. I invite you to join me in a prayer of
gratitude to God for inspiring Paul to write Romans and for preserving the
letter through the centuries for countless people who have desperately
needed its good news.

THE WRITER
Today, few interpreters seriously question that Paul, the tireless missionary
who dominates the Book of Acts, wrote the Letter to the Romans. The
writer of the Letter to the Romans identified himself as “Paul, a slave of
Christ Jesus, called as an apostle” (Rom. 1:1). In 11:13, he referred to
himself as “an apostle to the Gentiles.” As further evidence that Paul wrote
Romans, the material in Romans 15:14–16:27 concerning proposed travel
and greetings to friends is consistent with information about him gleaned
from Acts and some of his other letters. Paul dictated the Letter to the
Romans to Tertius [TUHR shih uhs], who acted as his secretary (see 16:22).

THE DATE AND PLACE OF WRITING

In Romans 15:22-28, Paul indicated he planned to travel to Rome
immediately following his completion of a crucial task. He was on his way to
Jerusalem with relief funds for the poor Christians there to assist them and
to heal a growing breach between Jewish and Gentile believers. This
reference places the writing of Romans in the latter stages of Paul’s third
missionary journey. He probably wrote Romans from Corinth about A.D.
55-57.
 THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT
At the time Paul wrote to the church in Rome, the city was the capital of the
greatest empire in history. Thus Rome was the greatest city in the world. In
27 B.C., the Republic of Rome ended and the Roman Empire began with
Augustus as the empire’s first emperor. Augustus began an extensive
building program in the city of Rome, and succeeding emperors added
impressive structures. Most of Paul’s ministry took place while Caligula
[kuh LIHG yuh luh] (A.D. 37-41) and Claudius (A.D. 41-54) ruled in Rome.
Nero became emperor in A.D. 54 and was in power until A.D. 68, when he
committed suicide. In A.D. 64, a tremendous fire devastated 10 of Rome’s
14 districts. Nero blamed the fire on Christians and instigated a fierce
persecution of them. Nero may well have had Paul executed at some point
in the sweeping persecution of Christians in Rome.

THE CHURCH IN ROME

The Letter to the Romans was addressed to a church already well
established. When was it begun, and who first took the good news of Christ
to Rome? We cannot know exactly when the church was formed, only that
its inception likely occurred before A.D. 49. In that year conflict arose
among Jews in Rome, likely because Christian Jews maintained Jesus was
the Messiah. Emperor Claudius banished Jews from the city. Among the
Christian Jews expelled were Aquila and Priscilla, Paul’s friends and
coworkers in spreading the gospel (Acts 18:1-3).
Several suggestions have been offered about how the gospel got to Rome,
resulting in the formation of the church there. One early church leader
wrote that Peter and Paul preached the gospel in Rome and founded the
church there. The Letter to the Romans, however, reveals Paul had not
visited Rome but long had wanted to go there (Rom. 1:11,13; 15:22-24). His
statement that he was “eager to preach the good news . . . also” (1:15) in
Rome suggests he had not done so.
That Peter had visited Rome prior to A.D. 49 is highly unlikely. The Book
of Acts suggests that prior to the Jerusalem Conference in A.D. 49, he
confined his activities to places not too far from Jerusalem. Furthermore, if
Peter had been instrumental in founding the church, Paul’s failure to
mention Peter or to include him in the greetings of Romans 16 defies
understanding.
Two further possibilities for the church’s inception are more likely. Acts
2:10 reveals that “visitors from Rome” were among the Jewish pilgrims
present in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost. Some of them likely
responded positively to Peter’s sermon, placed their faith in Christ, and
returned to Rome to proclaim the good news they had received and
believed. A third suggestion is that believers from other parts of the Roman
Empire moved to Rome and began to share the good news of Christ.
The strong possibility that Jewish converts to Christianity established the
church in Rome helps us understand the church’s makeup when the
congregation received Paul’s letter. Some members were Jewish Christians,
as chapters 7–11 indicate with their reference to the law and their focus on
Israel’s rejection of Christ. The church, however, likely was composed
predominantly of Gentile Christians (Rom. 1:5-6,13-15).

THE OCCASION AND PURPOSE

Following his journey to Jerusalem, Paul planned to travel to Spain to
preach the good news there. On his way, he intended to visit the church in
Rome (see 15:24). Because he never had been with believers in Rome, to lay
groundwork for his visit he wanted them to know the content of the good
news he preached. He presented in systematic fashion the main teachings at
the center of his preaching: Sinners are justified (made right) by faith and
are to live by Christ’s high standards. Thus, the Letter to the Romans has
been called the fifth gospel book of the New Testament.
 Paul also wanted to be “refreshed” (15:32) by enjoying fellowship with
believers in Rome “for a while” (15:24). In addition, he wanted them to
assist him in his mission to Spain.
Paul stated he wrote “boldly on some points” to “remind” believers of core
Christian truths (15:15). Among those truths were all people’s sinfulness,
the good news of salvation through faith in Christ, and the demand for
Christian commitment to faithful discipleship.
Evidently, conflict and tension between Jewish and Gentile believers
threatened the Roman church’s unity (see 14:1–15:13). Paul wanted to state
clearly his stance on the relationship between Jewish and Gentile believers
to resolve the conflict. He wanted both groups to worship and work in
harmony to continue their vital ministry in the capital of the vast Roman
Empire.

MAJOR EMPHASES IN ROMANS

God is righteous—when He saves people by grace through faith and when
He judges individuals who have rejected His revelation in Christ.
All people have sinned and cannot rescue themselves.
God has provided salvation through Christ’s atoning death and victorious
resurrection.
Through faith in Christ, repentant sinners receive forgiveness and new,
right standing with God.
Salvation—right relationship with God—is His gift of sheer grace.
People made right with God experience peace with Him.
New life in Christ issues in freedom from sin’s domination, from
enslavement to the law, and from the fear of physical death, which cannot
separate believers from Christ’s love.
Believers are to order their lives by the Holy Spirit, who lives in them.
The gift of salvation is accompanied by the demand for Christian living,
which involves believers’ being living sacrifices, discharging their duties, and
building up one another.

OUTLINE OF ROMANS
Introduction (1:1-17)
I. Salvation Is Available (1:18–4:25)
II. Salvation Is the Work of God (5:1–8:39)
III. Salvation Is for All People (9:1–11:36)
IV. Salvation Is Proved by Christian Living (12:1–15:13)

Conclusion (15:14–16:27)
 Session 1 > Romans 1:1-17

GOOD NEWS TO TELL

INTRODUCTION
Some good news we receive is so outstandingly good we cannot keep it to
ourselves, can we? My wife, Barbara, and I had the privilege of being present
when each of our three grandsons was born. When the first one entered our
world, Barbara was in the delivery room with our daughter and her
husband. Because only two family members could be with our daughter, the
medical staff exiled me to the corridor immediately outside, as close to the
intervening doors as I could get. Isaac’s first cry of protest brought tears of
relief and joy to my eyes. Daughter and grandson were fine.
About six years later, I sat with my son, Jeff, as we awaited the birth of his
son. Because only one grandparent could wait outside the delivery room
with Jeff, Barbara had insisted that I be with him while she waited in our
daughter-in-law’s room. Jeff and I both were deeply moved when a nurse
came out of the delivery room and placed Caleb in his father’s arms. Again,
mother and son were OK.
Three months later, our daughter delivered a robust boy who was,
however, three weeks premature. Although he was a big baby, his lungs
were not fully developed, so he was taken to the Neonatal Intensive Care
unit. He received excellent care and progressed steadily until he was able to
go to the nursery and then home. All was well.
Following all three births, parents and grandparents immediately were on
cell phones to announce the glad news of births in which the mothers and
the babies were doing well. We were able to report that the third grandson
was receiving the best care available. In each incident, as soon as my wife
could get to her computer, she e-mailed the good news to practically
everyone we know. The news was well worth celebrating and announcing.
The good news of God’s providing salvation for everyone who will receive
it by faith is the greatest news of all. Yet many Christians may frame their
approach to this lesson with the thought, When do I have an opportunity to
tell someone about the gospel? Because much of their lives centers around the
church and their friends in it, they often know few non-Christians. Yet they
have more opportunities to tell others about the gospel than they might
think. First they can talk with people they meet in the course of daily life—
for example, people in the grocery store lines or behind the cash register.
Then they can be intentional about it—for example, they can walk through
their neighborhood to meet and converse with others. Yet neither of these
opportunities is the most obvious one—they can take part in any visitation
program their church or Sunday School offers. None of these opportunities
matters, however, unless the next step occurs—taking advantage of such
opportunities and telling others about the gospel.
This lesson is designed to help Christians describe opportunities they
have to tell others about the gospel and discover one opportunity they can
seize in the next week. Paul’s fervor in proclaiming the good news of Christ
can inspire us to renewed zeal in telling about the good news to people we
encounter.

Romans 1:1-17
1. Why We Tell (Rom. 1:1-7)
2. Whom We Tell (Rom. 1:8-15)
3. What We Tell (Rom. 1:16-17)

UNDERSTAND THE CONTEXT

Paul was bracing himself for the major crisis of his extensive missionary
ministry. He was poised to take a relief offering from Gentile churches to
poverty-stricken Christians in Jerusalem. He had two purposes for
accomplishing this mission: to meet desperate need and to heal a growing
breach between Jewish and Gentile Christians. Somewhere along his
journey—probably during a stopover in Corinth—he wrote his Letter to the
Romans. If all went well in Jerusalem and he survived the Jews’ growing,
fierce opposition to him, he planned to travel to Rome. To prepare for his
visit, he wrote a studied, orderly statement of the good news he preached.
Paul’s conviction was that all people share the plight of sin from which they
cannot free themselves. Through Christ, however, God has opened a way for
people to be made right with Him by faith. Paul emphasized that right
standing with God must issue in right living. Jewish detractors may have
given believers in Rome misleading reports about Paul’s essential message.
If so, he wanted to set the record straight.
Paul had a second compelling purpose in writing to believers in Rome. His
burning ambition was to take the good news of Christ farther west to Spain.
At this point he felt his work in the eastern part of the Roman Empire was
completed, and the apostle wanted to take the gospel where no one else had
proclaimed it. On his way to Spain, Paul looked forward to a long-
anticipated time of fellowship with Christians in Rome. He also wanted
them to help underwrite the mission to Spain. Paul needed finances for his
endeavor, so he asked them for help (see Rom. 15:24).
Under God’s inspiration, Paul dictated to Tertius [TUHR shih uhs] his
Letter to the Romans. To overstate its importance and lasting impact is
impossible. The letter was instrumental in Augustine’s conversion, and
Martin Luther considered it the New Testament’s purest gospel with which
Christians should be thoroughly familiar. (See “Introduction”) In God’s
providence, it became a letter for the ages and for every person today who
deep down longs for forgiveness and right standing with God—for “grace
that is greater than all our sin” (No. 329, The Baptist Hymnal, 1991; No. 105,
Baptist Hymnal, 2008). We all can continue to be grateful that “where sin
multiplied, grace multiplied even more” (Rom. 5:20).

EXPLORE THE TEXT

1. WHY WE TELL (Rom 1:1-7)
VERSE 1

Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle and singled

out for God’s good news—
First-century letters typically followed a set pattern that included a greeting,
a prayer for the recipients, an expression of thanksgiving, the letter’s main
content, and special salutations and greetings. Paul usually followed that
familiar pattern. Unlike our normal practice in which we sign our names
last, Paul and other writers of his time customarily began a letter with their
names. Paul identified himself as the writer of the Letter to the Romans and
then introduced himself to the recipients. He used his Greek or Roman
name as he usually did in his work among Gentiles. Born to Jewish parents
in Tarsus and given the Hebrew name Saul, he had become a Pharisee and a
fierce persecutor of Jesus’ early followers. On his way to Damascus to find
and imprison Christians, the risen Christ confronted Paul, and he was
dramatically converted and received Christ’s commission to represent Him
among Jews and Gentiles (see Acts 9:1-18).
Eventually, under the Holy Spirit’s guidance, the church in Antioch of
Syria selected Barnabas and Saul (Paul) to embark on a mission of spreading
the gospel (see Acts 13:1-3). During their journey, Paul became the
missionary party’s leader and later made two more trips with the desire to
saturate the Roman Empire with the gospel. As he dictated the Letter to the
Romans, the apostle was about to conclude what would prove to be his third
and final missionary journey.
 Interestingly, in presenting his credentials to the believers in Rome, Paul
described himself first as a slave of Christ Jesus and then as an apostle.
Only in Romans and in his Letter to Titus (see Titus 1:1) did Paul use this
combination as he identified himself at the beginning of each letter.
Usually, when he felt the necessity to emphasize his God-given authority, he
focused on his apostleship in his greeting (see Gal. 1:1). When he felt no
need to exert his authority, he emphasized his servanthood as he began his
letter (see Phil. 1:1). The word slave carried the sense of a bondslave who
was totally subservient to his master and obeyed the master’s every
command. The master owned the slave. In a real sense, Christ owned Paul.
The word Christ (Messiah) paired with the name Jesus (Savior) became a
proper name that conveyed Jesus’ identity and mission. Sometimes the
order is “Jesus Christ” (Rom. 1:3).
The term apostle means “one sent on a mission” with the sender’s
authority. The phrase called as an apostle has the force of “an apostle by
calling.” Paul did not appoint himself to be an apostle; Christ called him to
fulfill that ministry. On occasion Paul made clear that he spoke and acted
with Christ’s authority (see 1 Cor. 7:10).
The apostle stressed that he had been singled out for God’s good news.
Christ had separated him or marked him off from others for a special
mission. Christ’s confronting Paul and giving him a special task was the
most crucial event in the early Christian enterprise—if not in the history of
the Christian movement. Highly educated, well-versed in Jewish legalism,
aggressive, and passionate, he was the perfect witness concerning the
futility of legalism to give a person right standing with God and the all-
sufficiency of grace through faith to do so.
Paul’s special task was to spread the good news that God made possible
when He took the initiative in Christ’s coming to provide salvation for all
people who would receive it by faith. The heart of the gospel Paul preached
was “that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures [the Hebrew
Scriptures (Old Testament)], that He was buried, that He was raised on the
third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Cor. 15:3b-4). The good news of
God’s available grace was not of human origin; God alone is its Source and
Implementer. It was and is God’s good news.

VERSE 2

which He promised long ago through His prophets in the

Holy Scriptures—
God’s provision of salvation was no afterthought with Him. The Holy
Scriptures—our Old Testament—contain His promise through His
prophets that He would send the Messiah, who would deliver His people.
Paul may have had in mind such Scriptures as Deuteronomy 18:15;
2 Samuel 7:11b-16; and Isaiah 52:13–53:12 in which Moses and Nathan
pointed to a prophet-Messiah God would provide and whom Isaiah declared
would be God’s Suffering Servant.

VERSE 3

concerning His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who was a

descendant of David according to the flesh
The center and substance of “God’s good news” (Rom. 1:1) is His Son,
Jesus Christ our Lord. With this compact yet comprehensive phrase, Paul
affirmed Jesus of Nazareth as God’s Promised Savior, the Messiah, who was
both human and divine. The phrase His Son and the word Lord stressed
Jesus’ Deity. The phrase a descendant of David according to the flesh
emphasized His humanity. It also indicated the fulfillment of God’s promise
to David in 2 Samuel 7:11b-16, which became a basis of the Jews’ messianic
expectation. Jesus fulfilled God’s promise of the Messiah. As fully God and
fully human, Christ was God incarnate who came to make salvation
available for all people.

VERSE 4

and who has been declared to be the powerful Son of God by

the resurrection from the dead according to the Spirit of
holiness.
Christ’s resurrection from the dead gave decisive proof of His Deity. Paul
and other New Testament writers placed the resurrection at the center of
Christian faith. Without Christ’s resurrection, the message that He lives and
has power to save “is without foundation, and so is (Christians’) faith”
(1 Cor. 15:14). Furthermore, if Christ’s resurrection did not occur, believers
“are still in (their) sins” and Christians who have died “have also perished”
(1 Cor. 15:17-18). In truth, however, the resurrection is God’s defining
word: Jesus lives and gives life.
The Greek word translated declared here carries the idea of openly
declaring. Jesus always was the powerful Son of God—in His preexistence
and during His incarnation. His resurrection proclaimed that truth for all
time. The resurrection confirmed His Deity; it did not bestow Deity on Him.
As God’s risen Son, He continues to be fully Deity, now exalted (see Phil.
2:6-11; Heb. 1:3). The expression the Spirit of holiness was the Hebrew
equivalent to the expression “the Holy Spirit.”

VERSE 5

We have received grace and apostleship through Him to

bring about the obedience of faith among all the nations, on
behalf of His name,
Using an editorial we in reference to himself, Paul declared that the risen,
powerful Christ—God’s Son—had extended grace and apostleship to him.
Other scholars hold that the term we indicates Paul’s recognition that he
was not alone in ministering to the Gentiles. With the expression grace and
apostleship Paul could have meant: (1) Christ had forgiven and saved him,
and that experience of grace included his call to be an apostle; (2) his
apostleship was Christ’s undeserved favor extended to him; (3) Christ gave
him the needed strength to fulfill his task as an apostle. Whatever Paul’s
precise meaning, Christ had chosen Paul for a singular purpose: to bring
about the obedience of faith among all the nations (Gentiles), on behalf
of His name. The Lord had commissioned Paul “to take (His) name to
Gentiles, kings, and the Israelites” (Acts 9:15), but primarily he became the
apostle to the Gentiles (see Acts 13:46-47). Paul sought to persuade those
to whom he ministered to place their faith in Christ for salvation. Such faith
produced a lifestyle of obedience to Christ. The phrase on behalf of His name
means “for Him.” In Hebrew thought, the term name represented the
person. Paul labored for Christ.

VERSE 6

including yourselves who also belong to Jesus Christ by

calling:
The phrase including yourselves refers to the words “all the nations
(Gentiles)” in verse 5. This linkage is evidence that the church in Rome was
predominantly Gentile. Although Paul had not taken the gospel to Rome,
believers belonged to Jesus Christ by calling; through the good news,
however it reached Rome, they had been called to salvation and had
responded positively. As Christ’s followers, they belonged to Him.

VERSE 7

To all who are in Rome, loved by God, called as saints. Grace

to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus
Christ.
Paul greeted all the believers in Rome, Jews and Gentiles. They were the
objects of God’s love. Although he was basically the Apostle to the Gentiles
(see Rom. 1:5), he was careful to include Jewish Christians as recipients of
his letter. His use of the term all in verses 7 and 8 may have been a subtle
reminder of the unity they were to have as a church. Perhaps the growing
tension between Jewish and Gentile Christians weighed heavily on Paul’s
mind as he dictated this letter. As believers, all were one new race (“one new
man,” Eph. 2:15)—God’s new people among whom ethnicity was (and is)
never to be a separating factor (see Col. 3:11a). God had called them to be
saints—believers set apart for His service and for holy living. Saints are not
a special category of super-Christians. All believers are saints engaged in
serving God as they grow spiritually.
Paul included in verse 7 a salutation or prayer he expressed in his various
letters. Grace is God’s undeserved kindness, His free favor, His love in
action. Peace is more than absence of conflict; it is wholeness, soundness,
or well-being under God’s lordship. Paul never varied the order of the terms;
only on the basis of God’s gift of saving and sustaining grace is peace
possible. Both grace and peace are gifts of God the Father and the Lord
Jesus Christ. Christ revealed that God is believers’ Father in the highest
and best sense of being loving and compassionate. Referring to God along
with Jesus and giving the full title for Christ stress Jesus’ Deity.
In Romans 1:1-7 after introducing himself, Paul declared Jesus to be
God’s Son and identified what he himself had received through Jesus and
why God has called him as an apostle. Because of who Jesus is—God’s
powerful Son—we tell the good news of available salvation in Him. Part of
that good news is what God has done and is doing in our lives through
Christ.

EXPLORE FURTHER

God’s initial call to people is the call to salvation. In what sense does He
call all believers to be His disciples? What does our mission include?

2. WHOM WE TELL (Rom. 1:8-15)

VERSE 8
First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you
because the news of your faith is being reported in all the
world.
Paul continued to follow the common pattern of letter writing in the first
century by expressing gratitude for all Christians in Rome. Uppermost in
his thoughts (first) was his thanks to God for their faith. The phrase my
God stresses Paul’s close, personal relationship with the Lord. The apostle
conveyed his thanks to God through Jesus Christ as Mediator. The reason
for his gratitude was that the believers’ faith was being widely reported, a
verb that included the ideas of “commending” or “celebrating”in this
context. The expression also could be rendered “because your faith is being
openly praised.” People continually commended the believers’ faith. The
words your faith likely have the force of “your Christianity” and refer to
believers’ personal faith in Christ that issued in Christlike character. The
phrase in all the world probably referred to the Roman Empire or the
known world.

VERSE 9

For God, whom I serve with my spirit in telling the good

news about His Son, is my witness that I constantly mention
you,
Paul solemnly assured the believers in Rome that he constantly included
them in his prayers. To stress his truthfulness and sincerity, he called God
as his witness. He used the form of an oath to convey the intensity of his
interest in and concern for the believers. Almost parenthetically, Paul
described his service for the God on whom he called. The word rendered
serve has the sense of religious, priestly service. It can convey the idea that
Paul’s ministry for Christ was his offering of worship to God. The phrase
with my spirit likely means “wholeheartedly” or “genuinely.” Paul’s service
to God consisted of spreading the good news whose subject is Jesus, God’s
Son, through whom salvation is available to all who will place faith in Him.

VERSE 10

always asking in my prayers that if it is somehow in God’s

will, I may now at last succeed in coming to you.
In Paul’s consistent prayers concerning the Christians in Rome, he always
included a specific request that God enable him to visit them. The Greek
phrase translated if . . . somehow . . . at last can more literally be rendered
“if by any means now at length.” The translation “if perhaps at length on
some occasion” also captures the deep emotion and yet the uncertainty Paul
felt because of what awaited him in Jerusalem. (See “Understand the
Context.”) A good reader would have captured the deep longing Paul’s words
conveyed as they were read aloud to the gathered church. The word succeed
has the idea of having a successful journey, of being led by a direct and easy
way. Paul wanted to travel to Rome as soon as possible without being
impeded.

VERSE 11

For I want very much to see you, so I may impart to you some
spiritual gift to strengthen you,
Paul continued to express the depth of his longing to visit the believers in
Rome. The apostle’s yearning to see the Christians in Rome was strong and
constant. He wanted to impart . . . some spiritual gift to strengthen
them. The phrase spiritual gift probably does not indicate a special gift of the
Spirit such as one of those listed in 1 Corinthians 12 and Romans 12:6-8.
Rather, Paul likely had in mind imparting to believers Spirit-given insights
that would strengthen them in their Christian faith. He would express the
insights; God would do the strengthening.

VERSE 12
that is, to be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both
yours and mine.
Paul quickly qualified the reason he wanted to see the believers in Rome.
The apostle not only wanted to give them something, but he also looked
forward to a mutual sharing. Paul felt his strong faith could encourage
them, and he was convinced their well-known faith (see 1:8) could
strengthen him. They would be able to help one another in following Christ.
In particular, the believers would encourage Paul as he continued his
journey west.

VERSE 13

Now I want you to know, brothers, that I often planned to

come to you (but was prevented until now) in order that I
might have a fruitful ministry among you, just as among the
rest of the Gentiles.
Doubtless the Christians in Rome had heard about Paul and his work. They
may have wondered why he had not visited the empire’s capital city and the
strategic church there. Paul did not want the believers to think he was
unconcerned about them or was neglecting them purposely. He wanted
them to be aware of his repeated intentions to visit them. Each time he
purposed to come, something prevented him. Interpreters have offered
various suggestions about who or what prevented Paul’s visit: God, satanic
opposition, new churches’ needs, and gathering the collection for Christians
in Jerusalem. Most likely, Paul had in mind his pressing responsibilities in
the eastern part of the Roman Empire. The heavy demands of his work
allowed no opportunity to travel to Rome.
Paul wanted to have a productive ministry among the believers in Rome
even as he had experienced success among the rest of the Gentiles. Paul
wanted to strengthen the church and to take part in spreading the gospel in
Rome. His linking the Christians in Rome with the rest of the Gentiles is
evidence the church there was predominantly Gentile in makeup.

VERSE 14

I am obligated both to Greeks and barbarians, both to the

wise and the foolish.
Paul felt deeply and took seriously his responsibility to proclaim the good
news to all people. The Greek word rendered obligated also means
“indebted” or “bound by duty.” Paul had received the good news of salvation
by grace through faith, and Christ had entrusted him with it as the Lord’s
representative.
Paul was indebted to all people to give them the gospel. The Greeks
divided the human race into Greeks and barbarians—cultured people who
spoke the Greek language fluently and uncultured ones who did not speak it
or spoke it poorly. The wise were educated people; the foolish were
uneducated. Paul used the terms to bracket the whole human race of his
time.

VERSE 15

So I am eager to preach the good news to you also who are in

Rome.
Because of Paul’s comprehensive indebtedness to preach the gospel to as
many people as possible, he was eager to preach. . . in Rome. The Greek
term translated eager literally is “willing” or “ready” with the further ideas of
desire or eagerness. As we might say, Paul was “straining at the bit” to get to
Rome. The city was the empire’s capital, and various classes of people made
up its population. He wanted to preach the good news to the church (you)
and doubtless to all other people who would listen.
In summary, Paul declared his desire to visit Rome, his desire to
strengthen and be strengthened by these Christians, his obligation to
preach the gospel to unbelievers, and his eagerness to do so in Rome. All
around us are people who never have accepted the gospel. We who have
received and accepted the gospel are indebted to tell it to others. We share
the apostle’s indebtedness to non-Christians to tell the good news whenever
and wherever we can.

EXPLORE FURTHER

How would you describe believers’ indebtedness to non-Christians and

to other Christians?

3. WHAT WE TELL (Rom. 1:16-17)

VERSE 16

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is God’s power

for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, and
also to the Greek.
Paul’s statement, “I am not ashamed,” carries the force of “I am proud” or
“I glory.” The message of a crucified and risen Savior was “a stumbling block
to the Jews and foolishness to the Gentiles” (1 Cor. 1:23), but Paul proudly
proclaimed this good news. He stressed the reason for his pride: The gospel
. . . is God’s power for salvation. God infuses the good news with His
divine energy. The gospel is effective because God works through it. The
Greek term translated power lies behind our words dynamite and dynamic. In
the New Testament, it is used of God’s supernatural activity displayed in
raising Jesus from the dead.
In this context, the term salvation means “deliverance” or “rescue” from
sin. This deliverance is available to everyone who believes—who places
faith in Christ, who trusts Him. The Greek term rendered believes carries the
force of commitment. To mentally accept the good news as true is not
enough; a person must commit himself or herself to the Christ of the
gospel. The individual who does so receives salvation.
The good news of salvation in Christ came first to the Jew. Jesus was
the Jews’ Promised Messiah, sent to save His people (see Matt. 1:21). In
Matthew 10:5, Jesus sent the twelve disciples on mission with the
instructions not to go to Samaritans (non-Jews) but “to the lost sheep of
the house of Israel” (Matt. 10:6). At that stage of His ministry, He was
concerned to reach His own people. So first, in point of time, the Jews
received the good news. God’s offer of redemption also was meant to extend
to the Greek (Gentiles; see Matt. 28:19; Acts 1:8). As early as Genesis 12:3,
God announced His intention to bless “all the peoples on earth” through
Abram or Abraham. Thus, including Gentiles in the scope of His grace was
not a footnote to God’s purpose.

VERSE 17

For in it God’s righteousness is revealed from faith to faith,

just as it is written: The righteous will live by faith.
In the gospel, God’s righteousness—His being just in making people right
with Him—is revealed from faith to faith. God’s righteousness is His
absolute justice or fairness—His uprightness. Paul countered the claim that
relationship with God comes through human effort—through good works.
Some people in Paul’s time insisted that for God to give right standing with
Him freely on the basis of faith alone would be unjust. Paul contended that
God is right (just) when He saves sinners by grace through faith in Christ.
This truth comes through God’s Self-revelation, not through human
discovery.
The phrase from faith to faith can mean “based on faith as well as
addressed to faith,” “a faith response from beginning to end,” “faith as the
starting point and faith as the goal,” or “through nothing else but faith.” In
the vernacular of our time, we might paraphrase Paul’s words as “It’s all
about faith.”
To support his assertion that righteousness (right standing with God) is
God’s free gift through faith and not through human achievement, Paul
quoted Habakkuk 2:4: The righteous will live by faith. The literal
translation of the Greek text is: “But the righteous by faith will live.” In the
context of Habakkuk, the term faith most likely has the sense of
faithfulness. In facing difficulty, those who were truly God’s people would
remain faithful to Him. Paul gave the words a different emphasis, which the
text allows: “The righteous-by-faith will live (receive life or be saved).” In
both translations, the sense can well be that salvation comes by faith. Paul
affirmed the content of the gospel with statements about its power and its
results and about how salvation is received.
A number of years ago, a singer of popular music had a hit song whose
theme was people’s need of at least a small bit of good news instead of the
increasingly bad reports flooding the media. I liked that song, and I still do.
To me, it is even more relevant today than when it was written.
We still have wars, crime, violence, greed, and murders. But we also have
great news! God has entrusted the gospel to believers. Many people we
encounter need to hear and accept the amazing good news that through
faith in Christ, they can receive right relationship with God. They can
receive forgiveness of sins and new life grounded in His grace through faith
but only through faith.

EXPLORE FURTHER

Read the article entitled “Gospel” in the Holman Illustrated Bible

Dictionary, pages 670-672 (through the heading “Other Pauline
Passages”). In what ways do you show your pride in the gospel?

Identify opportunities you have to tell others about the gospel. What
opportunity will you seize this week?
 Session 2 > Romans 2:1-11; 3:21-26

GOOD NEWS TO HEAR

Background Passage: Romans 1:18–3:26

INTRODUCTION
A number of years ago, during a routine eye examination, my optometrist
discovered an unusual formation in the back of my right eye. His bad news
was that he could not be sure what it was and needed to identify it. He took
pictures and sent them to a specialist for an expert opinion. A period of
waiting ensued—a period that seemed an eternity to me. I was in my 40s
with a wife and two small children. What if the diagnosis turned out to be
cancer? Could it be treated successfully? I remember long walks around my
cul-de-sac, trying to think though my situation. I prayed, and I tried not to
worry; but I felt a tremendous amount of pressure. Finally, the report came.
My optometrist gave me the best news I had heard in years. The formation
was rare but posed no threat to my eye or to my general health. I breathed a
prayer of thanks and a sigh of relief.
Fast forward across a lengthy span of years. Following a visit to one of my
doctors, I received a phone call in which he informed me a test he had run
showed an abnormal reading. He wanted me to see him as soon as possible.
A further test confirmed a problem that required immediate attention. I
underwent surgery and a time of recovery. The good news was a positive
prognosis that so far has proved accurate. In both my experiences, living
under the shadow of uncertainty and the possibility of the worst news
imaginable was scary and draining.
Ten years ago from the date of this lesson—on September 11, 2001—few
Americans had to be told the bad news of that day. Most Americans saw
much of it as they watched buildings crumble before their eyes on television
screens and people’s lives destroyed.
In today’s world many people live in bad news. For example, such is the
daily routine of people without Christ, whether or not they are aware of that
reality. Yet they all can hear some good news. Christians have the best news
of all for them. We have the gospel that unbelievers need to hear. God has
acted to provide salvation, and it is available to all people through faith.
Those who receive salvation will be grateful God has provided it and that
they have heard and responded positively to Him.
This lesson focuses on people’s need of salvation and God’s provision to
meet that need. Studying the lesson’s Scripture passages will encourage you
to express gratitude to God for your salvation.

Romans 1:18–3:26
1. Why Some Need to Hear (Rom. 1:18-32)
2. Why the Rest Need to Hear (Rom. 2:1–3:20)
3. What We All Need to Hear (Rom. 3:21-26)

UNDERSTAND THE CONTEXT

Paul began his Letter to the Romans in the customary fashion of his time.
He identified himself as Christ’s bond slave and as an apostle by the Lord’s
calling (Rom. 1:1). Paul briefly characterized the good news he preached,
stressing his commission to proclaim the gospel to Gentiles everywhere,
including people in Rome (1:2-6). The apostle emphasized the gospel’s
center and subject is Jesus, God’s Son, who as the Promised Messiah was
fully human and fully God. Then he greeted his letter’s recipients as the
objects of God’s love and as Christians as a result of their response to God’s
calling them to salvation (1:7). Paul specified that he included them “all” in
his greeting, probably to emphasize his bond with both Jewish Christians
and Gentile believers in the church (1:7). In his affections and concern, they
had equal footing.
In Romans 1:8-10, Paul assured the believers in Rome he consistently
prayed for them all, thanking God for their exemplary faith and stressing he
repeatedly asked God to allow him to visit them. He deeply wanted to spend
time with them, so he and they could experience mutual encouragement
and strengthening (1:11-12). The apostle was concerned that the believers
in Rome not feel he was neglecting them or did not care about them. Many
times he had planned to visit them but thus far had been prevented from
doing so. He felt he was indebted to preach the gospel to all people,
including Rome’s inhabitants (1:13-15).
In a magnificent statement of his concept of the gospel, Paul expressed
his pride in it because God infused it with power. To all who responded in
faith, God gave salvation. In doing so, He revealed His righteousness. God is
right or just when He saves people through faith alone (1:16-17). At the
beginning of his letter, Paul established a central theme he would continue
to hammer home—righteousness (right relationship with God) comes
through faith, not works.

EXPLORE THE TEXT

1. WHY SOME NEED TO HEAR (Rom. 1:18-32)
After stating the heart or major theme of his letter—“God’s righteousness”
(1:17)—Paul presented Gentiles’ plight apart from God (1:18-20). They
desperately needed the salvation God provided. Although creation provided
sufficient revelation of God’s sovereign power and divine nature, they were
suppressing (“holding down” or “repressing”) the truth they had received.
Yet they had no excuse for not responding to the light God had given them.
Their “godlessness and unrighteousness” were incurring “God’s wrath”
(1:18). God’s wrath is His settled, ongoing opposition to sin, not the
emotion we identify as anger or rage. God is unalterably against sin, which
contains in itself the seeds of destruction and works its way out to death.
Instead of responding to God’s revelation of Himself with gratitude and
praise, Gentiles deceived themselves. Although God had made Himself
known to them through His creation, they refused to “glorify Him as God”
(1:21). Instead, they trusted their own wisdom, not realizing they were
“fools” (1:22). Rather than worship God, they bowed down to “images” that
represented humans, birds, animals, and snakes (1:23).
Because Gentiles steadfastly rejected the light they had received about
God, He “delivered them over in the cravings of their hearts to sexual
impurity” (1:24). The Greek word rendered “cravings” also may be translated
“sinful lusts.” The phrase “delivered them over” (“handed them over”; see
also 1:26,28) expresses God’s recognizing the Gentiles’ choice to reject Him.
He did not consign them to immorality; they insisted on satisfying their
“cravings,” and those sinful passions led to an inevitable consequence:
“sexual impurity.” God permitted them to choose their own way. He
honored their freedom as persons rather than impose His will on them.
Because they insisted on living in immorality, God allowed their sin to work
its way out to destruction as an act of judgment. Revealed truth disclosed
that God is Sovereign and is worthy of worship. Gentiles rejected that truth
and replaced it with a lie. They “worshiped and served something created
instead of the Creator,” who deserved unending praise (1:25).
Because Gentiles persisted in an immoral lifestyle and engaged in idol
worship, God honored their insistence, which resulted in “degrading
passions” (1:26). One expression of such passions was homosexuality,
which Paul described as “unnatural” (1:26) and “shameless” (1:27). Such
perversion resulted in “the appropriate penalty of their error” (1:27).
Because Gentiles did not consider God worth knowing, He handed them
over to “a worthless mind” (1:28)—a mind that could not make moral
distinctions. Ongoing rejection of the truth resulted in an inability to
recognize truth. Thus, they sank in a morass of moral wrong. In Romans
1:29-31, Paul presented a catalog of attitudes and acts issuing from a mind-
set devoid of God. The apostle stated Gentiles knew “God’s just sentence”
on their lifestyle. They deserved the death sentence (1:32). They not only
persisted in their sinful practices, but they also approved of or took pleasure
in others who did so. Whether they knew or cared, Gentiles lived under the
shadow of death as a result of their choosing—a plight from which they
could not rescue themselves.

EXPLORE FURTHER

Read the article entitled “Wrath, Wrath of God” in the Holman Illustrated
Bible Dictionary, pages 1688-1689. How do you reconcile God’s wrath
with His love?

2. WHY THE REST NEED TO HEAR (Rom. 2:1–3:20)

VERSE 1

Therefore, any one of you who judges is without excuse. For

when you judge another, you condemn yourself, since you,
the judge, do the same things.
The word therefore could refer to 1:18-32; 1:32; or to what follows. To
whom did Paul refer in the phrase any one of you? Among suggestions are:
(1) certain Gentiles who considered themselves morally superior; (2) people
in general, both Jews and Gentiles; and (3) Jews. Most likely, Paul began
addressing his own people, the Jews, in verse 1. Paul declared that Jews
who trusted in a works-righteousness had no excuse to judge Gentiles.
When Jews condemned Gentiles, they passed sentence on themselves. The
Greek word translated judges and judge means “pronouncing an opinion
concerning right or wrong” and has the sense of condemning. The term
rendered condemn literally means “to judge down” and stresses a verdict of
guilty. Jews were self-condemned because they habitually practiced the
same things they condemned the Gentiles for practicing. One appealing
view is that the act of judging involved Jews in the same conduct they
condemned in Gentiles. They, as did the Gentiles, practiced idolatry by
seeking to take God’s place as Lord and Judge.

VERSE 2

We know that God’s judgment on those who do such things is

based on the truth.
The phrase we know likely refers to Paul and the Jews he was addressing. It
can have the force of “everyone knows.” In this context the phrase expresses
common agreement on an understood principle. The commonly understood
doctrine was that God’s condemnation of people who practice evil is based
on the truth. Thus God is right when He pronounces judgment on sinners;
His judgment is unbiased and in accord with the facts. Only He knows the
whole truth.

VERSE 3

Do you really think—anyone of you who judges those who do

such things yet do the same—that you will escape God’s
judgment?
Paul used a rhetorical question to drive home his point. The question
implied a strong negative answer. Jews who judged Gentiles for their
practices and yet committed the same kinds of sins could not avoid God’s
judgment. Their membership in God’s covenant community did not exempt
them from His just sentence on their behavior. They could not expect God
to show favoritism to them.

VERSE 4

Or do you despise the riches of His kindness, restraint, and

patience, not recognizing that God’s kindness is intended to
lead you to repentance?
Paul asked a second rhetorical question that expected a positive answer. The
Jews actually despised (“thought little or nothing of”) God’s graciousness to
them. He had extended a wealth or abundance of goodness to them. He also
had withheld punishment and had been forbearing or patient with them.
God’s gracious dealings with the Jews did not give them freedom to sin
without consequences; His purpose was to lead them to repentance. The
Greek term rendered repentance means “a change of mind” in the sense of
adopting a new attitude or mind-set that involves a change in life’s
direction. It carries the idea of making an about-face in life. Behind the
Greek word is a Hebrew term that means “to turn”—to turn from sin and to
turn to God. God’s goodness has a redemptive purpose.

VERSE 5

But because of your hardness and unrepentant heart you are

storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath, when God’s
righteous judgment is revealed.
Self-assured because they were members of God’s chosen people and
because they felt they had attained a works-righteousness, the Jews
stubbornly resisted God’s goodness to them and remained unrepentant;
they refused to turn to Him and accept His offer of grace.
Ironically, God had related to the Jews out of the riches of His goodness,
but they were storing up or “treasuring up” for themselves wrath . . . in
the day of wrath. At the final judgment, they would receive the
consequences of rejecting God’s grace in Christ. Behind the phrase the day of
wrath is the Old Testament concept of the Day of the Lord. The Israelites
expected that day to be a glorious time of light and salvation for them and
disaster for foreign nations, but prophets such as Amos warned that the
Day of the Lord would bring judgment on unfaithful Israelites (“darkness”
and “gloom”; see Amos 5:18-20). A faithful remnant would be saved;
unfaithful Israelites would face judgment. Paul stressed that on the future
day of wrath, God’s righteous judgment will occur. He will be right when
He passes just sentences on people who spurned His offer of salvation in
Christ.
Addressing the reason Jews need salvation in Romans 2:1-5, Paul warned
them of God‘s judgment and of the danger of ignoring God’s patience with
them. God exercised patience and kindness to lead them to repentance.
Because God wants all people to repent, He is patient with individuals who
are not believers. We can be grateful for His forbearance and kindness
toward them—and toward us as believers.

VERSE 6

He will repay each one according to his works:

Paul quoted Psalm 62:12 and Proverbs 24:12 to declare that God’s future,
righteous judgment will be on the basis of every person’s works. The
apostle emphasized God’s impartiality in dealing with each individual. The
Greek word translated repay has the sense of settling accounts, of
rendering what is due. The phrase according to his works does not refer to
salvation by works (see Rom. 3:28). Rather, good works are the natural,
spontaneous result and evidence of saving faith (see Matt. 25:31-46). Thus,
the judgment concerning a person’s salvation will be based on whether
professed faith has produced good works, particularly on needy people’s
behalf. Genuine faith will reveal itself in action (Jas. 2:18-26).

VERSE 7

eternal life to those who by persistence in doing good seek

glory, honor, and immortality;
People whose good works verify their saving faith will receive eternal life.
People with saving faith will enter God’s immediate presence for eternity.
The phrase by persistence conveys the sense of persevering or enduring.
These people of genuine faith strive for (seek) their priority aim: glory,
honor, and immortality. The word glory refers to the splendor of eternal
life; the term honor encompasses God’s commendation; and the word
immortality literally is “incorruption” in unending life with God.

VERSE 8

but wrath and indignation to those who are self-seeking and

disobey the truth but are obeying unrighteousness;
“The day of wrath” (Rom. 2:5) will be devastating for unbelievers. In sharp
contrast to people whose genuine faith issued in acts of self-giving will be
individuals who were self-seeking or marked by selfish ambition and
disobedient to the truth they received. Stubbornly resistant and self-
centered, they rejected God’s revelation of Himself in Christ. Instead, they
obeyed unrighteousness, that is, they let themselves be persuaded by
wrong or falsehood; they refused to believe God’s revealed truth. Thus, at
God’s time of reckoning, they will receive wrath (the consequences of their
wrong choice) and indignation (anger or fury, perhaps the outward
expression of wrath). Together, the terms express God’s intense displeasure.

VERSE 9

affliction and distress for every human being who does evil,
first to the Jew, and also to the Greek;
Every person who habitually practices evil will experience affliction
(tribulation) and distress (anguish). Both are strong terms that convey
intense misery. The Jews will receive this just judgment from God first
because they failed to take to heart God’s expressions of goodness to them
(see 2:4) and because the good news of salvation in Christ came first to
them. Gentiles (Greeks) also will experience the consequences of rejecting
the revelation of God they received.

VERSES 10-11

but glory, honor, and peace for everyone who does what is
good, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek. There is no
favoritism with God.
Both Jews and Gentiles who habitually practiced good as the spontaneous
activity of their genuine faith will receive from God glory, honor, and
peace—“wholeness” or “well-being” through reconciliation with God. In
perfect spiritual soundness, they will enjoy the splendor of God’s presence
in eternity and will receive His commendation. Again, God will affirm
faithful Jews first; then He will congratulate faithful Gentiles. In this
manner, He will demonstrate that He shows no favoritism. Behind the
Greek word for favoritism is the ancient idea of lifting up or receiving the
face—of judging favorably by appearances. God is impartial.
God will judge people impartially on the basis of what their works show
regarding their relationship with Him. Individuals who do good works as
evidence of their salvation will receive eternal reward, and people who do
not will receive His wrath. These verses do not teach salvation by works but
they do show that good works are evidence of salvation. We can be grateful
God is impartial. He will judge us impartially but will reward behavior that
reflects we are believers.
In Romans 2:12-16, Paul stressed all people’s accountability to God. A
divine standard of judgment exists for every individual, whether Jew or
Gentile. Paul declared that merely hearing the law did not constitute
righteousness; keeping the law did so (2:13). Jews had the Mosaic law, but
failed to live up to it, and thus showed themselves to be under the judgment
of sin (2:12). Gentiles did not have the Mosaic law; nevertheless, they were
accountable according to their consciences (2:15) and their response to
God’s revelation in nature (see 1:20). Their instinctively doing what the law
requires gives evidence of their moral consciousness (2:15). In other words
both Jews and Gentiles will be judged on the basis of the revelation they
have received. However, both Jews and Gentiles failed to keep the law they
had. Thus, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (3:23).
The phrase “according to my gospel through Christ Jesus” (2:16) likely
means Paul’s message revealed that God will judge all people through Jesus
as His Agent of judgment. The Jews expected the Messiah to mete out
judgment. In John 5:22 Jesus said, “The Father . . . judges no one but has
given all judgment to the Son.”
Jews took special pride in possessing two things: the law and
circumcision. In Romans 2:17-24, Paul pointed out that Jews violated the
law of which they boasted. In Romans 2:17-20, he stressed Jews’ actual
attitudes and actions that expressed their lofty view of themselves; they
were proud of being Jews, of having and knowing the law, of worshiping the
one God, and of knowing His will. They proudly taught Gentiles, as
superiors instructing inferiors. Then in verses 21-22, Paul pointed out the
Jews’ glaring failure to practice what they professed. The apostle charged
them with dishonoring God “by breaking the law” (2:23). To support his
charge, Paul referred to Isaiah 52:5. The Jews’ hypocrisy caused Gentiles to
blaspheme God instead of inspiring them to worship and praise Him.
Paul next turned to the second focus of Jewish pride: circumcision. In
Romans 2:25-29 he asserted circumcision had value only if the circumcised
person kept the law; if he broke the law, circumcision was of no value. On
the other hand, “if an uncircumcised man” (a Gentile, 2:26) instinctively
kept the law written on his heart (see 2:15), that would be considered
circumcision. In fact, obedient Gentiles—though uncircumcised—would
judge disobedient Jews who had the law and were circumcised (2:27). Paul
boldly declared that God’s true people were those circumcised in “heart”
(2:29)—an inward circumcision effected by the Spirit, not an outward,
visible sign. In other words, people transformed by God’s grace were His
true covenant people.
 In Romans 3:1-8, Paul addressed three anticipated objections to his
assertions that merely having the law did not exempt Jews from judgment
and that physical circumcision was worthless without the inward
relationship with God it was intended to signify. The first supposed
objection is in Romans 3:1-2: Were Jews and Gentiles equal? Paul made
clear he did not mean equality in privilege but equality in guilt before God
and in the need of salvation. The Jews—members of God’s covenant people
—had the distinct advantage of His “spoken words” (3:2). They were
privileged above all other peoples. The second anticipated objection is in
verses 3-4: Did some Jews’ unfaithfulness nullify God’s faithfulness?
Beginning with his usual formula of strong denial (“absolutely not,” 3:4),
Paul quoted from Psalm 51:4 to affirm God’s faithfulness. God’s
pronouncement of judgment in accord with His covenant, as He did with
King David, demonstrates His faithfulness.
Verses 5-8 of Romans 3 deal with the third anticipated objection. If the
Jews’ sins demonstrated God’s righteousness by contrast, was not God
unjust to condemn them? “Absolutely not,” Paul responded (Rom. 3:6). The
apostle reveals this kind of thinking to be absurd. If this reasoning were
true, then God could not punish anyone’s sins and horrible standards of
human conduct would prevail. Verses 7-8 of chapter 3 essentially restate
the objection and Paul’s response.
In Romans 3:9-20, Paul emphasized again that all people are held in sin’s
death grip; they are guilty before God. The apostle quoted verses from
various psalms and from Isaiah to support his charge that all people share
the plight of sin; no one is righteous. Sin enslaves everyone, and no one
gives God the reverential worship He is due. Paul emphasized that no one
can be made right with God “by the works of the law” (3:20). The law reveals
people’s sinfulness but is powerless to remove sin and provide redemption.
Furthermore, no one can keep the law perfectly.

EXPLORE FURTHER
 Read Jeremiah 31:31-34 and Romans 2:28-29. In what sense are
Christians God’s new people? How would you describe the new
covenant God has made with us in Christ?

3. WHAT WE ALL NEED TO HEAR (Rom. 3:21-26)

VERSE 21

But now, apart from the law, God’s righteousness has been
revealed—attested by the Law and the Prophets
In Romans 1:18–3:20, Paul went to great lengths to demonstrate that all
people are sinners and cannot make their way out of their plight. That
reality is the worst of news. With the words but now, the apostle
contrasted people’s sinful condition the law was powerless to change with
God’s gracious provision of grace in Christ. Paul transitioned to the
incredibly good news that by grace through faith sinners can be made right
with God. Redemption is available apart from the law—totally outside the
sphere of a works-righteousness. In the Law and the Prophets—the
Hebrew Scriptures—God continued to witness concerning His giving
sinners a new standing with Him through grace—through providing a
means of atonement. Perhaps Paul had in mind references such as Genesis
15:6; Isaiah 53:11; and Habakkuk 2:4.

VERSE 22

—that is, God’s righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ,

to all who believe, since there is no distinction.
Through faith in Jesus Christ, God makes people right with Him; He
gives them new standing with Him. This saving relationship with God is
available to all people who will believe in Christ. There is no distinction;
salvation is offered to Jews and Gentiles on the same basis: faith. The
September 18 lesson will further explore the subject of salvation by faith.

VERSE 23

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
All people need to be made right with God because all have sinned; all have
missed God’s mark for life. The Greek term rendered sinned and its Hebrew
counterpart were shooters’ words for missing a target. Derived meanings
have to do with committing error, wandering from the right path, and going
wrong. All people have failed to hit God’s target for life, and thus all
continue to fall short of the glory of God. The Greek term rendered fall
short can mean “to be destitute of” or “to lack.” It conveys the idea of failing
to reach the goal. The word can present the idea of separation—that is, sin
creates a yawning gap between what people are and what God designed us
to be. We fail to reflect His character and thus fail to reach His goal for us.

VERSE 24

They are justified freely by His grace through the redemption

that is in Christ Jesus.
No intensity of human effort can generate right standing with God.
Nothing we can do will close the gap between where we are and where God
intends us to be. Being justified or made right with God is a free gift of His
sheer grace—His love in action. God provided forgiveness and right
standing with Him in Christ Jesus—through Christ’s atoning Self-giving
on the cross. Paul used an analogy drawn from the slave markets of his time
to present a facet of Christ’s voluntary death for sinners. Redemption
carries the idea of freedom at cost. At immeasurable cost to Himself, God
provided freedom from sin’s bondage.

VERSE 25

God presented Him as a propitiation through faith in His

blood, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His
restraint God passed over the sins previously committed.
God presented Christ as a propitiation [proh PISH ee AY shun]. God
determined that in Christ He would make the ultimate sacrifice for people’s
sins and would do so openly for all to see. In one view, the word propitiation
was used of an offering meant to placate. Paul’s use of the term is that
Christ’s sacrificial death turned, or propitiated, God’s wrath from repentant
sinners. Christ’s death appeased God.
A second view is that Paul’s use of the Greek term has the idea of God’s
taking the initiative to act to remove the sin barrier that separated people
from Him. In the Old Testament, the corresponding Hebrew term has the
sense of an atoning sacrifice, an offering that resulted in reconciliation
through the covering of sins. The noun derived from the verb was used of
the mercy seat in the tabernacle. Once a year, on the Day of Atonement, the
high priest entered the holy of holies and poured the blood of the sacrificial
animal over the mercy seat as a covering for people’s sins (Lev. 16:1-34).
Thus in Christ we encounter God’s mercy—the forgiveness God has
provided for all people who will place faith in Christ. The phrase through
faith in His (Christ’s) blood likely has the sense of people’s appropriating
the saving effect of Christ’s voluntary, atoning death through faith.
God acted in Christ’s sacrificial, vicarious self-giving to demonstrate His
(God’s) righteousness (justice). Paul asserted that in providing salvation in
Christ, God vindicated His previous dealings with people’s sins in which He
withheld His full judgment for a time. His restraint (“forbearance” or
“patience”) was designed to draw people to repentance. Yet His kindness
could be viewed as indifference to sin or as outright injustice. In Christ’s
death on the cross, God demonstrated how seriously He took sin—He took
on Himself the cost of our redemption. His justice required atonement for
sins, and He provided that atonement. God graciously gave His Son, who
willingly offered Himself as an atoning sacrifice (2 Cor. 5:19).

VERSE 26
God presented Him to demonstrate His righteousness at the
present time, so that He would be righteous and declare
righteous the one who has faith in Jesus.
At His determination, God openly exhibited Christ’s atoning death to
demonstrate or “display” His (God’s) righteousness at the present time.
Rather than lightly pass over people’s sins, in Christ’s death God opened a
way for forgiveness and reconciliation. The phrase at the present time refers
to the period after Christ’s death. Before that event, God’s justice may have
been obscure to some; in Christ’s death, God gave solid, open evidence of
His righteousness.
God demonstrated He is righteous by providing a solution to people’s
sins through the cross. Only He can declare righteous the one who has
faith in Jesus. He does more than declare us not guilty, even though we
are. He gives us a new standing—a right relationship—with Him and power
to live rightly.
Even though all people have sinned, God has acted in Jesus Christ to
provide salvation and to give it to sinners. The amazing truth is that God
forgives sinners who believe in Jesus Christ. We can be eternally grateful He
does.

EXPLORE FURTHER

Why is God’s provision of salvation the best news of all time? Write your
expression of gratitude to God for your salvation. Review it periodically as
your prayer of thanksgiving.
 Session 3 > Romans 3:28–4:5; 4:16-25

GOOD NEWS TO BELIEVE

Background Passage: Romans 3:27–4:25

INTRODUCTION
Shortly before the aging star’s death, I saw part of a television interview
with him. He was a country-music headliner of a former generation. He had
been a leading figure in his field as a singer/songwriter for a number of
years and then had faded from the spotlight. In his declining years, this star
still performed in his own establishment in a western state. He talked about
his life and lengthy, legendary career. With visible and justifiable pride, he
mentioned he gladly had helped a number of individuals break into the
country-music business. Then he said something that has stayed with me.
In essence, he remarked that he hoped when he died and faced God’s
evaluation of him, the good he had done would outweigh the bad he had
committed. He also hoped he had done enough good deeds to get into
heaven. This musician used the word hope in the sense of what he wistfully
wanted to happen. His uncertainty was evident. In his mind, he would not
know the verdict until after his death.
Sadly, the former country-music star either had not heard or had not
believed the good news of salvation by grace through faith in Christ. He did
not have the solid assurance of eternal life that grace makes possible. My
guess is that his name is legion—that too many people who believe in
heaven view God as busily recording their credits and debits in His heavenly
ledger. They try to do more good deeds than bad in order to merit heaven.
They attempt to come out ahead, even if barely.
Some people who are acquainted marginally with the Bible and who have
some knowledge of Jesus’ teachings miss the message of salvation by grace
through faith. They attempt to rely on living by the Golden Rule, the
Sermon on the Mount, or Jesus’ summary of the law. Some even try to
pattern their lives according to the model Jesus gave—to live as He lived
when He walked the land of the Bible. They attempt to do so in their own
power—and fail. In reality, they place their faith in themselves instead of in
Jesus.
In spite of much popular opinion, salvation is not about being good
enough to get God’s approval. Neither is it about merely accepting the truth
concerning Jesus and what He did to provide salvation. Many people
shortchange themselves with such false ideas. Thus they try to do enough
that is good because they think that in so doing God will let them into
heaven. Others will mentally agree Jesus is the Son of God and died for
their sins but take no further step. Such people do not realize that faith in
Jesus is the only way to receive salvation. They need to act on that
superlative news. To be sure, God certainly expects His people to do what is
good; and Jesus is God’s Son who died for their sins. Yet saving faith
involves trusting only Christ, placing one’s faith in Him for salvation.
This lesson emphasizes the truth that God saves people today through
faith in Christ. It is designed to help unsaved adults agree that salvation
always has been by faith and to place their faith in Christ. If they already are
Christians, the lesson will encourage them to identify others who need to
place their faith in Christ.

Romans 3:27–4:25
1. It’s Through Faith (Rom. 3:27-31)
2. It’s a Gift (Rom. 4:1-12)
3. It’s by Grace (Rom. 4:13-19)
4. It’s Assured (Rom. 4:20-25)
UNDERSTAND THE CONTEXT
In Romans 1:18–3:20, Paul began to lay out the gospel he consistently
preached. The apostle first demonstrated that all people are sinners. All
have failed to respond properly to the light God has given them and need a
salvation they cannot provide for themselves. This bad news laid the
groundwork for God’s incredibly good news—His gracious gift of
redemption in Christ.
In Romans 1:18-32, the apostle asserted that in the created order Gentiles
had enough revelation of God’s “eternal power and divine nature” (Rom.
1:20) to worship Him in gratitude. Because they rejected this light and
insisted on practicing idolatry and immorality, God honored their freedom
to choose. He handed them over to their chosen sinful course in which they
were incurring God’s wrath—His constant, unyielding opposition to sin.
Their sin, moreover, contained within itself the seeds of destruction and
would result in death. In their own strength, Gentiles could not extricate
themselves from their terminal condition. Even though they clearly knew
their consistently sinful practices deserved a sentence of death, they
persisted in their sins and applauded others who did so (see 1:32).
In Romans 2:1–3:20, Paul declared that Jews, not just Gentiles, also were
sinners who needed salvation. The Jews had not taken advantage of the
greater revelation God had given them. He had lavished on them “the riches
of His kindness, restraint, and patience,” yet they had despised those riches
(2:4). They failed to recognize that God’s mercy was meant to “lead” them
“to repentance” (2:4). The Jews had received God’s law. They were the
people of His covenant, of which circumcision was the outward sign. Yet
they had broken the law and thus nullified circumcision’s significance. Paul
emphasized that only a circumcision of the heart performed by the Spirit
made a person a member of God’s people (see 2:25-29). In Romans 3:1-8,
Paul answered anticipated objections to his assertions and stressed that
God is right or just when He judges.
 In Romans 3:9-20, Paul used Old Testament quotations to support the
universal need for salvation—to show “that both Jews and Gentiles are all
under sin” (3:9). Romans 3:20 sets the stage for God’s response to people’s
plight: “No one will be justified in His (God’s) sight by the works of the law.”
In Romans 3:21–4:25, Paul presented the heart of the good news. To me,
Romans 3:21-26 ranks with John 3:16 as the gospel in summary. God
revealed that redemption does not come through works of the law. As the
Hebrew Scriptures had promised, He acted to provide salvation by grace and
offers to all people a right relationship with Him “through faith in Jesus
Christ” (3:22). Although all people have failed to reach God’s lofty
requirements for them and have distanced themselves from Him, He has
acted on their behalf. By sheer grace, on the basis of people’s faith God
makes them right with Him through Christ’s atoning self-giving on the
cross. In Christ, people encounter God’s mercy. To remove any doubt about
His taking sin seriously, God took on Himself the indescribable cost of
redemption. In providing forgiveness of sins and giving a new relationship
with Him, God demonstrated He is both just and the Justifier of people
who place their faith in Christ (see 3:26).

EXPLORE THE TEXT

1. IT’S THROUGH FAITH (Rom. 3:27-31)
In Romans 3:27 Paul asked the first of a series of rhetorical questions
designed to establish firmly his contention that people are justified or made
right with God solely through faith in Christ. Because God acted in Christ’s
sacrificial death to provide salvation on the basis of faith (see 3:25-26),
what grounds did the Jews have for boasting? Paul may have in mind a
double reference here: Jews could not brag about their privileges as God’s
chosen people, and they could not be puffed up with pride because they
performed works of the law. Such self-congratulation was “excluded.” (3:27).
The Greek term has the idea of something completely shut out—for good.
Because of God’s action, the door has slammed shut on bragging. The law or
principle of faith, not the law of works, leaves no valid grounds for boasting.
Because a right relationship with God comes through faith and is God’s gift,
no one has room to brag about attaining right standing with Him on the
basis of merit. No one deserves salvation; God generously offers it to all
people out of His love for them.

VERSE 28

For we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from

the works of the law.
The word for introduces Paul’s confirmation of his assertion in Romans
3:27 that boasting is excluded. It can have the sense of “accordingly” or
“therefore.” The term conclude means “reckon,” “count,” or “consider” and
has the force of a settled opinion. Beyond debate, Paul was convinced that
any person is made right with God by faith without performing the works
of the law. Paul did not mean that keeping the law was unimportant but
that no person could keep the law well enough to be made right with God.
Only perfect obedience could do so, and no one could reach and sustain that
level of performance.

EXPLORE FURTHER

What role do you think the Mosaic law has in Christians’ lives today? In
what ways does it come into play in your life as a believer?

VERSES 29-30

Or is God for Jews only? Is He not also for Gentiles? Yes, for
Gentiles too, since there is one God who will justify the
circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith.
In quick succession, Paul asked two rhetorical questions. The first called for
a no answer. God is not for Jews only. Paul answered his second question:
God is also for Gentiles. He is the God of all people and is concerned for all
people’s salvation. He will give Jews (the circumcised) and Gentiles (the
uncircumcised) right standing with Him on the basis of their faith in
Christ. Both experience redemption in the same way—through faith in
Christ.

VERSE 31

Do we then cancel the law through faith? Absolutely not! On

the contrary, we uphold the law.
Again Paul asked a rhetorical question. Do we then cancel the law
through faith? The Greek word translated cancel means “render inactive,
powerless, or invalid.” A paraphrase of Paul’s question is, “Does faith make
the law ineffective?” Paul answered strongly, “Absolutely not” (“perish the
thought” or “by no means”)! Conversely, Paul’s insistence on salvation by
faith upheld the law. Faith fulfills all the requirements of the law. The law
played a significant role in God’s redemptive plan, but He did not intend it
to be a means whereby people earned righteousness. The law’s purpose was
to make people aware of their sins. The preaching of their need of salvation
by faith affirmed the law’s role.
In Romans 3:28-31 Paul declared God does not save people on the basis
of their works but through their faith. Paul’s emphasis is still valid today.
God saves us only through our faith in Christ.

EXPLORE FURTHER

Write your concept of what placing faith in Christ means. How has your
 understanding of saving faith grown and changed in your years as a
Christian?

2. IT’S A GIFT (Rom. 4:1-12)

VERSE 1

What then can we say that Abraham, our physical ancestor,

has found?
Paul pointed to Abraham, the Jews’ revered ancestor from whom they
descended physically, as an example of a person’s being made right with
God through faith. Jews connected Abraham primarily with God’s covenant
promises to him and with circumcision, the covenant’s outward sign. Paul,
however, focused on God’s giving Abraham right standing with Him.
Paul’s question essentially is, “What did Abraham discover?” Basically,
Paul was asking what lesson Abraham’s experience taught. What lasting
truth did God’s dealings with Abraham reveal? Paul later would assert that
Abraham learned righteousness is God’s gift through faith—an eternally
relevant truth.

VERSE 2

If Abraham was justified by works, he has something to brag

about—but not before God.
For the sake of argument, Paul assumed that Abraham achieved right
standing with God by works—by meritorious acts in his own strength. This
stance was the Jews’ prevailing view that Abraham’s works earned him
righteousness. Of course, Paul would go on to demonstrate that such was
not the case. Yet if Abraham had acquired righteousness on his own, he
could brag about it. He would have grounds or reason for boasting. The
phrase but not before God can mean Abraham could have bragged to other
people but not to God. The words can have the sense that Abraham
deserved respect from people, but his relationship with God had a different
basis. Abraham could not approach God and proudly claim to have met all
His requirements. To have done so would have been sheer arrogance.

VERSE 3

For what does the Scripture say? Abraham believed God, and
it was credited to him for righteousness.
The Scripture Paul quoted to refute the idea that Abraham achieved
righteousness by his works is Genesis 15:6. In Genesis 15:1-5, God spoke to
Abram (Abraham) and promised him great reward. Abram was puzzled. In
Genesis 12:2, God had promised to make Abram “into a great nation.” Yet
Abram remained childless. In Genesis 15:2, he questioned God concerning
his lack of offspring. God countered that Abram would father an heir, and
Abram’s descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the sky. Abram
believed (trusted) God’s promise, “and He credited it (Abram’s faith) to him
as righteousness” (Gen. 15:6). The Hebrew word translated “credited”
means “reckoned” or “counted.” God considered Abram’s belief (faith) as
meeting His requirements for a right relationship with Him.
In Romans 4:3, the Greek word rendered was credited was an accounting
term. Abraham’s faith—not his good works—was entered into his account
(reckoned) for righteousness. God gave Abraham righteousness (right
standing with Him) on the sole basis of his faith.

VERSES 4-5

Now to the one who works, pay is not considered as a gift,

but as something owed. But to the one who does not work,
but believes on Him who declares the ungodly to be
righteous, his faith is credited for righteousness.
Paul contrasted work and wages to faith and gift. Pay is not a gift but
something earned as a result of services rendered. The language of Genesis
15:6, however, reveals that righteousness is God’s gift in response to faith,
not His payment for works of the law. On the ground of faith, God gives
ungodly people (credits to their account) right standing with Him. Thus
salvation is a gift of grace, not the wages of performing works of the law.
To me, we cannot press the accounting imagery too far. Redemption is
not the result of our coming out on the plus side when God totals up our
tally sheets. In accounting imagery, only one entry is made: on the credit
side, faith in Christ and salvation; on the debit side, rejection of Christ and
separation from God—self-chosen judgment. When we place our faith in
Christ, we receive salvation as God’s gift. It is accompanied by the demand
that we live in a manner that reflects Christ’s character.
Abraham is the prime example that salvation is a gift from God and not
something people can earn or that God owes them. On the basis of
repentance and faith, people receive salvation as God’s gift.
Paul declared that David, Israel’s great poet-king, wrote about the
blessedness of the person to whom “God credits righteousness . . . apart
from works” (Rom. 4:6). One suggestion is that the apostle paired Abraham
and David because neither merited God’s mercy. Abraham did not earn
right relationship with God through works of obedience. David had
committed the sins of adultery and murder and did not deserve forgiveness.
Paul quoted Psalm 32:1-2 in which David celebrated God’s forgiveness.
Most likely, David wrote Palm 51 to express his impassioned plea that God
forgive him for the whole Bathsheba affair (see 2 Sam. 11:1–12:25). Then
he wrote Psalm 32 to express his joy, gratitude, and profound relief after
receiving forgiveness.
Paul used David’s words to emphasize that “apart from works” (Rom. 4:6)
God removes people’s breaches of the law, puts their sins out of sight, and
will not count or reckon their sins against them. Romans 4:8 employs a
strong double negative to stress the certainty of God’s forgiveness. “Blessed
is the man whose sin the Lord not at all will reckon against him” (my
paraphrase). David realized he could do nothing to gain forgiveness; all he
could do was throw himself on God’s mercy. People who acknowledge they
are sinners are forgiven or put right with God by grace through faith.
In Romans 4:9-12, Paul returned to Abraham’s example to emphasize that
being made right with God was available to Gentiles as well as Jews. The
apostle pointed out that Abraham’s faith was credited to him as right
standing with God before he was circumcised. Circumcision, which came
later, was the sign or “seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while
still uncircumcised” (4:11). Paul asserted that God’s purpose in making
Abraham righteous prior to his circumcision was to make righteousness-by-
faith available to “all who believe but are not circumcised” (Gentiles).
Abraham became the spiritual father of believing Gentiles. He also is the
father of Jews who follow in his footsteps of faith (Rom. 4:12). He is the
father of the members of the covenant community (“the circumcised”) who
relinquish dependence on the outward sign of the covenant for right
standing with God and take Abraham’s step of faith.

EXPLORE FURTHER

What do you consider the proper motive for giving a gift? What do you
think motivated God to make the gift of salvation available to us?

3. IT’S BY GRACE (Rom. 4:13-19)

In Romans 4:13-15, Paul stated that God’s promise to Abraham and his
descendants came on the basis of a faith-righteousness, not on the basis of
law. The phrase “that he (Abraham) would inherit the world” (Rom. 4:13)
probably encompasses multiple promises concerning a son for Abraham, his
innumerable descendants, the Messiah’s coming through him, and his being
a blessing to the world. One suggestion is that the phrase gathers up all the
promises God gave to the patriarchs in Genesis. If people with works-
righteousness are heirs of the promise to Abraham, Paul declared, faith is
made useless or of no effect and “the promise is canceled” (made
inoperative or powerless; 4:14). “The law produces wrath” (4:15), that is, the
law clearly identifies sin and makes people aware of their failures to keep
God’s standards. Their futile efforts produce a consciousness of God’s
judgment on them. Paul’s progression is: the law exists; people break the
law; they are under judgment. If no law existed, people could not violate it.

VERSES 16-17

This is why the promise is by faith, so that it may be

according to grace, to guarantee it to all the descendants—
not only to those who are of the law but also to those who
are of Abraham’s faith. He is the father of us all in God’s
sight. As it is written: I have made you the father of many
nations. He believed in God, who gives life to the dead and
calls things into existence that do not exist.
The phrase this is why can refer back to Paul’s statement “the law produces
wrath” (4:15) or forward to the phrase so that it may be according to
grace. Either way, the promise to Abraham was not through law but by
faith . . . according to grace. The word promise likely has the sense of
salvation. Faith is not an act that merits redemption; it is empty hands
reaching out to receive God’s gracious gift. It is abject need open to receive
help. Grace guarantees that redemption by faith is available to all of
Abraham’s descendants—both Jews (those who are of the law) who
“follow in (Abraham’s) . . . footsteps of . . . faith” (4:12) and Gentiles who
place their faith in Christ. If salvation were dependent on keeping the law,
all would be doomed because no one can keep the law perfectly (see 3:10).
Paul stressed that Abraham is the father of us all—all believers—in
God’s sight. God considers people of faith to be Abraham’s spiritual
descendants. The phrase in God’s sight may indicate Abraham’s faith that
established his fatherhood was exercised and maintained in God’s presence.
An alternate suggestion is that the phrase connects with the words to
guarantee it to all the descendants. This suggestion gives the sense that
the promise was guaranteed in the sight of God in whom Abraham had
faith.
Paul quoted Genesis 17:5, which literally reads, “I have made you father of
a multitude of nations,” to support his point that Abraham is the father of
the faithful. Abraham believed in God. The patriarch was convinced God
could give life to the dead—could enable Abraham and Sarah to have a son
in spite of their advanced ages (see Rom. 4:19). He believed God has the
power to speak into existence what does not exist (see Gen. 1:3-27). In
the context of Romans 4:16-19, this statement probably also refers to
Isaac’s birth.

VERSE 18

He believed, hoping against hope, so that he became the

father of many nations according to what had been spoken:
So will your descendants be.
The phrase hoping against hope points to Abraham’s trust in God in spite
of appearances to the contrary. He and Sarah were well past childbearing
age (see Rom. 4:19). Yet Abraham believed; he had confidence that God
could and would do what was humanly impossible; the Lord would keep His
promise. Reason whispered it could not happen; faith maintained it would
take place. Paul quoted parts of Genesis 17:5 and 15:5 to stress that because
Abraham steadfastly trusted in God’s faithfulness, he became the father of
many nations with descendants as numerous as the stars in the heavens
exactly as God had . . . spoken. In the beginning, God spoke the world into
being (see Gen. 1:1-27), and that same creative power would come into play
for Abraham and Sarah.

VERSE 19
He considered his own body to be already dead (since he was
about 100 years old) and also considered the deadness of
Sarah’s womb, without weakening in the faith.
Abraham realized that at about 100 years of age, by human reckoning he
was too old to father a child. His body was as good as dead as far as
begetting children was concerned. Furthermore, at Sarah’s advanced age she
was barren (see Gen. 18:11). In Genesis 17–18 we have the record of the
Lord’s appearances to Abram or Abraham when the patriarch was 99 years
old (see 17:1) and Sarah was 90 (see 17:17) and promising them a son “in
about a year’s time” (18:10). Both questioned whether they could produce a
son, yet Abraham did not allow the factor of old age to weaken his faith.
God’s promise to Abraham was based on His sheer grace, and so is our
salvation. Redemption is God’s gracious gift on the basis of our faith in
Christ.

EXPLORE FURTHER

Read and meditate on the hymns “Amazing Grace! How Sweet the
Sound”(No. 104, Baptist Hymnal, 2008; No. 330, The Baptist Hymnal,
1991). Write an expression of gratitude to God for His incomprehensible
grace to you.

4. IT’S ASSURED (Rom. 4:20-25)

VERSES 20-21

He did not waver in unbelief at God’s promise but was

strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, because he
was fully convinced that what He had promised He was also
able to perform.
Abraham’s trust in God’s promise was firm. The Greek word translated did
not waver literally can be rendered “was not divided in mind” (see Jas. 1:6).
Although at one point Abraham “fell facedown” and “laughed” at God’s
announcement that he and Sarah would have a son (Gen. 17:17), the
patriarch persisted in his faith. Humanly speaking, the promise may have
seemed ridiculous, but Abraham believed it anyway. The phrase was
strengthened in his faith indicates God empowered Abraham to go on
trusting Him. Another view favors the translation “was strengthened by his
faith,” in which case Abraham’s unwavering faith empowered him. As a
result of his being strengthened, Abraham gave glory to God—he praised
God in total reliance on His faithfulness and power.
Abraham was fully convinced (assured) that what God had promised
He was also able to perform. God’s creative power matched His promise
of a son for Abraham. Strongly implied in Abraham’s conviction was not
only his solid trust in God’s integrity but also his confidence in God’s ability
and goodness (see comments on Rom. 4:18).

VERSE 22

Therefore, it was credited to him for righteousness.

Paul returned to the emphasis he had made in Romans 4:9. It (Abraham’s
faith) was credited to him for righteousness. Abraham’s steady faith was
the basis of his right standing with God. Beneath the surface of this quote
from Genesis 15:6 is Paul’s consistent assertion: right relationship with God
is based on faith, not on works of the law.

VERSES 23-24

Now it was credited to him was not written for Abraham

alone, but also for us. It will be credited to us who believe in
Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.
Paul stated that right standing with God through faith was not confined to
Abraham. It also applied to all other people who would respond to God after
the pattern of Abraham’s faith. All who trust the God who raised Jesus . . .
from the dead will receive salvation—a right relationship with God. The
phrase believe in not only has the idea of trust but also of commitment.
Paul identified Jesus as our Lord, a title that conveys the primary sense of
Jesus as Master—One to whom is owed absolute obedience as His bond
slaves (see Rom. 1:1). God, whose sovereign power accomplished Jesus’
resurrection—the center of Christian faith—exercises that same power to
forgive sinners and make them right with Him. Only God’s resurrection
power can transform guilty sinners into His redeemed people who live in
and demonstrate His grace (see Eph. 1:19-20).

VERSE 25

He was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our

justification.
Paul expressed his conviction that Jesus’ atoning death and victorious
resurrection are linked inseparably. Jesus died on our behalf, and God
raised Him from the dead to demonstrate the redemptive power of Christ’s
voluntary self-giving. The Greek term rendered delivered up means
“handed over” into the power of others bent on crucifying Jesus (see Mark
15:1,15). The Gospels make clear that people did not hand Jesus over
against His will; He willingly went to the cross to fulfill His redemptive
mission.
One of my favorite hymns has been “The Old Rugged Cross.” Every time I
hear it performed instrumentally or sung, I am moved deeply. The author
George Bennard’s phrasing makes the cross personal for everyone who pays
attention to the words. Jesus willingly offered Himself for me—and for
you.
Never far below the surface of Paul’s thoughts was the gracious
forgiveness Jesus had extended to him. When he realized Jesus died for
him, the rabid persecutor of the Lord’s followers, he never ceased to be
amazed. In Galatians 2:19b-20, Paul declared that in Christ he had made a
complete break with his old life. He wrote: “The life I now live in the body, I
live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Gal.
2:20, italics mine). We also need to retain a sense of amazement concerning
Christ’s sacrificial death for us. The Lord willingly died on the cross to
provide forgiveness for our sins and to open the way of grace for salvation.
Paul emphasized that Jesus was raised from death for our justification.
Jesus’ resurrection is the guarantee that people who place their faith in Him
enter into a right relationship with God based on grace. Jesus’ atoning
death and triumphant resurrection constitute God’s gracious provision of
redemption.
Even as Abraham was certain God would keep His promise of providing
an heir, so can people today be assured He will save believers from their
sins. Christians can know they are redeemed. They are assured of having
salvation when they place their faith in God through Jesus Christ.

EXPLORE FURTHER

Who was instrumental in leading you to place your faith in Christ? Whom
do you know who needs to become a Christian? How can you be
instrumental in leading that individual to Christ?
 Session 4 > Romans 5:1-11,15,20-21

IT’S ALL ABOUT GRACE

Background Passage: Romans 5:1-21

INTRODUCTION
The greatest opportunity I have received in my journey as a Christian
minister was the invitation to become an editor at the Baptist Sunday
School Board (now LifeWay Christian Resources). As I stated to my
congregation on the morning I resigned as pastor, I was embarking on a
scope of ministry beyond anything I could have imagined. Only after I had
worked for a time at LifeWay did I begin to realize the other benefits I
enjoyed. People in management cared about employees under their
supervision. Coworkers were among the finest people anywhere—
dedicated, supportive, and helpful.
Opportunities repeatedly arose for advancement to positions in which I
was particularly interested. I received salary increases as they were
warranted, and I was part of the company’s retirement plan. I received
health and life insurance benefits. Holidays and vacation days allowed time
off for relaxation. As long as I used my own time, I could serve part-time on
my church’s staff or teach adjunct at a local Baptist university. After I had
been employed for a number of years, the company offered a 401(k)
opportunity in which my contributions were increased by contributions
from LifeWay. I enjoyed—and continue to enjoy—numerous benefits
LifeWay generously provides, and I remain grateful.
 When LifeWay employed me, I did not ask about benefits. I was elated to
have the opportunity the company was extending. Today, when adults talk
to a prospective employer, they want to nail down their benefits. They want
information about such matters as a pension and/or a 401(k), vacation days
(preferably weeks), personal days, and health and life insurance. They are
resistant if a current employer talks to them about reducing any of these
benefits. Such interest or resistance usually reflects the belief that workers
deserve such benefits. Employers often take the position that benefits are
given, not deserved.
In the spiritual realm, our salvation comes with certain benefits; but we
deserve none of them. We cannot earn them. In fact, as does salvation,
these benefits come only through God’s grace. Such an amazing truth
means they are worth celebrating—and continually so.

Romans 5:1-21
1. We Have Peace with God (Rom. 5:1)
2. We Have Christian Hope (Rom. 5:2-5)
3. We Have God’s Love (Rom. 5:6-11)
4. We Have Eternal Life (Rom. 5:12-21)

UNDERSTAND THE CONTEXT

Paul contended that people are made right with God through faith in Christ,
not by works of the law (Rom. 3:28). Righteousness (right standing with
God) is available to all people on the basis of faith because of God’s sheer
grace—His love in action (3:29-30). Faith does not make God’s law invalid;
rather, faith fulfills the law. The law’s purpose was to make people aware of
their sins; the message that they need salvation through faith confirms the
law’s role (3:31).
In Romans 4:1-5, Paul quoted Genesis 15:6 to stress that God gave Abram
or Abraham, the Jews’ revered patriarch, right standing with Him because
of his faith, not because of his works. Thus, Abraham did not earn
righteousness as payment for his works; he received it as God’s gracious gift.
In Romans 4:6-8, Paul referred to Psalm 32:1-2 to stress that David,
Israel’s greatest king, celebrated God’s gracious forgiveness. David did not
deserve forgiveness; God gave it as an act of mercy. Again, Paul’s point was
that God grants righteousness (right standing with Him) “apart from works”
(Rom. 4:6); forgiveness is a gift of God’s sheer grace.
Paul returned to Abraham’s example to show Abraham entered into a
right relationship with God before he was circumcised (4:9-12).
Circumcision was the outward sign of the right standing with God he
already had received. Thus, Abraham became “the father of all who believe”
(4:11), Gentiles (the uncircumcised) as well as Jews (the circumcised). Both
groups receive right standing with God in the same way—through faith in
Christ.
In Romans 4:13-19, Paul pointed out that God’s promise that Abraham
would have innumerable descendants was based on his faith-righteousness,
not his works of the law. The promise was based on grace, which ensured
that all people could become Abraham’s descendants through faith. In spite
of Abraham’s and Sarah’s advanced age, the patriarch believed or trusted
God. Reason dictated that their having a son was impossible; faith stressed
God’s creative power.
Abraham retained steady confidence in God’s ability and faithfulness. He
trusted God’s goodness and integrity, and he praised God in total
dependence on Him. Thus Abraham’s faith was entered into his account as
righteousness—right relationship with God. Paul emphasized that all who
believe or place their faith in the God who raised Jesus from the dead enter
right standing with God. Paul then emphasized the heart of the good news
as follows: Jesus voluntarily gave His life to provide forgiveness for our sins,
and God raised Him from death to guarantee that people of faith are related
to God by His sheer grace (4:20-25).
EXPLORE THE TEXT
1. WE HAVE PEACE WITH GOD (Rom. 5:1)
VERSE 1

Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by faith, we

have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
The word therefore may link what follows with Paul’s majestic statement
in Romans 4:25 or with all he had written in Romans 1–4. The apostle had
stressed that all people are sinners and cannot provide their own salvation.
God has opened a way of grace through Christ for us to be forgiven and to
enter into a right relationship with God. By faith, sinners can receive right
standing with God. Christ voluntarily died on our behalf and was raised as
proof of His power to make us right with God.
Paul stated that having been made right with God by faith, believers have
peace with God. The tense of the Greek word translated have means
“continually have now.” Believers experience ongoing peace with God in
personal relationship with Him.
The Greek term rendered peace means much more than absence of
conflict. It does convey the sense that believers no longer are hostile rebels
against God but have laid down their arms; they have ceased their stubborn
conflict or warfare. The self-instigated and self-sustained strife is over. They
no longer are objects of God’s wrath. The word rendered peace, however, has
a far broader and richer meaning. It means “soundness,” “well-being,” or
“spiritual wholeness.” Old Testament prophets used the corresponding
Hebrew term to describe messianic salvation (see Isa. 52:7). Thus believers
enjoy a saving relationship with God that His grace makes possible. This
condition of spiritual well-being comes through the atoning death of the
Lord (Deity) Jesus (Savior) Christ (Messiah).
God saves us only through our faith. Placing faith in Christ involves our
trusting Him for salvation and committing ourselves to Him. Faith is our
openness to receive His gracious gift.
Paul declared that as a result of their salvation, Christians were at peace
with God. All people who have placed their faith in Christ experience that
peace. We celebrate having peace with God when we seek to understand
better what this peace means and seek to help others understand it. We also
celebrate our peace with God when we encourage others to receive God’s
grace and have peace with Him.

EXPLORE FURTHER

Read the article entitled “Peace” in the Holman Illustrated Bible

Dictionary, pages 1261-1262. What does being at peace with God mean
to you? How does it impact how you live?

2. WE HAVE CHRISTIAN HOPE (Rom 5:2-5)

VERSE 2

We have also obtained access through Him by faith into this

grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in the hope of the
glory of God.
In addition to our wholeness or well-being in relation to God (our
salvation), by faith in Christ, believers have . . . obtained access . . . into
the grace in which they stand. Paul’s terms are gripping and powerful. The
Greek word translated have . . . obtained conveys the literal idea of holding
something in one’s hand. The term also means to have as one’s own
possession. The tense of the Greek verb conveys the idea that when they
placed their faith in Christ, believers received God’s grace and were still
experiencing the results of that grace as their own possession. The Greek
term rendered access means “introduction” or “approach” and was used of
bringing someone into the presence of a person of high standing, such as a
king. The phrase this grace refers to right relationship with God or
justification. The graphic picture is that of Christ’s escorting believers into
their new relationship of God’s acceptance. The Greek term translated stand
means “firmly established.” Believers are saved by grace and remain solidly
grounded in grace.
In response to God’s gracious gift of redemption, believers’ proper
response is to rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. The Greek word
translated rejoice means “exult,” “express jubilation,” or “glory.” Such
rejoicing can be outwardly expressed as well as inwardly felt. Christian hope
is not wistful longing for what might be; believers’ hope is confident
assurance—firm expectation based on God’s ability, not on human
resources. One definition of the glory of God is His character revealed as
redemptive. All people have sinned and have fallen short of God’s glory—
His character He designed us to reflect (see Rom. 3:23). Because of His
amazing, saving grace, He enables us to move toward that goal.

VERSE 3

And not only that, but we also rejoice in our afflictions,

because we know that affliction produces endurance,
Not only do believers continue to “stand” in God’s grace (5:2) and keep on
celebrating their confidence in His ability to cause them to grow spiritually,
but they also rejoice in their afflictions. The Greek word translated
afflictions carried the sense of intense pressures, of experiences of being
“between a rock and a hard place,” as I often have heard difficulties
described. The reason for believers’ exulting under the pressures of a pagan
and hostile world was their understanding of the ultimate outcome. Rightly
handled, affliction can produce endurance—the strength to bear up under
a load, to display fortitude and active perseverance.

VERSE 4
endurance produces proven character, and proven character
produces hope.
Steadfast perseverance produces proven character. The Greek term
rendered proven character has the sense of being tested and approved. The
term was applied to metals that had been passed through fire to remove
impurities. Standing tests or successfully enduring trials a pagan
environment posed would produce hope—confident assurance based on
God’s faithfulness and ability.

VERSE 5

This hope will not disappoint us, because God’s love has been
poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was
given to us.
Christian hope does not disappoint us—more literally, “it does not put us
to shame.” Christians’ solid confidence is no illusion. The reason believers’
hope never lets them down is that God’s love has been poured out
(“lavished to overflowing”) in their hearts. At the center of their beings is
God’s active, more-than-adequate goodness and kindness (His love). The
tense of the verb translated has been poured out indicates God gave the
gracious gift at conversion and it continues in the present. It remains
permanently with us. At conversion, God gave His enduring love through
the Holy Spirit—His Spirit, His abiding presence. This explanation is at
least part of what Paul meant by the phrase “this grace in which we stand”
(5:2).
Great beyond all comprehending is God’s grace to us, the foundation and
guarantee of our hope. We who have received God’s grace enjoy certain
hope—solid confidence—about our future. This hope gives us a new
perspective on suffering. Our future is in His more-than-capable hands.
 EXPLORE FURTHER

Read the article entitled “Hope” in the Holman Illustrated Bible

Dictionary, pages 780-781. How does the biblical concept of hope differ
from the way the word normally is used today? On what is your hope
based?

3. WE HAVE GOD’S LOVE (Rom. 5:6-11)

VERSE 6

For while we were still helpless, at the appointed moment,

Christ died for the ungodly.
The Scriptures contain many verses and passages that grip, move, and
inspire me. Romans 5:6-11 is at or near the top of my personal list. Romans
5:6 begins what is arguably the Scriptures’ most towering, incredible
presentation of God’s love in action on our behalf. Paul declared that while
people were still helpless to do anything about their desperate plight, God
acted to remove the barrier sin had built between them and Him. The Greek
word translated helpless carries the idea of “weakness,” “feebleness,” or “lack
of strength.” It was used of people who were ill.
A number of years ago, several Sunday School Board (now LifeWay)
employees in a carpool were on their way to work when another car veered
into their lane of traffic, resulting in a head-on collision. Several of the men
were injured, one so severely that his life was in danger. From several cars
back in the stalled traffic, a registered nurse on her way to work rushed to
the critically injured man and took emergency measures that saved his life.
He and others around him were helpless in the face of extreme crisis, but
compassionate skill went into action at the right moment.
God acted to help people who could not rescue themselves from a plight
much more serious than physical danger. The Greek term rendered the
appointed moment has the sense of the opportune or appropriate time or
season—God’s chosen, precisely right moment. Paul summed up Christ’s
agonizing execution in the short phrase Christ died. He voluntarily
endured crucifixion; God’s Servant suffered on others’ behalf (see Isa. 53:5).
Amazingly, Christ gave Himself for the ungodly. The Greek term rendered
for means “on behalf of” or “for the sake of.” The term ungodly refers to
those who lacked reverential awe of God. It designates people in rebellion
against God’s authority. In Christ, God brought help to helpless people and
grace to godless people. Only a love beyond our understanding would do so.

VERSE 7

For rarely will someone die for a just person—though for a

good person perhaps someone might even dare to die.
A fairly common view draws a distinction between the just person and the
good person in Paul’s statement. In this interpretation, Paul pointed out
that from a human standpoint, rarely will someone die for a just person
—one who does what the law demands or what he or she should do. This
person commands respect but may well lack sympathy. For a good person,
however, someone might even dare to die. The good person sympathizes
with others and is generous and kind.
An alternate suggestion is that the words just and good describe the same
person. The thought then would be that rarely will anyone die for a
righteous person, but maybe someone would die for such a good person. In
this view, Paul was laying the groundwork for his remarkable statement in
Romans 5:8. In either approach, Paul’s point was that dying for another
person is not easy to do.

VERSE 8

But God proves His own love for us in that while we were still
sinners, Christ died for us!
In sharpest contrast (but), God demonstrated His own love for . . .
sinners—people who have missed His mark for life and failed to reflect His
character (see Rom. 3:23). The people for whom Christ died were neither
righteous nor good. He gave Himself for the undeserving. In the Greek text,
the word translated proves comes first in the sentence for emphasis. The
verb means “to exhibit” or “to place in a striking point of view.” At Calvary,
Christ’s atoning self-giving on behalf of sinners showcased God’s
redemptive love (His goodness in action for others’ benefit) for all to see.
God could give no greater evidence of His seeking love and His opened-
armed willingness to receive repentant sinners.
On the back wall of the baptistery in my church is a display of three
wooden crosses, one more prominent than the other two. Every time our
congregation gathers for worship, the display reminds us that long ago in a
small corner of the Roman Empire, God exhibited His love in unmistakable
terms. He gave the best for even the worst of people. Until He rings down
the curtain on history, no one can legitimately question whether or how
deeply He loves all people.

VERSE 9

Much more then, since we have now been declared righteous

by His blood, we will be saved through Him from wrath.
Because Christ’s atoning death made possible the removal of the sin barrier
that separated people from God, believers’ future with God is assured.
People who have placed their faith in Christ enter into a right relationship
with God made possible by Christ’s blood—His life given on their behalf.
This relationship based on God’s grace through Christ assures them they
will be saved . . . from wrath. The future tense of the verb will be saved
indicates in this context Paul was referring to the wrath of eternal judgment
that all those who reject God’s gift of salvation will experience. In his
writings, Paul presented salvation in three tenses. Believers were saved at
the moment they placed their faith in Christ; they are being saved in the
sense of growing spiritually toward Christ’s likeness; they will be saved in the
sense of experiencing their salvation’s fulfillment in God’s immediate
presence for eternity.

VERSE 10

For if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God

through the death of His Son, then how much more, having
been reconciled, will we be saved by His life!
While sinners were God’s enemies, they were reconciled to God through
the death of His Son. The word enemies conveys the idea of self-chosen
hostility toward God; people chose to be His enemies by setting themselves
in opposition to Him. A different view is that the word enemies conveys, in
part, the idea of God’s antagonism or hostility toward sinners. As I read the
New Testament, God looks on rebels against Him with love and
compassion, seeking to include them in His family. Thus I reject the
interpretation of mutual hostility between people and God.
In my first pastorate, I visited regularly with an elderly church member
who no longer could attend services. During one conversation, we were
talking about relationships and getting along with people. In essence, he
said: “I have had only one enemy I know of—and he made himself that.” I
am convinced God has enemies, but they have made themselves so.
Reconciliation was one of various analogies Paul used for salvation. The
Greek term rendered reconciled literally has the sense of change or an
exchange, such as exchanging coins for ones of equal value. Paul employed
the term to stress God’s initiative in Christ to change people’s hostility to
fellowship with God—to exchange separation for relationship. The word
has the idea of bringing parties together, and Paul emphasized that God
acted to do what people could not do and were not disposed to do.
Christ’s voluntary self-giving on the cross provided atonement (at-one-
ment)—the possibility of reconciliation. Through Christ, God took the
initiative to offer forgiveness and relationship to rebels against Him (2 Cor.
5:19). He was the offended party, yet He reached out to the offenders.
Sinners needed to be persuaded to lay down their arms and accept God’s
offer of peace (2 Cor. 5:20). Only when a person chooses to accept God’s
gracious offer does that individual enter into a personal relationship with
Him.

EXPLORE FURTHER

Read the article entitled “Reconciliation” on pages 1368-1369 in the

Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary. How would you define reconciliation
in the biblical sense?

Once sinners are reconciled to God, they experience an even greater benefit
—they will . . . be saved by Christ’s life! Suggestions concerning Paul’s
meaning include: (1) Believers will be saved by (in) His life because they
share His life; (2) Christ’s resurrection and continued life guarantee the
fulfillment or consummation of believers’ salvation; (3) because Christ
“always lives to intercede” for believers (Heb. 7:25), they can have complete
confidence they will enter God’s immediate presence for eternity. In a real
sense, all three suggestions may flesh out Paul’s meaning.

VERSE 11

And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our
Lord Jesus Christ. We have now received this reconciliation
through Him.
In right relationship with God, believers rejoice in Him. Christians’ joy is
much more than the emotion of elation; it can be that, but at base it is
settled confidence that God holds their lives securely in His grace. Thus
whether believers express it outwardly or experience it as an inner calm,
Christian joy comes through our Lord Jesus Christ—through what He
has done for us and through His abiding presence in us.
In Romans 5:6-11 Paul dealt with the depth of God’s love, showing that
Christians have encountered it in salvation and will continue to enjoy and
benefit from it in their relationship with God. We who have received God’s
grace enjoy a never-ending, in-depth experience of God’s love. His abiding
love is cause for continuing joy.

EXPLORE FURTHER

How has God expressed His love for you in the past? How does He
continue to express His love? How are you sharing that incredible love
with others?

4. WE HAVE ETERNAL LIFE (Rom. 5:12-21)

In Romans 5:1-11, the apostle pointed out benefits believers receive from
their salvation. Then in verses 12-19 he drew a sharp contrast between
Adam (“one man”), who typified all people’s disobedience to God, and
Christ, who made right relationship with God available to all humanity.
Adam rejected God’s command and allowed sin to enter the stream of
human history, with its consequence of spiritual and physical death (see
Gen. 3). All people sinned (see Rom. 1:18–3:20) by making Adam’s choice to
go their own way without God, so “death spread to all men” (5:12). All
people are sinners “because all sinned.” (5:12). However, we as Adam’s
posterity inherit a nature and an environment inclined toward sin. As soon
as we are capable of moral action, we become transgressors and are under
condemnation.
Paul pointed out that sin was present prior to God’s giving Moses the law
(5:13). People’s sin prior to the giving of the law was not identical to that of
Adam, who disobeyed God’s clear and direct command (5:14). Without the
law, sin was not “charged to (their) account” (5:13; see 3:25). Nevertheless,
they died because death had entered human experience through Adam’s
choice even as sin had. Adam was a “prototype (pattern) of the Coming One
(Christ)” (5:14) by contrast, not by likeness.

VERSE 15

But the gift is not like the trespass. For if by the one man’s
trespass the many died, how much more have the grace of
God and the gift overflowed to the many by the grace of the
one man, Jesus Christ.
Paul contrasted the gift of right relationship with God (salvation) to
Adam’s trespass. The many (all) who like Adam deviated from the right
path experienced death. The phrase how much more may refer to the
greater results of God’s redemptive action in contrast to the evil effects of
sin. The phrase also may refer to God’s character ensuring the certainty of
salvation by His grace. To the many (all) who place faith in Christ, the grace
of God (His love in action) and the gift (redemption) have overflowed
(abounded). God’s grace and gift came by the grace of the one man, Jesus
Christ. Through His life, ministry, sacrificial death, and victorious
resurrection, He made salvation available. One man—Adam—was
disobedient to God and sin entered human history. Conversely, one man—
Christ—obeyed His Father and made salvation available for all who will
accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
In Romans 5:16-19, Paul made two additional contrasts and two
comparisons between Adam and Christ. The apostle first contrasted
“condemnation” to “justification” (5:16). Sin issued in “judgment, resulting
in condemnation.” (5:16). God’s gift of salvation in Christ resulted in
“justification”—forgiveness and right relationship with God for all who
believe. Then Paul contrasted “death” that entered human experience
through Adam’s sin to “life” in Christ (5:17). People who receive God’s gift
of righteousness by faith will “reign in life.” The phrase may refer to living
victoriously in this life or sharing in Christ’s eternal reign in the believer’s
future. Paul may have had both emphases in mind.
In Romans 5:18, Paul compared “one trespass” and the resulting
“condemnation” with “one righteous act” that provided “justification.” All
who follow Adam’s pattern face a guilty sentence because of their sins. All
who receive by faith Christ’s death on their behalf experience God’s
forgiveness and new standing with Him. Paul then compared “one man’s
disobedience” that led to all people’s being “made sinners” with “one man’s
obedience” that made possible sinners’ being “made righteous” (5:19). The
Greek word translated “were made” means “were regarded as belonging to a
class or category”—that is, Adam’s disobedience was the ground or base of
all people’s becoming sinners by disobeying as he did.
Interpreters differ widely in their expositions of Romans 5:12-19. My
view is that Paul meant people become transgressors or sinners by
deliberate choice. Thus they choose as Adam did to disobey God. On the
other hand, people enter a right relationship with God through placing their
faith in Christ. Through deliberate choice and by God’s grace, they receive
salvation.

VERSE 20

The law came along to multiply the trespass. But where sin
multiplied, grace multiplied even more
Paul addressed the law’s role in relation to Adam and Christ. The law came
along to multiply the trespass. The Mosaic law clearly stated the right
path people were to follow; thus, they were made conscious of their
deviations from that path. Furthermore, trespasses increased as people,
inheriting a nature and an environment inclined toward sin, followed
Adam’s example of disobedience and broke the multiple Commandments.
The good news, however, is that although sin increased, grace
superabounded. It exceeded by far people’s sins.
VERSE 21

so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace will reign

through righteousness, resulting in eternal life through
Jesus Christ our Lord.
Because God’s grace superabounded in Christ, all people can triumph over
sin and death. Through Jesus Christ the tyranny of sin and death has been
broken. In His voluntary, atoning death on our behalf, He made possible
our redemption from sin. God’s active love sets people of faith right with
Him. The result for believers is eternal life that begins at conversion. It is a
new quality of life patterned after Christ’s character; it is endless life in
relationship with Him.
Paul repeated his teaching that salvation comes as a gift through God’s
grace. Then he concluded God’s grace is always more abundant than sin.
The result is eternal life for believers. We who have received God’s grace
have eternal life.
One of the major factors in the area of employment in our time is health-
care benefits. Often, prospective employees want assurance of health-care
coverage for them and their families. The company for which I worked until
retirement provided health-care benefits. Recently, we discovered that the
small business for which my son has worked for a number of years does not
provide help with health insurance coverage. Concern for those family
members who lack coverage keeps me from taking this crucial benefit for
granted.

EXPLORE FURTHER

This lesson’s Scripture passages remind us of the benefits we have

through our salvation by God’s grace. Other Scriptures suggest
additional benefits. We face the real danger of taking these for granted.
We need to celebrate them and to discover ways we can help others
enjoy these benefits. List the benefits you enjoy as a result of God’s
grace. Then list one way you will celebrate each benefit.
 Session 5 > Romans 6:1-16,22-23

IT’S ALL ABOUT NEW LIFE

Background Passage: Romans 6:1-23

INTRODUCTION
Within easy driving distance from my city is a drug-addiction treatment
center that has the words new life in its title. In addition to medical
personnel, recovering addicts make up the staff. Given a new lease on life
themselves, they seek to help people who are still held in the deadly grip of
drug abuse. Sadly, some individuals leave their periods of treatment only to
resume drug use. They merely take up their old life again. Others, however,
exit a recovery program clean and start a new life. They mend family
relationships, break old relationships that would pull them back into
addiction, and resume their education or seek employment. Some become
active in churches to receive caring Christians’ support and encouragement.
Former users’ new lifestyles give evidence that in a real sense, they have
embarked on a new way of life.
One tragedy of Christianity today is that too many believers’ behavior
differs little from their pre-Christian lifestyles. Well-meaning preachers and
witnesses give the impression that becoming a Christian is easy and that
not much is required in following Christ. A theologian of another
generation referred to this sad distortion of the gospel as cheap grace. The
result of hawking cheap grace is that too many people in and loosely
attached to churches have little or no sense of the demands of Christian
discipleship. They largely continue their old lifestyles and exhibit little
understanding of what new life in Christ means. Numerous church
membership roles are cluttered with people who seldom if ever lend any
support to “their” church, and many cannot even be located. Evidently,
whatever decision they made concerning Christ, it apparently did not
include costly discipleship that demonstrates a new, life-changing
allegiance. Their professions made little if any difference in their lives.
Comfortable Christianity also produces self-styled followers of Christ who
allow their culture to shape their behavior. Instead of confronting their
permissive culture with Christ’s high standards for living that mark new life
in Him, they “go with the flow” and adopt popular practices that do not
reflect biblical teachings. To distinguish some Christians from people who
have no relationship with Christ often is difficult if not impossible.
Christians today rarely verbalize it, but they may wrestle with the
importance of exhibiting their new life in Christ. After all, they are saved,
their salvation is secure, and God will forgive any sin they might commit. So
consciously or unconsciously, they think, Why not just live it up now, enjoying
anything I can in this life? Then I still can enjoy all the blessings of heaven when I
get there. Yet these believers cannot escape this truth: people who genuinely
have received new life in Christ are to demonstrate it and for a variety of
reasons should gladly try to do so.
This lesson emphasizes the Christian’s new life and answers the question,
“If it’s all about God’s grace, why should we not sin more so we can receive
more of His grace?” To state it another way, “Why should we live any
differently now from the way we did before we were saved?” The lesson is
designed to help us demonstrate we have new life in Christ.

Romans 6:1-23
1. Living a New Identity (Rom. 6:1-4)
2. Living with Christ (Rom. 6:5-11)
3. Living as God Wants (Rom. 6:12-14)
4. Living for a New Lord (Rom. 6:15-23)
UNDERSTAND THE CONTEXT
In Romans 5:1-21, Paul emphasized God’s grace through which believers
receive salvation. He pointed out benefits Christians enjoy as a result of
their redemptive relationship with God. In verse 1, he stated believers have
peace with God through faith. Not only have they ended their hostility
toward Him, but they also experience well-being under His lordship.
Christians also have hope as a continuing benefit of their salvation (Rom.
5:2-5). This hope is light-years removed from wishful thinking; believers’
hope is confident assurance that they progressively will reflect God’s
character because of God’s ability and faithfulness. Through Christ, they
have access to God and are grounded firmly in His grace. In addition, living
in God’s grace enables believers to experience joy even under a pagan
society’s pressures. This joy differs from the emotion of happiness; it is the
solid assurance of being held in God’s grace no matter what happens.
Enduring pressure in God’s strength issues in perseverance, which in turn
“produces proven character” (Rom. 5:4). Character that has stood the test
issues in hope, which will not let believers down. This confident assurance
comes from God’s love in them that the Spirit has supplied abundantly.
In Romans 5:6-11, Paul gave what is arguably the New Testament’s most
beautiful and comprehensive presentation of the gospel. In God’s perfect
timing, Christ died on behalf of people who were godless and utterly
helpless to deliver themselves from sin’s bondage. Paul pointed out that on
rare occasions someone perhaps might die for a just and/or good person,
but in Christ’s death God exhibited His great love for people while they were
still sinners. Through Christ’s life poured out on the cross for helpless,
godless people, they can be made right with God by faith; thus, they will not
face the judgment unbelievers will experience. People’s rebellion had made
them God‘s enemies by choice, but Christ’s death made possible their being
reconciled to God through faith. Because Christ was raised from death and
lives, believers can be certain of their salvation’s ultimate fulfillment. In
addition, they experience continuing joy in their relationship with God
through Christ.
In verses 12-21 of Romans 5 Paul presented contrasts and comparisons
between Adam’s sin and God’s overflowing grace in Christ. In 5:12-14, the
apostle asserted that through Adam’s disobedience, sin and death entered
the stream of human history. All people followed his example and sinned;
thus, they experienced death.
Because Adam turned from the right path and all people followed his lead,
all people died. Through Christ, however, God’s grace and gift of salvation
have overflowed to everyone (5:15). Adam’s sin opened the door for
judgment and condemnation on all people, for they all sinned. God,
however, offered grace and the gift of right relationship with Him through
Christ (5:16-17).
One deviation from the right path brought condemnation on all people
because they chose to follow Adam’s pattern. In contrast, “one righteous
act”—Christ’s atoning self-giving—opened the way to a right relationship
with God (5:18). Adam disobeyed God and brought sin into human
experience, but Christ perfectly obeyed His Father and provided redemption
for all who would place faith in Christ (5:19). The law came along to reveal
God’s right path for people and in doing so, to make people aware of their
sins (5:20). They broke the Commandments, and thus sin multiplied (5:19).
Yet “grace multiplied even more,” offering sinners a new standing with God
and eternal life (5:20-21).

EXPLORE THE TEXT

1. LIVING A NEW IDENTITY (Rom. 6:1-4)
VERSE 1
What should we say then? Should we continue in sin so that
grace may multiply?
Throughout Paul’s courageous, tireless ministry of spreading God’s good
news of salvation by grace through faith in Christ, he fought continuing
pitched battles on two fronts. False teachers, called Judaizers [JOO day ighz
(eyes) uhrz], went into areas where Paul had worked and insisted to Gentile
converts that to be first-class Christians they had to become Jewish
proselytes. These teachers contended that males had to be circumcised and
all converts had to keep the Jews’ ritualistic requirements. Paul countered
that salvation comes by faith alone, with nothing added. In presenting to
the believers in Rome what he preached, Paul made clear that sinners were
not made right with God through works of the law but through faith in
Christ. He rejected works-righteousness and emphasized grace-
righteousness.
In Romans 6:1, Paul turned his attention to the second front on which he
fought for the truth of the gospel. Jewish opponents accused Paul of
preaching a permissive gospel. They asserted that if only faith was required
for salvation, entering a right relationship with God was too easy and
maintaining that relationship demanded little or nothing on people’s part.
In addition, some Gentile converts falsely reasoned that because salvation is
secure and God would forgive them when they sinned, they could do as they
pleased. Paul was adamant in his response to such thinking—thinking that
revealed a lethal misunderstanding of grace.
Paul did not want the Christians in Rome to misinterpret his emphasis in
chapter 5 on salvation’s benefits. Freedom to sin at will certainly was not
one of those benefits. In Romans 6:1, the apostle anticipated an objection
to his doctrine of salvation by grace through faith. A paraphrase of his
question, What should we say then? is “What conclusion can we draw
(from the presentation in chap. 5)?” The second question expresses an
anticipated objection: Should we continue in sin so that grace may
multiply? After all, in Romans 5:20 Paul had asserted that “where sin
multiplied, grace multiplied even more.” So, why not continue in sin and
give His grace ample opportunity to abound? Jewish objectors could have
raised the question because they felt Paul’s teaching of salvation by grace
alone would foster immoral living. On the other hand, converts who
opposed the restrictions of the law could have posed the question as an
excuse to live as they pleased.
The phrase continue in sin can have the sense of living in the sphere in
which sin rules or of habitually practicing sin. In any case, the result would
be sin as a lifestyle.

VERSE 2

Absolutely not! How can we who died to sin still live in it?
Paul answered the anticipated objection with his usual expression of horror
and outrage: Absolutely not (God forbid, perish the thought)! To me, a
saying from my growing-up years is a good paraphrase: “Not by a long shot
(never)!” Then Paul asked a question to show how absurd such thinking
was: How can we who died to sin still live in it? The tense of the Greek
verb rendered died points to a definite, decisive act in the past. When
believers placed their faith in Christ, they died to sin; they made a complete
break with it, both as the sphere in which they lived and as a lifestyle. If
their profession was genuine, they could not go on sinning habitually. Sin
continued its attempt to dominate believers’ lives, but Christ’s presence
enabled them to reject its rule.

VERSE 3

Or are you unaware that all of us who were baptized into

Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?
In the form of a question, Paul stressed the redemptive newness of
believers’ lives. Following their confession of faith in Christ, they were
baptized (immersed) in water as a public expression of their commitment
to Him. Believers’ baptism was a symbolic representation of their death to
sin. Being baptized was no easy step for Gentile converts, for it openly
declared their separation from their pagan communities with their immoral
lifestyles and the new Christians’ identification with small minority groups
of believers. They turned their backs on their old way of living to follow
Christ.
The phrase all of us who were baptized contrasted believers to non-
Christians. Most likely, the words baptized into Christ Jesus refer to
incorporation into the body of Christ—the new humanity He came to
create. Baptism did not produce salvation; their previous step of faith had
appropriated God’s grace. Baptism openly pictured their new relationship
with Christ and with other believers.
Paul further emphasized that believers who openly took their stand with
Christ and His followers were baptized into Christ’s death. In a real sense,
Christ’s death was substitutionary. He died in sinners’ place, taking on
Himself what they deserved. His death also was vicarious. He died on
sinners’ behalf or for their sakes. Unfortunately, these truths can lead to the
false assumption that because Christ has done everything for them,
professed Christians are free to live their lives on their own terms, free from
any demand from Christ. As Paul would have written, “Absolutely not!” For
people who appropriate Christ’s atoning self-giving, His death also is a
shared death. Their deaths are similar but not exactly the same as His death.
Christ died for sins—to provide forgiveness. Genuine believers die to sin as
the ruling principle of their lives.

VERSE 4

Therefore we were buried with Him by baptism into death, in

order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the
glory of the Father, so we too may walk in a new way of life.
Even as believers’ immersion in water expressed their death to sin’s rule,
their rising from the water portrayed their resurrection to new life. Jesus
died for sin and was buried. By the glory of the Father, He was raised
from the dead. The phrase by the glory of the Father may refer to God’s
sovereign power as the agency of Christ’s resurrection. It also may mean
that the resurrection demonstrated God’s glory—His redemptive character,
His supreme excellence, which includes His power.
Paul declared that believers who shared Christ’s death also were raised to
walk in a new way of life. The term walk has the meaning of “live” and
conveys the idea of manner of life. The phrase in a new way of life literally is
“in newness of life.” It has the sense of a new sphere that is life. The Greek
word translated new means “new in kind and superior to what it succeeds,”
“unprecedented,” or “uncommon.” The newness of life Christ gives is new in
quality as well as eternal (see Rom. 5:21).
Christians are to live in a new way rather than to continue in sin.
Positionally, we as believers made a break with sin, but practically we still
battle it. This issue will be addressed more completely in the next lesson.
Because of our new identity, we are to demonstrate our new life in Christ.
In my rather lengthy journey as a Christian minister, titles largely have
expressed my identity: associate pastor, pastor, teacher, editor, and now
writer. In these various roles, I have been acutely aware of the imperative
that my work, my character, and my behavior reflect my relationship with
Christ. Regardless of how others identify me, I want to give evidence that I
find my true identity not in titles but in a Christian lifestyle. How about
you?

EXPLORE FURTHER

Read the article entitled “Baptism” in the Holman Illustrated Bible

Dictionary, pages 166-168. What meaning does your baptism still have
for you?

2. LIVING WITH CHRIST (Rom. 6:5-11)

VERSE 5

For if we have been joined with Him in the likeness of His

death, we will certainly also be in the likeness of His
resurrection.
Sharing Christ’s death assured believers they also would share His
resurrection. The word if does not express uncertainty but assumes what
follows to be true. The Greek term also can be rendered “because” or “since.”
The word joined conveys the idea of vital connection. Believers were
connected closely with Christ in His death and in His resurrection. The
phrase in the likeness of His death points to Christians’ death to sin; the
words in the likeness of His resurrection refer to their being raised from
spiritual death to live in newness of life (see 6:4). One view is that the
phrase we will certainly also be points to our future resurrection. A
contrasting view is that the words express the certainty of moral
resurrection, that is, believers’ moral life will reflect Christ’s manner of
living. Believers who have died to sin will not continue to sin at will.

VERSE 6

For we know that our old self was crucified with Him in order
that sin’s dominion over the body may be abolished, so that
we may no longer be enslaved to sin,
The phrase we know introduces further truth in Paul’s presentation—truth
the believers should have known and confirmed. The words also may refer
to knowledge Christians gained from the experience of dying and rising
with Christ. Believers’ conversion experiences taught them their old self
was crucified with Christ. The phrase old self refers to life before
conversion, the self dominated by sin. At the moment believers placed their
faith in Christ, they died to or made a complete break with their former way
of life. Their commitment to Christ abolished or “made ineffective,
powerless, or inoperative” sin’s dominion over the body. Here, the term
body refers to the self or the whole person. The result of believers’ dying to
sin was that they no longer were enslaved to sin. The Greek word
translated enslaved means “reduced to bondage,” totally under an owner’s
control.

VERSE 7

since a person who has died is freed from sin’s claims.

Paul’s line of thought seems to be that as physical death ended bondage and
canceled debts, so believers’ death to sin freed (literally, “justified”) them
from sin’s claims. They received forgiveness and solid footing in God’s
grace.

VERSE 8

Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live

with Him,
As in Romans 6:5, the term if has the sense of “because” or “since.” Believers
assuredly had died with Christ at the moment of conversion. Thus, they
had the solid confidence they would live with Him. Most likely, the phrase
will also live points primarily but not exclusively to taking part in Christ’s
resurrection life in the present, not to life in heaven with Christ following
physical death. Believers would experience final resurrection. Yet in the
present, their resurrection life reflected Christ’s quality of living.

VERSE 9

because we know that Christ, having been raised from the

dead, will not die again. Death no longer rules over Him.
The gospel’s foundation block is Christ’s triumphant resurrection from the
dead. Paul reminded the believers in Rome of this key doctrine. Unlike
individuals Christ raised from death and who later died, Christ will not die
again. Death has no power over Him for He conquered death.
VERSE 10

For in light of the fact that He died, He died to sin once for
all; but in light of the fact that He lives, He lives to God.
Once and only once, Christ died to sin, that is, He died in relation to sin.
He who committed no sin bore people’s sins on the cross. His death
released Him from the burdens of those sins. At the same time, He
destroyed sin’s power. After His resurrection, Christ lives to God; His life
has the quality of eternity. In eternity with the Father, sin is not a factor.
Robert H. Mounce insightfully and beautifully wrote: “The cross was sin’s
final move; the resurrection was God’s checkmate. The game is over. Sin is
forever in defeat. Christ the victor died to sin ‘once for all.’” 1 He lives to
give life to people of faith.

VERSE 11

So, you too consider yourselves dead to sin but alive to God
in Christ Jesus.
Paul drew the crucial application from Christ’s dying to sin and living to
God. Believers who shared Christ’s death were to consider, that is “reckon”
or “regard,” themselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. The
word consider has the force of believers’ recognizing and appreciating their
freedom from sin’s dominance. The phrase in Christ Jesus refers to a close
personal relationship with Christ.
As believers we are to recognize that through Christ we no longer are
under sin’s control, are now alive in Him, and one day will be resurrected to
live with Him forever. We are to exhibit our new, resurrection life in Christ
because of what we experience through salvation and what we will
experience with Him.

3. LIVING AS GOD WANTS (Rom. 6:12-14)

VERSE 12

Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, so that

you obey its desires:
The word therefore connects what follows with verse 11. Because believers
were “dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus” (6:11), their manner of
living was to reflect their newness of life (see 6:4). This new life involved
imperatives—demands concerning lifestyles. Paul stressed three demands
in Romans 6:12-13. The first is do not let sin reign in your mortal body.
The Greek word translated reign conveys continuous action. The phrase
could be rendered “stop letting sin reign.” The term reign has the idea of
control. Because believers had been freed from sin’s domination, they were
not to let it go on controlling them.
One interpretation of the phrase mortal body is that it refers to believers’
physical bodies that were subject to death. Most likely, the word body is a
synonym for the self—the total person. Either way, Paul charged Christians
not to give in to evil passions or desires that included covetousness and
lust. Having died to sin, they had available power in Christ to keep rejecting
its control.

VERSE 13

And do not offer any parts of it to sin as weapons for

unrighteousness. But as those who are alive from the dead,
offer yourselves to God, and all the parts of yourselves to
God as weapons for righteousness.
Paul’s second imperative was that Christians stop offering any parts of
their bodies as weapons for unrighteousness, that is, wrongdoing or
wickedness. The Greek word translated offer conveys the sense of placing
something at another’s disposal. The term parts likely referred not only to
the body’s organs or members such as the hands, eyes, and tongue, but may
also include all human faculties and abilities. Christians were not to place
themselves at sin’s disposal.
Paul used the image of warfare to emphasize the seriousness and
intensity of believers’ battle with evil. Sin, working through Christians’
pagan environment, constantly assailed them. Paul issued his third
imperative. Believers were to dedicate themselves immediately and totally
to God and to use all facets of their beings as weapons of righteousness.
They were to counterattack evil by putting themselves at God’s disposal
daily, allowing Him to use them for good.

VERSE 14

For sin will not rule over you, because you are not under law
but under grace.
The Greek phrase rendered will not rule stresses the certainty that sin’s
dominion over believers had been broken because they shared Christ’s
death and resurrection life. Sin would continue its assaults, but it would not
defeat them. Before they became Christians, they were under law. Paul may
have used the term law in its widest sense as the rule of duty. He could have
had in mind the Mosaic law. At any rate, law provided no power to obey and
thus to produce a right relationship with God. Under law people were
condemned. In Christ, believers were under grace, which gave them a
saving relationship with God and supplied the resources they needed to
overcome sin.
Paul implored believers to change their way of living, to stop living for sin
and doing what was wrong, and instead to live as God wanted. Today,
believers are to demonstrate their new life in Christ because God wants
them to do so.

EXPLORE FURTHER

How can you know the manner in which God wants you to live? In the
following list, circle items that express your motive or motives for living
 as God wants you to live: (1) duty, (2) gratitude, (3) fear, (4) love, (5)
lifestyle witness. What do you think your primary motive should be?

4. LIVING FOR A NEW LORD (Rom. 6:15-23)

VERSE 15

What then? Should we sin because we are not under law but
under grace? Absolutely not!
Paul’s question is similar to his question in Romans 6:1. There, he dealt
with the ridiculous idea that believers should sin so grace would abound. In
Romans 6:15, he addressed the equally preposterous notion that because
believers were under grace, sin did not matter. Did grace promote or allow
sin the law condemned? Paul answered with his usual emphatic, ringing
NO!

VERSE 16

Don’t you know that if you offer yourselves to someone as

obedient slaves, you are slaves of that one you obey—either
of sin leading to death or of obedience leading to
righteousness?
Here Paul began the answer to his question in Romans 6:15. The answer
would extend through verse 23. Believers were well aware—or should have
been—that they could not be bond slaves to two masters. They became the
exclusive property of the master they chose. In that time, some individuals
voluntarily became slaves to acquire basic needs. Paul stressed that if they
chose to give total obedience to sin, the result would be spiritual death—
eternal separation from God. If, however, they chose to obey God, the result
would be righteousness—right relationship with God that issued in right
behavior. Note that Paul insisted people inevitably will serve one of two
masters and that obeying sin rather than God is a deliberate choice for
which people cannot offer an excuse.
Paul offered a prayer of thanks to God that although the Christians in
Rome once had been sin’s slaves, they wholeheartedly had “obeyed . . . that
pattern of teaching” to which they had been “transferred” (6:17). Set free
from sin as their master, they “became enslaved to righteousness” (6:18).
Enslavement to righteousness constituted true freedom—freedom to
become all God could make them by His grace.
Paul explained that he used the illustration of slavery so believers could
understand more easily the spiritual truth he was conveying (6:19).
Formerly they had dedicated themselves to uncleanness and rampant
“lawlessness” (6:19). Now they were to dedicate themselves to
“righteousness” (right living) that would result in spiritual growth (6:19).
Paul reminded believers that as bond slaves to sin, the demands of right
living had meant nothing to them. The result of servitude to sin, which now
caused Christians shame, was “death” (6:21).

VERSE 22

But now, since you have been liberated from sin and have
become enslaved to God, you have your fruit, which results
in sanctification—and the end is eternal life!
The phrase but now introduces a sharp contrast between believers’ lives
before they placed their faith in Christ and their state of being in their
relationship with Him. God’s grace in Christ had freed them from sin’s
enslavement and had made God their Master. Paradoxically, enslavement to
God constituted real freedom. In relationship with Him, they received the
reward of sanctification—the process of spiritual growth—and eternal
life—God’s quality of life now and, in its fullest sense, life everlasting with
Him in the future.

VERSE 23
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal
life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Paul personified sin as an individual who paid wages. The image may have
been that of a slave owner who paid his slaves an allowance. Sin pays what
people under its command earn—and pays in the currency of death. In
contrast, God graciously gives the free gift of eternal life. This life of
distinctive quality and everlasting duration comes in Christ Jesus the Lord
—in a close, personal faith-relationship with Him.
Paul explained that people either serve sin or God. Christians are people
who serve God; they have been freed from sin and have eternal life.
Believers are to demonstrate their new life in Christ because they serve God,
not sin.
Some years ago, a popular song expressed gratitude and love for what one
person had done for another through love, care, and friendship. The singer
told how the woman to whom the song was dedicated had restored his pride
and self-confidence by having faith in him. The song’s title and repeated
line declared that she had made his life totally new.
People often speak of giving or receiving a much-needed new lease on life
—a new opportunity, start, or incentive. On the deepest level of life, God
through Christ makes His creative power available to all people to give them
newness of life in right relationship with Him. This resurrection life has
God’s quality about it and will extend into His immediate presence in
eternity. He alone gives new life that progressively reflects His character
and that lasts.

EXPLORE FURTHER

List reasons Christians are to demonstrate they have new life in Christ. On
a scale of 1–10, with 1 being lowest and 10 being highest, rate the extent
to which you demonstrate your new life in Christ.
1 Robert H. Mounce, Romans, vol. 27 in The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman &

Holman Publishers, 1995), 152.

 Session 6 > Romans 7:7-25

IT’S ALL ABOUT VICTORY

Background Passage: Romans 7:1-25

INTRODUCTION
Because I was not yet nine years old, I did not understand the crucial
significance of June 6, 1944. Not until years later would I begin to
comprehend what hung in the balance on that day. The United States had
entered World War II at the end of 1941. On D-Day the Allies were poised
to strike a strategic blow designed to win the war in the European theater.
Originally, the amphibious landing of troops was scheduled for June 5.
The weather, however, did not cooperate. The landing called for a day near
the full moon to give adequate vision and a spring tide that would allow
enough depth for the landing craft to navigate safely over defensive
obstacles the Germans had placed in the surf. Weather conditions on June
4 were not good. At a meeting on June 5, leaders decided to proceed with
the invasion because the forecast for the next day was marginally favorable.
On June 6, at 6:30 a.m. British Double Summer Time, the Allies launched
the largest amphibious landing in history. Along a stretch of 50 miles of
Normandy’s coast, troops launched attacks at five sectors. Massive numbers
of military personnel were involved. One estimate is that more than 150
thousand soldiers and 195 thousand naval and merchant navy personnel
took part. More than 5 thousand ships were employed, and aircraft
provided air support. After fierce fighting and a tremendous cost in
casualties, the Allies established a beachhead and began to move inland. For
all intents and purposes, the invaders had won the war in Europe. Although
victory was assured, battles would continue to rage. The Allies had struck
the decisive blow against the enemy.
Almost two thousand years ago, in a small outpost of the Roman Empire,
at a site outside Jerusalem called “the Skull,” Jesus Christ, God’s Son, struck
the decisive blow against evil. He willingly died on a cross to make salvation
available for sinners. His resurrection proclaimed His victory over sin and
death, and it gave resounding evidence of His power to redeem and keep
people who place their faith in Him. His presence and power in them enable
them to be victorious over sin that continues to launch forays against them.
Some Christians treasure their ability to deal with sin. In fact, they feel
confident that they do not sin or that they have “no sin of consequence” in
their lives. Of course, such an attitude is a sin itself—the sin of pride.
Unfortunately, these believers are so accustomed to sinning they do not
have much if any struggle with it. When they learn to struggle with sin,
however, they can develop genuine confidence of victory over it. Other
Christians are deeply aware or their sins and the daily struggle they have
with them. They may be distraught over their sins and their inability to live
better. They long for the day they can have some sense that they will
overcome their tendency to sin so much. These Christians also can learn
about and develop confidence of victory over sin.
This lesson is designed to help adults admit their struggle with sin and
develop confidence about their victory over it. Chapter 7 of Romans is
about being free from the law and struggling with sin. The chapter stresses
the victory believers have over sin in spite of their continuous struggle with
it.

Romans 7:1-25
1. We Are Free from the Law (Rom. 7:1-6)
2. We Know What Sin Is (Rom. 7:7-12)
3. We Struggle with Sin (Rom. 7:13-20)
4. We Have Victory over Sin (Rom. 7:21-25)

UNDERSTAND THE CONTEXT

In Romans 6, Paul emphasized that believers lived in newness of life. In
verses 1-4, he answered an objection to his firm assertion that sinners were
saved by grace through faith in Christ. He had written that “where sin
multiplied, grace multiplied even more” (Rom. 5:20). An anticipated
objector proposed that people continue to sin so grace would multiply (6:1).
Paul emphatically dismissed that idea. Christians had shared Christ’s death;
they had died to sin as the ruling principle in their lives. Not only that, but
believers also were raised from spiritual death to “walk (live) in a new way of
life” (6:4).
In Romans 6:5-11, Paul stressed that because believers had shared
Christ’s death (had been crucified with Him), they no longer were in
bondage to sin. Even as physical death freed a person from claims and
debts, death with Christ freed believers from sin’s claims (6:7). They also
lived with Him because He arose in victory over death never to die again
(6:8-9). In His once-for-all sacrificial death, Christ was released from the
burden and pressures of people’s sins He bore on the cross. In like manner,
believers were to reckon themselves dead to sin (no longer under its rule)
and “alive to God in Christ Jesus” (6:11).
Paul exhorted believers not to let sin control them. They were to use all
the facets of their lives as weapons in the warfare against evil, not as
weapons advancing evil’s cause (6:12-13). They were not to allow sin to
exercise its tyranny over them because they lived in God’s grace, not under
law that pointed out their sins but had no power to deliver them (6:14).
In Romans 6:15-23, Paul addressed another anticipated objection to his
message of salvation by grace through faith. To think that grace promoted
or allowed what the law banned was absurd (6:15). Paul stressed that people
became enslaved to the master they willingly chose to obey. Only two
options were open to them: enslavement to sin or obedience to God (6:16).
Paul was grateful that the believers in Rome were free from sin’s former rule
and were “enslaved to righteousness” (6:17-18). He used the illustration of
slavery because believers could understand it easily.
Before they became believers, these persons had dedicated themselves to
immorality and lawlessness, free from the demands of righteousness; after
becoming Christians they were to dedicate themselves to right living that
issued in spiritual growth (6:19-20). Their former way of life had led to
death; however, since becoming believers, by God’s grace they were
developing spiritually, which issued in God’s quality of life in the present
and unending life with Him in the future (6:21-22). Paul pointedly
contrasted sin’s wages to God’s gift. Death is sin’s pay for services rendered;
eternal life is God’s gracious gift through a faith-relationship with Christ
(6:23).

EXPLORE THE TEXT

1. WE ARE FREE FROM THE LAW (Rom. 7:1-6)
In Romans 6:14, Paul stated that Christians no longer were “under law” but
did not elaborate. In Romans 7:1, he acknowledged that his letter‘s
recipients understood the law. Partly because the first reference to the word
law in Romans 7:1 lacks the definite article the in the Greek text, some
interpreters view the reference to be to law in the widest sense of legal
obligations. Others contend Paul had the Mosaic law in mind. In either case,
believers were acquainted with Roman law and/or with Mosaic/Jewish law.
They well knew that legal requirements applied only to the living. Death
rendered the law inoperative.
Paul used the illustration of a married woman to reinforce his point. A
woman was bound legally to her husband as long as he lived. If he died, this
law concerning marriage no longer was in effect. She was free to marry
again. If, however, she had relations with another man while her husband
was living, she would be labeled an adulteress (7:2-3).
In Romans 7:4-6, Paul applied the principle he stated in verse 1 and
illustrated in verses 2-3. In the illustration, the husband seems to represent
the law and the wife to symbolize Christians. In Paul’s application, believers
still appear to be the wife. However, it was the wife who was put to death so
she could belong to another husband. The wife (believers), not the husband
(law), died. Thus, Paul’s illustration appears puzzling because of an apparent
inversion. The following suggested approach is helpful. The main point of
Paul’s illustration is that the husband’s death was required for the woman
to be free from the marriage law. The application’s main point is the way
people might be released from law, and that freedom required a death. Thus
Paul did not intend a literal parallel in his illustration.
Paul declared believers “were put to death in relation to the law” through
Christ’s “crucified body” (7:4). The phrase “were put to death” may indicate
God’s action in ending law’s hold on believers or the violent nature of their
being crucified with Christ. As in believers’ death to sin (see 6:6), their death
to the law was a shared death with Christ. As a result, they belonged “to
another” (7:4)—the resurrected Christ. The purpose of their death to law
and their union with Christ was to enable them to “bear fruit for God”—
right living marked by good works (7:4). Here the apostle may have used the
metaphor of the productive tree he previously employed in Romans 6:22.
Paul stated that when believers lived in the sphere apart from God,
dominated by evil (“the flesh,” 7:5), the law identified and intensified their
“sinful passions.” The harvest was death.
In contrast to their old way of life, believers had been freed from the law
through dying to it. Therefore they could be bond slaves “in the new way of
the Spirit” (7:6)—in the newness that consists of the Spirit or in the
newness the Spirit gives. They no longer lived “in the old letter of the law”
(7:6).
 EXPLORE FURTHER

In what sense do you consider yourself free from the Mosaic law? Do you
think grace demands more or less than law can require? Explain.

2. WE KNOW WHAT SIN IS (Rom. 7:7-12)

VERSE 7

What should we say then? Is the law sin? Absolutely not! On

the contrary, I would not have known sin if it were not for
the law. For example, I would not have known what it is to
covet if the law had not said, Do not covet.
In Romans 7:4-6, Paul closely linked the law to sin. Probably in anticipation
of an opponent’s objection to that linkage, Paul asked two questions and
gave his usual emphatic negative answer—law and sin definitely are not to
be equated. The context seems to indicate that by the phrase the law Paul
had the Ten Commandments in mind. He stated that rather than the law’s
being equated with sin, the law identified sin for him; he would not have
known sin if it were not for the law. He would not have been conscious
of his sin. Here the word sin may refer to his being sinful—to the principle
of sin at the center of his being—not to acts of sin. Apart from the law he
would not have known sin’s true nature as rebellion against God.
Paul gave an example by referring to the Tenth Commandment that
forbids coveting (see Ex. 20:17). The word covet translates a Greek word
that means “to desire strongly.” It could be used in a good or a bad sense.
Negatively, as in Romans 7:7, it has the idea of undisciplined desire. It can
be rendered “to lust” or “to set the heart on something forbidden.” In a
negative sense, the Hebrew word behind the Greek term presents the idea
of ungoverned, selfish desire.
VERSE 8

And sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment,

produced in me coveting of every kind. For apart from the
law sin is dead.
Paul stated that when he became aware coveting was a sin, sin, here
personified as a malignant power, saw an opportunity, a starting place or
base of operations, and took advantage of it. Sin used the commandment
to produce or “work out” all kinds of evil desires. The Tenth Commandment
may have made Paul more aware of a wide variety of things he wanted to
satisfy him and may have spurred him to seek them selfishly. He also may
have questioned God’s motive for the Commandment. If so, his response
was as old as Genesis 3, where the tempter planted doubt about God’s
motive in forbidding Adam and Eve to eat from the fruit of the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil. Human experience verifies that prohibitions
have a way of generating desire for what is forbidden. Restrictions often
give rise to resentment that issues in rebellion.
As long as Paul did not know that God forbade coveting, sin was dead to
him; he lacked consciousness of self-centered, self-seeking drives that can
become idolatrous. Sin was in him, but he was not aware of its malignancy
and power.

VERSE 9

Once I was alive apart from the law, but when the
commandment came, sin sprang to life
The phrase once I was alive probably refers to the period of innocence
before Paul became aware of the law that made him morally responsible. At
one time, he did not grasp the law’s scope and power. During that time, he
lacked a clear consciousness of sin, guilt, and expectation of punishment.
However, when Paul became aware of the commandment that forbade
coveting, sin sprang to life. The offence became evident as sin, as revolt or
rebellion against God, thereby making it more blatant.

VERSE 10

and I died. The commandment that was meant for life

resulted in death for me.
As a result of the law’s making the apostle aware of and increasing his
violations of God’s commandment, he died. The period of innocence
ended when he became conscious of guilt. Paul was spiritually dead before,
but he was not conscious of his deadness. The Tenth Commandment was
good; God intended it to guard life against the destructiveness of
undisciplined self-seeking. He meant it, along with the other nine, to define
and promote right living in relationship with Him (see Lev. 18:5). Through
no fault of its own, however, the commandment that was meant for life
resulted in death for the apostle. Instead of the joyful assurance of
relationship with God, Paul experienced the pain and misery of guilt and
God’s condemnation.

VERSE 11

For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment,

deceived me, and through it killed me.
Paul’s description of his experience echoes Genesis 3. He repeated his
statement in Romans 7:8 that sin jumped at its opportunity to use the
Tenth Commandment to its advantage and deceived or deluded him
thoroughly. Literally, sin caused him to lose his way and killed him in the
sense of using the law to reveal his true sinful condition as one of
condemnation before God. Paul made clear, however, that sin, personified
as malignant evil, was—and is—the enemy, and God’s law is not the
enemy.

VERSE 12
So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and
just and good.
Sin, not the commandment, is people’s archenemy that incites
disobedience to God. Therefore, the law is holy; it is pure and perfect as
God’s revealed way to live. In particular, the Tenth Commandment is holy
as God’s revelation of His purpose, just or right in its requirements and
morally good because its purpose is people’s good. With his contrast
between the law’s intent and sin’s misuse of it, Paul answered his critics
who charged him with equating the law and sin. He clearly emphasized his
reverence for the law properly understood.
In summary of Romans 7:7-12 the Mosaic law identifies what sin is and
thus what God forbids. Although its purpose is good—to show us how to
behave—it also can open the door for sin to enter our lives by identifying
temptations. Because we have the Scriptures to show us, we know what sin
is in God’s sight.
To an alarming extent, our society has lost—or has no concern for—a
sound concept of sin. Television interviews with and articles about people
caught in immoral or unethical behaviors reveal a reluctance to call sin by
its proper name. Substituted are words and phrases such as error, mistake,
moral lapse, poor judgment, unwise choice, unclear thinking, and terrible decision.
Christians must not allow themselves to “sugarcoat” or mislabel sin. Sin is
our deadly enemy that we must recognize as such, call by its rightful name,
and confront in Christ’s strength.

EXPLORE FURTHER

Read the article entitled “Sin” in the Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary,
pages 1505-1507. What do you think sin is at base? How would you
define or describe it?
3. WE STRUGGLE WITH SIN (Rom. 7:13-20)
VERSE 13

Therefore, did what is good cause my death? Absolutely not!

On the contrary, sin, in order to be recognized as sin, was
producing death in me through what is good, so that through
the commandment, sin might become sinful beyond
measure.
Having characterized the law as “holy” and the Tenth Commandment as
“holy and just and good” (Rom. 7:12), Paul asked whether what is good
caused his death (see 7:10). He answered with his customary, emphatic
denial. The thought was repugnant to him. Again Paul stressed that sin
used what was good to produce death in him (see 7:11). Sin used the
Commandment to identify and intensify Paul’s undisciplined self-seeking
and to reveal he was condemned. In so doing, sin revealed its true nature as
perversity and wickedness. In its rabid opposition to God and good, sin
showed that it was boundless evil. As a result, its use of what was good (the
law) to produce death in Paul caused him to recognize sin for what it was.

VERSE 14

For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am made out of

flesh, sold into sin’s power.
Verses 14-20 of Romans 7 reveal a spiritual struggle of greatest magnitude
and intensity. Scholars generally agree that the passage reflects Paul’s
personal struggle, but they disagree on the period of his life it describes—
the time before he became a Christian or his present experience as a
believer. The approach taken in this commentary is that Paul wrote about
his ongoing experience as a Christian. We forever can be grateful he did so,
for we can see our spiritual struggle reflected in his.
The phrase we know conveys general acceptance of what follows. In
describing the law as spiritual, Paul emphasized that it is God-given. As
such, it reflects the Giver’s character.
The phrase made out of flesh literally means “fleshly.” Paul likely was not
referring to his physical body; he was indicating that within him were the
pulls or tendencies away from God that marked his old life in the sphere
dominated by evil. The word flesh can refer to the human body, but it also
can indicate life outside God’s rule, life lived independently of Him. Even as
a Christian, Paul experienced sin’s powerful pressures. Even though as
believers we have a new nature as a result of spiritual rebirth, our old, sinful
tendencies continue to exert their influence.
Paul used a figure from the slave trade to express sin’s power in his life.
The words translated sold into have the sense of being sold as a slave. Even
against Paul’s will, sin exercised mastery in him through impulses and
appetites that belonged to his old life, not his new life in Christ. Even
though the unconverted Paul had been put to death and raised with Christ,
the influences of his old person remained active.

VERSE 15

For I do not understand what I am doing, because I do not

practice what I want to do, but I do what I hate.
Paul was acutely aware of a glaring contradiction within him. The phrase I
do not understand can mean “I do not know” or “ I do not recognize.” The
words can convey the sense that Paul did not approve or delight in what he
carried out in action. He did not view his performance as right or good. Paul
did not habitually practice what he willed to do but found himself doing
what he hated.

VERSE 16

And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree with the law that
it is good.
Paul’s awareness that some conduct was undesirable gave evidence the law
was good or morally excellent. The law was more than adequate; human
weakness victimized by sin was the problem. Paul agreed with the law that
revealed God’s way to live. Its standards were good, and his guilt at not
meeting them testified concerning that truth. His best intentions were in
line with the law.

VERSE 17

So now I am no longer the one doing it, but it is sin living in

me.
Paul recognized that his inability to follow through on his determination to
conduct himself consistently according to God’s standards was because of
sin living in him. Paul was not excusing his sin or trying to avoid
responsibility for it. Rather, he was emphasizing sin’s power and pervasive
nature. Although he was redeemed, sin still exerted a strong influence in
him. A constant tug-of-war raged within Paul between sin and his higher,
redeemed self.

VERSE 18

For I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh.
For the desire to do what is good is with me, but there is no
ability to do it.
Paul acknowledged that nothing good—nothing “upright,” “honorable,” or
“acceptable to God”—resided in his flesh. When Paul gave in to the pull of
the old life that was determined to be independent of God and thus was
under sin’s rule, anything good was excluded. The desire or “will” to do
good was present in Paul, but he lacked the ability to follow through or to
accomplish the goal.

VERSE 19

For I do not do the good that I want to do, but I practice the
evil that I do not want to do.
Paul repeated the emphasis of Romans 7:15 but identified what he wanted
to do as the good and what he hated as the evil. He did not do consistently
what was acceptable to God but habitually practiced wrong or wickedness.
Inside him was an ongoing pitched battle between good and evil.

VERSE 20

Now if I do what I do not want, I am no longer the one doing

it, but it is the sin that lives in me.
Paul’s conclusion regarding his inner struggle stressed sin’s power to
frustrate his best intentions. He deeply wanted to act according to God’s
standards, but sin in him overpowered his will (Rom. 7:17). Paul recognized
his inner struggle was a battle between God’s presence in him and the forces
of wickedness.
Paul acknowledged his struggle with sin. He knew what was right and
wanted to do it; but even though he fought hard, he often did the exact
opposite. As Christians, we share Paul’s experience. Even though we know
what we are supposed to do as believers, we still struggle with sin and give
in to it in spite of our best efforts.

EXPLORE FURTHER

What resources help you in your struggle with sin? What do you do
when you fail to live up to Christ’s expectations of you?

4. WE HAVE VICTORY OVER SIN (Rom. 7:21-25)

VERSE 21
So I discover this principle: When I want to do what is good,
evil is with me.
Out of the inner struggle between his best, Spirit-motivated intentions and
resident evil, Paul discovered a principle. The Greek terms rendered this
principle literally mean “the law.” The phrase indicates the constant moral
contradiction created by sin’s periodic coercion over Paul’s will. He found
his desire to do what was right inevitably confronted by sin’s insistence he
do what was wrong.

VERSE 22

For in my inner self I joyfully agree with God’s law.

In his inner self Paul joyfully agreed with God’s law. The phrase inner self
could refer to Paul’s real self as a new person in Christ, to himself as a moral
and ethical personality, or to the center of his being. I prefer the latter
suggestion and view the phrase inner self as a synonym for the word heart as
conveying the center of the self that includes emotions, intellect, will, and
motives. At the center of his being, Paul gladly concurred with God’s law.

VERSE 23

But I see a different law in the parts of my body, waging war

against the law of my mind and taking me prisoner to the
law of sin in the parts of my body.
Paul observed a totally different law or principle in the parts of his body.
The law or principle is the one he identified in Romans 7:21: sin’s coercion
of his will. It manifested itself in his total being—not merely in the body’s
members such as hands, eyes, and tongue, but also in all his faculties and
abilities (see 6:13). This different law waged war against the law of Paul’s
mind. The term mind likely means the same as the phrase “inner self” (7:22)
and the word heart in the sense of life’s center. All three designations
involve reflective intelligence and moral judgment. Sin attacked Paul where
he willed to align his life with God’s will and way. There, the law of sin,
expressed through his faculties and abilities, took him captive—a prisoner
of war.

VERSE 24

What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this

dying body?
One approach to verse 24a is that Paul interjected a cry of despair and
helplessness. Another view is that he expressed deep longing for release.
The Greek word translated wretched means “miserable” and conveys the
sense of enduring extreme hardship. Paul was worn out and perhaps
discouraged from his constant struggle against sin in him.
The apostle followed his plaintive cry with a rhetorical question: Who
would free him from this dying body, literally, “the body of this death”?
Suggestions concerning the meaning of the phrase rescue . . . from this dying
body include: (1) liberation from death, which resulted from captivity to sin
and resided in his body; (2) deliverance from his physical body, which was
destined to die; and (3) freedom from the burden or deadly weight of sin
figuratively referred to as a body. My view is that Paul referred to the law or
principle of sin in him, warring against his deep desire to live by God’s
standards. That law was similar to a corpse tied to him—a burden too heavy
to bear.
Some Christians may be troubled by Paul’s agonized cry and description
of his struggle with sin in him. They may think something like the
following: How could Paul, who had died with Christ to sin and who had God’s
Spirit in him, feel he was under sin’s power? Moreover, why do believers
continue to struggle with sin and too often lose? A reminder is helpful to
me. When we place our faith in Christ, we receive a right relationship with
God; we experience salvation or justification. At that point, we begin a
process of spiritual growth or sanctification. Although sin has lost the war
in us, it continues to attack us to weaken our commitment and to inhibit
our spiritual development and service. We win some skirmishes as we
depend on the Lord; we lose others, but we fight on toward the goal of
Christlikeness. Our hope or solid assurance is that the One who has started
a good work in us will complete it when we enter God’s presence in eternity
(glorification; see Phil. 1:6).

VERSE 25

I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with my

mind I myself am a slave to the law of God, but with my
flesh, to the law of sin.
Paul did not answer his rhetorical question in Romans 7:24 directly. His
triumphant cry of gratitude, however, clearly implied his resounding
answer: I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord! Welling up from the
depths of his being was his profound gratitude that in Christ’s atoning
death and triumphant resurrection, God had made power available for
ultimate victory over sin.
In describing the Holy Spirit’s work in Christians’ lives, Romans 8 gives a
fuller answer to the question and an elaboration of the exclamation in 7:24-
25a. In 8:1-2, Paul declared that believers in Christ were not condemned.
The “Spirit’s law of life” had liberated them “from the law of sin and of
death” (Rom. 8:2).
In Romans 7:25b, Paul summarized the conflict within him—the
ongoing, internal civil war between his desire to obey God and sin’s
persistent pulls to self-seeking independence from God. At the center of his
being or his mind, the law of God, the principle of God’s will and way, held
Paul captive. With his flesh, the tendencies of life apart from God,
however, he was enslaved to the law or principle of sin. The internal civil
war would continue to rage, but Paul would fight in the strength God
supplied.
Knowing that sin still operated in his life frustrated Paul, but he
exclaimed his confidence that God would deliver him from sin through
Jesus Christ. Paul ultimately would overcome his archenemy through God’s
power. We can depend on God to help us against sin and give us victory
over it.

EXPLORE FURTHER

How has your commitment to Christ sharpened your awareness of your

sins? Admit your ongoing struggle with sin and ask God to help you in
your battle with it. How does your confidence of victory over sin
compare with or contrast to that of Paul?
 Session 7 > Romans 8:9-17,26-32

IT’S ALL ABOUT CERTAINTY

Background Passage: Romans 8:1-39

INTRODUCTION
A number of years ago, in the beginning stages of my pastoral ministry as
an assistant pastor on a church staff, the charismatic movement was
sweeping across the religious landscape. Even older, mainline
denominations experienced the movement’s impact. Southern Baptist
churches were affected. I recall that one young pastor often came to the
Monday meeting of our local Baptist pastors’ conference barely able to
speak because of what he called a case of “the Holy Ghost croup.” In the
movement, participants put great emphasis on speaking in tongues, the
spiritual gift they believed qualified a person to be a Christian par
excellence. That insistence has not ceased completely. As I write this lesson,
a current television preacher still maintains that enlightened believers speak
in tongues as he does.
The continued emphasis on the Spirit’s activity in speaking in tongues
and in healing causes thoughtful Christians to ask, “Who is the Holy Spirit,
and what does He do?” Sadly, regarding the Holy Spirit many Christians
today could use the evil spirit’s words in Acts 19:15: “I know Jesus, and I
recognize Paul—but who are you?” To be sure, most believers are aware of
the Spirit and even that He is part of the Trinity; but because that concept is
difficult to tackle, they often give up on it and refuse to think about the
Spirit. Yet they belong to God’s family, and as a result they have a special
relationship with the Holy Spirit. They should know what that relationship
involves and what the Spirit does in their lives. They also should be willing
to learn more about the Spirit and His work.
Article II of the 2000 edition of The Baptist Faith and Message entitled
“God,” states: “The eternal triune God reveals Himself to us as Father, Son,
and Holy Spirit, with distinct personal attributes, but without division of
nature, essence, or being” (italics mine). Subdivision C under Article II, “God
the Holy Spirit,” states: “The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God, fully divine. He
inspired holy men of old to write the Scriptures. Through illumination He
enables men to understand truth. He exalts Christ. He convicts men of sin,
of righteousness, and of judgment. He calls men to the Saviour, and effects
regeneration. At the moment of regeneration He baptizes every believer
into the Body of Christ. He cultivates Christian character, comforts
believers, and bestows the spiritual gifts by which they serve God through
His church. He seals the believer unto the day of final redemption. His
presence in the Christian is the guarantee that God will bring the believer
into the fullness of the stature of Christ. He enlightens and empowers the
believer and the church in worship, evangelism, and service.” The Holy
Spirit, therefore, is not a third of God or a third God; He is God, present and
active in His world. He is not super Christians’ special possession. He is
God, present in His people.
This lesson stresses that as God’s children, Christians can be certain of
the Holy Spirit’s work in their lives. This lesson answers the question, “If it’s
all about believers’ having victory over sin, why do they need the Holy
Spirit?” The lesson is designed to help adults live with an awareness of the
Holy Spirit’s work in their lives, itemize His work in believers’ lives, and
examine their lives for evidence of His work.

Romans 8:1-39
1. We Have the Spirit’s Presence (Rom. 8:1-11)
2. We Have the Spirit’s Guidance (Rom. 8:12-17)
3. We Have the Spirit’s Prayers (Rom. 8:18-27)
4. We Have Assurance (Rom. 8:28-39)

UNDERSTAND THE CONTEXT

In Romans 7:1-6, Paul emphasized that believers were free from the law. He
used an illustration from marriage to make the point that a woman was free
to marry again only in the event of her husband’s death. In his application,
Paul pointed out that a death also was required to free people from the law
so they could belong to Christ. Through sharing Christ’s death and dying to
the law’s rule, believers were enabled to be productive for God. Formerly,
their “sinful passions operated through the law” to produce death (Rom.
7:5). In becoming Christians, however, they had died to the law to “serve in
the new way of the Spirit and not in the old letter of the law” (7:6).
In Romans 7:7-12, Paul explained how sin used the law to his harm. He
wanted to make clear that he was not equating the law with sin. He used his
experience in relation to the Tenth Commandment to demonstrate sin’s
using something good for evil purposes. At one point in his life, Paul was
unaware that coveting was sin. When he became aware of God’s command
that forbade coveting, he recognized his sin. As a result, he died; his
innocence ended and he realized he was condemned. Furthermore, sin
seized the opportunity to arouse within him all kinds of evil desire. (See the
comments on Romans 7:8) Paul stressed the law’s excellence and described
the Tenth Commandment as “holy and just and good” (7:12). Sin, not the
law, was the culprit.
Verses 13-24 of Romans 7 convey a deeply personal account of Paul’s
ongoing struggle against sin’s strong influence in him. Although Christ had
given him ultimate victory in the war with sin, he still fought sin’s
continued assaults against him. In Romans 7:13-14, he stressed that sin
used the law to produce death in him. The law reflected the character of
God, its Giver. The problem was Paul’s weakness in countering the pulls of
his old, self-centered life.
In Romans 7:15-24 Paul expressed his frustration concerning his actions.
He did not do consistently the good he willed to do. Instead, he did what he
hated (7:15). By the very act of determining to practice good but being
unable to do so, the apostle was affirming the law’s goodness (7:16). Paul
deeply wanted to live according to God’s standards, but he lacked power to
do so. He recognized that sin resident in him overpowered his desire to do
good and influenced him to do evil (7:17-20).
Paul’s inability to do the good he wanted to practice led to an awareness
of a law or principle: evil was ever-present with him (7:21). In the center of
his being, he readily and gladly agreed with God’s law. Yet in his total self—
his faculties and abilities as well as his body’s members—he recognized a
malignant power warring against his “mind” (7:22-23), the center of life
where he willed to follow God’s purpose and way. Sin held him a prisoner of
war. Either out of despair or out of his longing to be rescued from sin’s
power in him, Paul asked who would free him from the burden of the law of
sin in him (7:24). Here the apostle referred to the principle of sin in him,
warring against his deep desire to live by God’s standards.
The apostle answered his own question with a cry of gratitude to God that
through Christ’s atoning death and triumphant resurrection, God had
provided power to overcome sin (7:25). Paul would continue to wage his
internal war in that strength.

EXPLORE THE TEXT

1. WE HAVE THE SPIRIT’S PRESENCE (Rom. 8:1-11)
The word “therefore” (Rom. 8:1) connects what follows with Paul’s
exclamation of gratitude in 7:25. Because of God’s redemptive work in
Christ, people “in Christ Jesus” do not face “condemnation” (8:1). The
phrase “those in Christ Jesus” essentially means “Christians”—believers,
those in personal relationship with Christ. They are not under God‘s
sentence of punishment because the Spirit who gives life “in Christ Jesus”
has set them free. Although they will continue to battle sin in their lives,
they have been released from enslavement to sin and death (8:2). The Spirit
to whom Paul referred was the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit.
Paul declared that God accomplished what the law was unable to do. As
the apostle had stressed previously, the law was good, but “it was limited by
the flesh,” that is, by people dominated by sin, who could not obey the law
(8:3). The law gave moral directives but did not give people the power to
follow them. God, however, passed sentence on sin by sending “His own
Son” in the flesh “as a sin offering” (8:3). The phrase “flesh like ours” in
verse 3 refers to Jesus’ true humanity, not to a sinful nature. The words
“under sin’s domain” refer to the sinful world into which the incarnate
Christ came (8:3). He took upon Himself human nature with its demands
and necessities and identified Himself completely with humanity, yet
without sin. Jesus became “a sin offering”; He died sacrificially on behalf of
sinners—to remove the barrier people’s sins had built between them and
God.
God acted redemptively in Christ to provide believers with the power to
meet “the law’s requirement” (8:4). They could do so because they now lived
“according to the Spirit” (8:4). The indwelling Holy Spirit enabled Christians
to walk or live by God’s standards. They no longer lived under sin’s
domination (“the flesh,” 8:5). They no longer focused on or devoted
themselves to evil (“the things of the flesh,” 8:5) but concentrated on and
committed themselves to God’s will and way (“the things of the Spirit,” 8:5).
God’s Spirit now empowered and guided them.
Unbelievers consign themselves to spiritual death. Insistence on
independence from God issues in eternal separation from Him. In contrast,
people whose overriding desire is to obey the Spirit experience life and
spiritual well-being (8:6).
 People who insist on living in the sphere dominated by evil set themselves
in opposition to God; they make themselves His enemies. They do not will
or aspire to live by His standards. In themselves, under sin’s dominance,
they are powerless “to do so” (8:7). People determined to live apart from
God cannot please Him (8:8).

VERSE 9

You, however, are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, since the
Spirit of God lives in you. But if anyone does not have the
Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.
Paul was confident that the believers in Rome were not in the flesh; they
were not under sin’s tyranny, living in stubborn independence from God.
To the contrary, they were in the Spirit—living in obedience to the Holy
Spirit. In fact, the Spirit of God lived in them. The Greek term rendered
lives conveys the sense of permanent residence. At the moment believers
placed their faith in Christ, they received the gift of God’s presence in them.
The phrases in the Spirit and the Spirit of God . . . in you refer to the same
truth: through His Spirit, God is present in believers. Paul stated as a matter
of fact that people who truly belonged to Christ had the Spirit of Christ, a
reference to the Holy Spirit.

VERSE 10

Now if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but

the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
Interestingly, Paul used the phrases “the Spirit of God,” “the Spirit of Christ”
(8:9), and Christ . . . in you (8:10) in quick succession to express the same
truth: God is present and active in believers. The term body refers to the
physical body that is mortal; it is subject to physical death that results from
sin. In sharp contrast, the Spirit is life; He gives life of a new quality that
never ends. Because God in His grace gives believers right standing with
Him (righteousness), they live in newness of life. Some commentators
suggest that with the words the Spirit is life Paul referred to the Spirit’s
presence as the assurance of believers’ future resurrection (see 8:11). My
view is that the term life refers to eternal life—life of God’s quality that
endures forever.

VERSE 11

And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead lives
in you, then He who raised Christ from the dead will also
bring your mortal bodies to life through His Spirit who lives
in you.
As in Romans 8:10, the word if expresses certainty for believers, not doubt.
Paul was convinced that the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the
dead was at home in believers; the Spirit of God permanently resided in
them. As a result, they could be confident God would raise their mortal
(physical) bodies. The Spirit of God in them, who empowered them to live
their new lives in Christ, would accomplish their resurrection through the
same power that raised Jesus from death (see Eph. 1:19-20).
The Holy Spirit lives in Christians, giving evidence of their spiritual status
as believers and of their future resurrection. Thus, as Christians, we have
the certainty of the Holy Spirit’s living in us.

EXPLORE FURTHER

Read the article entitled “Holy Spirit” in the Holman Illustrated Bible
Dictionary, pages 773-774. What evidences assure you of the Spirit’s
presence in you?

2. WE HAVE THE SPIRIT’S GUIDANCE (Rom. 8:12-17)

VERSE 12

So then, brothers, we are not obligated to the flesh to live

according to the flesh,
Because of the Spirit’s presence and work in believers, they were not
obligated to the flesh. The term rendered obligated first meant “owing
money” or “being in debt.” It came to mean “bound by duty.” In our words,
Paul wrote: “We do not owe the flesh anything.” The word flesh referred to
life under sin’s dominance. To live according to the flesh was to
consistently give in to sin’s demands.

VERSE 13

for if you live according to the flesh, you are going to die. But
if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you
will live.
To live habitually under sin’s influence and directives inevitably led to
spiritual death. If, however, believers allowed the Spirit to put to death
the deeds of the body, that is, their habitual sinful practices, they would
live. The phrase put to death has the sense of the Spirit’s eradicating a sinful
lifestyle, of His bringing about a complete break with the old life. The words
deeds of the body refer to the vices sin produces as expressed in consistent
actions. The term live has the sense of eternal life. Paul’s warning does not
mean that believers can lose their salvation. Although at times a snapshot
of our lives as Christians would indicate we are living according to our old
sinful desires and tendencies, over the long haul we should give evidence of
progress in our Christian lives.
Sanctification or spiritual growth is a process. At times, Christians will
give in to sin’s influence. Yet they demonstrate that the overriding goal
toward which they move is Christlikeness; they have Christ’s mind-set, and
they desire to consistently demonstrate His character.

VERSE 14
All those led by God’s Spirit are God’s sons.
All those who (literally, “as many as”) allow God’s Spirit to lead them
(continually) are members of God’s family of faith. The word sons is
interchangeable with the term “children” in Romans 8:16. The thrust is that
believers are related intimately to God, who is their Father in the highest
sense. By implication, people are not in God’s family if they consistently
reject the Spirit and His leading. All people may be God’s children in the
sense of being His creatures, but only people who place faith in Christ are
His children in the sense of being members of His spiritual family.

VERSE 15

For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into
fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry
out, “Abba, Father!”
When the Spirit’s power released believers from sin’s hold, they no longer
were slaves who cringed in fear before their master. Instead, they received
the Spirit of adoption. The Holy Spirit brought them into God’s family.
The Greek word translated adoption means “placing as a son.” It is one of
various analogies Paul used to express the many-faceted wonder of
salvation, and he was the only New Testament writer to use it (see Rom.
8:23; 9:4; Gal. 4:5; Eph. 1:5).
In the immediate background of Paul’s use of adoption as an illustration
of salvation was the Roman legal procedure by which a son passed from the
absolute authority of one father to the total authority of another. The
initiative or choice to adopt was the adoptive father’s; he put the process in
motion. The son became a full, legitimate heir of his new father, with all the
rights and privileges of the relationship. The son’s old life was erased legally,
and under law he was the new father’s son in every sense. The members of
the church in Rome would have been familiar with the Roman legal
procedure of adoption.
Paul, however, likely had a basic, biblical concept primarily in mind.
Jewish Christians in particular would have been aware of it. God took the
initiative to redeem the Israelites from bondage in Egypt. They became His
chosen people. In Hosea 11:1, God referred to Israel as His “son” whom He
had led out of Egypt. In Romans 9:4, Paul stated that “the adoption”
belonged to Israel. In my view, in Romans 8:15 Paul emphasized God’s
initiative to bring sinners into His family—to redeem them from sin’s
tyranny. His doing so was not a legal transaction but an act of sheer grace.
As members of God’s family through the Spirit’s power, believers can call
God “Abba, Father!” The word Abba was a warm Aramaic family term
similar to our word daddy. Although the term Father translates the more
formal Greek word, the concept behind Abba is certainly in the background.
Jesus had taught His followers to address God as their Heavenly Father (see
Matt. 6:9). With confidence but not over-familiarity, they could approach
God, who was their Father in the highest and best sense.

VERSE 16

The Spirit Himself testifies together with our spirit that we

are God’s children,
The Spirit’s inner assurance combines with believers’ inner confidence to
confirm they are God’s children. Underlying Paul’s statement may be the
Old Testament’s guideline of two witnesses to establish truth. The Spirit’s
witness may be His enabling Christians to exclaim “Abba, Father!” (Rom.
8:15). An appealing suggestion is that the Spirit’s assurance comes as
believers pray.

VERSE 17

and if children, also heirs—heirs of God and coheirs with

Christ—seeing that we suffer with Him so that we may also
be glorified with Him.
The word if in this context conveys certainty and means “because.”
Christians are God’s children and as such are His full heirs. Likely, the
inheritance Paul had in mind is the certainty of life in His presence for
eternity (see 1 Pet. 1:4). If so, their being coheirs with Christ means they
will share His glory—His exaltation in God’s presence. In a real sense,
Christ’s followers will share in His rule.
To share in Christ’s glory, believers must share His sufferings. Of course,
we cannot suffer to provide redemption as He did. Yet following Him
sometimes involves facing opposition and hardship. We will not receive the
crown without the cross. The path to being glorified with Him is the way of
sacrificial service for Him.
The Holy Spirit leads Christians, showing them how to live and giving
evidence they are God’s children and heirs with Christ. As Christians, we
have the certainty of the Holy Spirit’s guidance.

EXPLORE FURTHER

In what ways do you experience the Spirit’s guidance? What resources or

instruments does He use to lead you?

3. WE HAVE THE SPIRIT’S PRAYERS (Rom. 8:18-27)

Paul viewed the sufferings believers endured as Christ’s faithful followers in
the present evil age as paling in comparison with the future “glory” that
would include them (Rom. 8:18). The apostle reflected his own experience;
he reckoned his extensive sufferings for Christ insignificant in light of the
future glory that awaited him. Interpreters have viewed “glory” as: (1) the
future resurrection and the age to come, (2) the restoration of God’s image
that had been lost in Eden, and (3) Christ’s visible splendor at His return.
“Glory” was something believers would receive, not merely something they
would observe.
 Paul indicated that creation (the created universe) will take part in the
culmination of redemption at Christ’s return and history’s close. He wrote
that creation, as distinguished from humanity, waits with eager hope “for
God’s sons to be revealed”—for God’s people to experience their salvation’s
fulfillment (8:19). They will realize fully their character as God’s children,
and others will see their true identity.
Paul’s statement that creation “was subjected to futility,” that is,
emptiness or frustration (8:20), reflects Genesis 3 and God’s cursing the
ground because of Adam’s sin (see Gen. 3:17). God imposed the judgment,
but it was not final. Creation has strong expectation of being freed from its
“bondage of corruption” or decay (Rom. 8:21). Creation looks expectantly
toward taking part in believers’ final redemption, when creation will be
restored. Then God’s children will live forever in a sinless existence.
Creation’s elements were “groaning together” in agony similar to a
woman’s birth pangs (8:22). In addition, believers—those who had received
the Spirit as God’s pledge of full inheritance to come, that is, “as the
firstfruits,”—groaned inwardly in eager anticipation of their adoption’s
culmination (8:23). The ultimate fulfillment of their salvation would be “the
redemption of (their) bodies” (see Phil. 3:21).
In Romans 8:24-25, Paul declared believers were saved in the “hope” or
solid confidence of the future glory in which they would share (Rom. 8:24;
see 8:18). They trusted Christ for salvation and lived in the assurance that
He would complete it in the future. Thus, by faith they looked forward to
what they could not see and with perseverance eagerly anticipated
redemption’s culmination (8:25).

VERSE 26

In the same way the Spirit also joins to help in our weakness,
because we do not know what to pray for as we should, but
the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with unspoken
groanings.
Often, we do not know what to pray for as we should. The Spirit,
however, intercedes for us. God, through His Spirit who is present with
and in us, understands when we cannot put into words or thoughts our
deepest longings. God hears and understands our sincere prayers, no matter
how inarticulate they may be.

VERSE 27

And He who searches the hearts knows the Spirit’s mind-set,

because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of
God.
God and His Spirit are one in thought and purpose (mind-set); thus, the
Spirit can intercede for Christians according to the will of God. In other
words, the Spirit’s intercession is in line with God’s will.
Paul asserted the Holy Spirit intercedes for us when we do not know how
to express our needs and when we do not know how to pray for God’s will in
some matter. As Christians, we have the certainty that the Holy Spirit helps
in our prayers, even expressing prayers on our behalf.

EXPLORE FURTHER

When have you been unable to put your prayers into words? How does
knowing God understands your sighs or moans help you?

4. WE HAVE ASSURANCE (Rom. 8:28-39)

VERSE 28

We know that all things work together for the good of those
who love God: those who are called according to His purpose.
The Holy Spirit is not mentioned in Romans 8:28-32, but in the context of
all of chapter 8 to this point and because He is part of the Trinity, these
verses also describe His work. Christians can be sure the Spirit of God is
present and active in their lives for their good.
Believers can face the future confidently because of their awareness that
the goal toward which they move is good. Paul described genuine believers
as people who are constant in their love for God and are called according
to His purpose. In God’s overarching redemptive purpose, He has called
believers to salvation, and they have responded positively.
The apostle stressed that all things worked together for . . . good for
Christians. Some of the oldest and best Greek manuscripts of Romans have
God as the subject who works all things together for good. Because things
cannot act independently, the HCSB reading assumes that it is God who is
working to bring good to believers. The word things may refer primarily to
believers’ sufferings mentioned in Romans 8:17 but likely is wider in scope.
How does your conviction that God can bring something good from bad
situations help you face problems and difficulties?

VERSE 29

For those He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed

to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn
among many brothers.
In Romans 8:29-30, Paul specified the “good” (8:28) God was working for
believers. Based on Old Testament usage, the word foreknew has the idea
of taking note of or having regard for someone. Before time began, God was
disposed to act in kindness and love toward all people (see John 3:16). His
eternal purpose was that people be conformed to the image of His Son.
The word predestined means “to mark off beforehand.” From eternity,
God’s goal has been that people receive His gracious offer of salvation in
Christ and become Christlike, reflecting Christ’s character. Christ then
would be the firstborn among many brothers; God’s family would
consist of a vast multitude of people who resemble their elder Brother.
Although various views exist, and we cannot completely understand the
mystery of predestination, we can be assured it is consistent with people’s
freedom to choose.

VERSE 30

And those He predestined, He also called; and those He

called, He also justified; and those He justified, He also
glorified.
Through Christ, God called all people to salvation and wanted them “to be
conformed to the image of His Son” (Rom. 8:29). God justified, or put in
right relationship with Him, people who responded positively to His call to
salvation. These believers’ glorification—their entering God’s presence in
eternity as the fulfillment of their salvation—was assured. The tense of the
Greek verb rendered glorified expresses future certainty as an already
accomplished fact.

VERSE 31

What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us,
who is against us?
Paul’s first question introduces a summation or conclusion to the
presentation he began in Romans 8:12. In light of believers’ status as God’s
children in whom His Spirit resides and of their future glorification, what is
the proper response? Paul answered his question with another question: If
or “because” God is for believers, of what consequence is opposition? That
people would set themselves against Christians ultimately did not matter.

VERSE 32

He did not even spare His own Son but offered Him up for us
all; how will He not also with Him grant us everything?
God did not withhold the best—His own Son—but freely offered Him up
or delivered Him over to sacrificial death on behalf of all people. Having
given His greatest gift, God certainly would grant believers everything that
worked for their good (see 8:28). As Christians we have assurance that God
and His Spirit are present and working in our lives in various ways, all of
which are good. This work is the evidence of God’s unconditional love for
us, which is eternal.
In Romans 8:33-39, Paul emphasized nothing can separate believers from
God and His love for them demonstrated in Christ. The apostle sounded
notes of resounding triumph for Christ’s people and of praise for God’s love.
None of the calamities believers faced could defeat them; in the power of
Christ, who loved them so greatly He gave Himself for them, they would
gain overwhelming victory. Paul also listed hostile forces that could not
separate believers from God’s love in Christ, ending with the all-
encompassing phrase “or any other created thing” (8:39)—nothing in the
world. How does your assurance of God’s constant love help you in your
daily living? How does it help you face adversity?

EXPLORE FURTHER

Itemize the Holy Spirit’s work in a Christian’s life. What does He produce?
What evidences of His work in your life can you list?
 Session 8 > Romans 10:1-4,8b-18a;
11:28-32

IT’S ALL ABOUT GOD’S PLAN

Background Passage: Romans 9:1–11:36

INTRODUCTION
Sometimes, a line in a movie, television program, cartoon, or commercial is
so highly memorable that it becomes part of people’s responses in daily
conversation. I often compliment friends as being good people with a
statement from my favorite cartoon. Periodically, I come across a quote
from a comic strip that ended long ago with the cartoonist’s retirement and
subsequent death. One of the characters reports to his friends that a group
of them had encountered the enemy and discovered that they themselves
were the enemy.
A classic movie from a number of years ago still is shown on television
periodically. In the movie, the warden of a prison camp deals with a
stubborn, resistant prisoner. In one scene, the warden addresses the latest
problem by noting that what has happened is a failure to communicate. The
warden means that his orders were clear; the problem was the rebellious
prisoner had not taken them to heart and obeyed them. I hear the warden’s
words quoted in a variety of contexts.
We know how important clear communication is. In speaking and writing,
we try hard to be understood. For example, one cardinal rule of good
writing is to strive to be understood; but even more, a person must write so
as not to be misunderstood. Good communication is crucial in our marriage
relationships, family interactions, friendships, workplace efforts, and
church relationships. Clear communication strengthens our relationships;
failure to communicate or communicating poorly can severely damage or
even end them. Nowhere is clear communication more vital than in
believers’ expressing God’s plan to bring people into His family through
their faith in Christ.
What is God’s plan to save people? Will He save all people or only
individuals who believe? What about people who hear and reject the gospel?
What about individuals who never hear the gospel? What is God’s plan for
them and what is He doing to carry out that plan? In truth, God offers His
mercy to everyone and will save all those who place their faith in Christ. In
the meantime God is patient with people who do not believe, giving them
opportunities to do so. Of course, His offer and His patience are not
infinite. One day He will mete out judgment. For these reasons,
communicating God’s offer of salvation is vital. People who already have
believed are responsible for sharing the gospel.
This lesson emphasizes God’s plan to save people who will place their
faith in Christ. It answers the question, “If it’s all about the Holy Spirit’s
work in the lives of God’s children, what is God doing about people who do
not believe in His Son?” The lesson is designed to encourage adults to
communicate God’s plan to save people who believe. The lesson is based on
passages that express Paul’s concern for Israel’s salvation.

Romans 9:1–11:36
1. We Can Depend on God’s Mercy (Rom. 9:1-29)
2. We Can Take Part in God’s Plan (Rom. 9:30–10:21)
3. We Can Be Sure of God’s Patience (Rom. 11:1-36)
UNDERSTAND THE CONTEXT
In Romans 7, Paul asserted believers were free from the law. He wrote of his
experience in which sin used the Tenth Commandment to his harm. The
apostle candidly revealed his inner struggle with sin, which continued to
attack him. Then he expressed gratitude to God that through Christ, God
had made power available for ultimate victory over sin.
Paul began Romans 8 with the declaration that believers were not under
condemnation. The Holy Spirit’s “law of life” had freed them “from the law
of sin and of death” (Rom. 8:2). Through Christ’s incarnation, death, and
resurrection, God did what the law was powerless to do: He defeated sin. He
also made possible believers’ fulfilling the law’s requirement by living
“according to the Spirit” (8:3-4).
In Romans 8:5-11, Paul contrasted believers who lived “according to the
Spirit” to people who lived “according to the flesh” (under sin’s domination;
8:5). The Spirit lived in believers, and they had His mind-set. Their bodies
were subject to death, but the Spirit gave believers new life within because
of their right standing with God. The Spirit’s presence was evidence of
genuine relationship with Christ and of future resurrection.
Paul assured Christians they had the Spirit’s guidance in their new way of
life. To live according to the flesh or habitually under sin’s influence and
directives inevitably led to spiritual death. If, however, believers allowed the
Spirit to put to death their habitual sinful practices, they would live. The
term live has the sense of eternal life. Paul’s warning does not mean that
believers can lose their salvation. Although there may be times when a
snapshot of our lives as Christians would indicate we are living according to
our sinful nature, over the long haul there should be evidence of progress in
our Christian lives (8:12-13). Paul declared that the Spirit had brought
believers into God’s family as His children and full heirs. They could call
God “Father.” The Spirit and believers’ inner confidence gave internal
witness that Christians were God’s children. Paul further reminded believers
that their suffering as Christ’s followers was prerequisite to sharing His
glory (8:14-17).
In Romans 8:18, Paul stressed that believers’ sufferings as Christ’s
followers could not compare with the future glory they would experience.
All creation waited expectantly to share in the completion of believers’
redemption (8:19-22). Christians looked forward eagerly to “the redemption
of (their) bodies” (8:23) and lived in confident assurance of this “hope”
(8:24-25).
Paul assured believers that when they could not verbalize their prayers,
the Spirit interceded for them (8:26-27). Furthermore, God entered their
difficult situations to salvage something good from them (8:28). Although
there are various views of predestination and election, the subject of verses
29-30, we can affirm that it is consistent with the free agency of people.
In a soaring, beautiful passage that reflected his personal confidence as a
Christian, Paul offered believers of his time—and Christians of all the ages
—assurance of their security in Christ. In Romans 8:31-39, Paul asserted
that nothing could separate believers from “the love of God that is in Christ
Jesus (the) Lord” (8:39). Armed with that confidence, they could represent
Christ in a pagan environment. So can believers today.

EXPLORE THE TEXT

1. WE CAN DEPEND ON GOD’S MERCY (Rom. 9:1-29)
In Romans 1:17, Paul stated his letter’s theme: God’s righteousness. God is
right or just when He saves people by grace through faith, and He is right
when He judges people who reject His offer of salvation. In Romans 1:1-3,
Paul had pointed out that the good news of God’s provision of redemption
was grounded in His relationship with Israel. At the time Paul wrote, the
people of Israel generally had rejected Christ as the Promised Messiah. The
apostle addressed the problem of God’s choice of Israel as His people and
their rejecting the gospel. The apostle sought to show that no conflict
existed between the gospel of grace and God’s promises to Israel. In Romans
9–11, Paul expressed his deep concern for his people (9:1-5); stressed God’s
sovereignty (9:6-29); pointed out Israel’s responsibility (9:30–10:21); and
emphasized Israel’s hope (11:1-36).
In Romans 9:1-5, Paul used a triple oath to declare his compassion—his
“intense sorrow and continual anguish”—for his people (9:1-2). He “almost”
would choose “to be cursed” if that would mean they would be saved (9:3).
As God’s chosen people, they had received marvelous benefits from God;
and through them “came the Messiah, who is God over all” (9:5).
Israel’s general rejection of the gospel did not mean “the word of God
(had) failed” (9:6). Paul used the illustration of Isaac—and by implication,
Ishmael—to demonstrate that God’s true children were not those physically
descended from Abraham but those who were “the children of the promise”;
that is, God’s redemptive purpose was expressed in His promise that
Abraham would have a son (9:7-9). God’s sovereign choice—not physical
descent or birthright—determined the outworking of His purpose. Ishmael
was Abraham’s son as was Isaac, but God chose Isaac to continue the flow of
His purpose.
In Romans 9:10-13, Paul pointed out that works did not determine the
flow of God’s purpose. He used the illustration of Rebekah’s twin sons,
Jacob and Esau, to stress God’s sovereign choice. Before the sons’ births,
God told Rebekah that Esau, who would be born first, would serve Jacob,
the second twin born (9:12; see Gen. 25:23). Before the boys had done good
or bad, God chose the one through whom He would continue His purpose,
and His choice was not based on merit. He chose (“loved”) Jacob and
rejected (“hated”) Esau (Rom. 9:13).
In Romans 9:14-18, Paul insisted God was not unjust in choosing one
individual over another in His redemptive purpose. The apostle first quoted
Exodus 33:19 to stress God’s sovereignty in showing mercy and compassion
at His discretion. In context, the Lord’s words to Moses indicated not even
Moses merited seeing God’s glory. “Human will or effort” does not gain
God‘s mercy; God chooses to be merciful (9:16). Then Paul quoted Exodus
9:16 to emphasize God’s hardening Pharaoh’s heart to further His purpose.
Paul concluded that both references demonstrate God’s absolute freedom to
do what He wills (Rom. 9:18).
Paul next posed an objection to his presentation (9:19). If God acted
according to His sovereign will, which no one could resist, how could He
condemn people? Comparing God with a potter and Israel with the clay with
which He worked, Paul countered that pottery could not question the
Potter, who could make exquisite vessels or vessels for menial use as He
chose (9:20-21). Both vessels were designed for the Potter’s use. As Creator
and Designer, God shaped vessels for His purpose.
In Romans 9:22-29, Paul outlined the purpose of God’s sovereign exercise
of choice. God reached His redemptive goal through His longsuffering
(9:22-24), and that goal or purpose was proclaimed by the prophets (9:25-
29). God used Israel’s disobedience “to make known the riches of His glory
(His redemptive character) on objects of mercy”—people of Israel and
Gentiles who placed their faith in Christ (9:23-24). Paul cited passages from
the prophets Hosea and Isaiah to support his assertion that God always
intended to include Gentiles along with people of Israel in His redemptive
purpose. A remnant from Israel would believe (Rom. 9:27-28; Isa. 10:22-23;
28:22; 1:9; Hos. 1:10). Faith, not one’s national background, brings a person
into God’s family.

EXPLORE FURTHER

Read the article entitled “Mercy” on pages 1106-1108 in the Holman

Illustrated Bible Dictionary. In what ways has God extended mercy to
you? How has His mercy affected your relationships with others?
2. WE CAN TAKE PART IN GOD’S PLAN (Rom. 9:30–10:21)
What conclusion could be drawn from Israel’s general unbelief and the
Gentiles’ faith? Paul asserted that believing Gentiles received right standing
with God through faith. Israel, however, pursued a works-righteousness and
could not achieve it (Rom. 9:30-31). The people refused to believe in Christ,
who became for them a “stumbling stone” (9:32). The apostle quoted Isaiah
8:14 and 28:16 to contrast the tragedy of rejecting Jesus to the
consequence of accepting Him (Rom. 9:33).

CHAPTER 10. VERSE 1

Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God concerning

them is for their salvation!
Israel largely had rejected God’s offer of salvation in Christ (see 9:31-33).
Paul agonized over his people’s plight. He intensely longed for and prayed
for their salvation. His love for them prompted his prayers for them. He
wanted them to abandon their futile pursuit of a works-righteousness and
to receive right standing with God through faith in Christ.

VERSE 2

I can testify about them that they have zeal for God, but not
according to knowledge.
Paul knew from experience the zeal of faithful Israelites. He had been
zealous in his quest for righteousness through his works, and he
acknowledged his people’s continuing zeal (here synonymous with their
pride that resisted the gospel) in their attempts to keep the law. Their zeal,
however, was misguided. It was not according to knowledge. Paul’s people
lacked correct insight or perception into God’s purpose and provision in
Christ. They were spiritually blind.

VERSE 3
Because they disregarded the righteousness from God and
attempted to establish their own righteousness, they have
not submitted themselves to God’s righteousness.
Israel largely had disregarded the righteousness from God. The Greek
word translated disregarded literally is “being ignorant of” and rather bluntly
expresses gross misunderstanding. The phrase the righteousness from God
refers to God’s provision of salvation in Christ. Instead of receiving God’s
provision, Paul’s people persisted in their efforts to achieve right standing
with God by their works. They were self-righteous. They stubbornly refused
to acknowledge that God gives right relationship with Him and insisted
they could establish it by their own efforts.

VERSE 4

For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone

who believes.
Christ’s coming revealed God’s gift of redemption by grace. God gives this
gift to everyone who believes—to all who will trust Christ for salvation.
Paul expressed his concern for his people by praying for their salvation,
showing he knew they also needed to believe in Christ. Today, our praying
for others and their salvation shows our concern for them and our
recognition of God’s plan to save people who believe.
In Romans 10:5-8a, Paul stressed the availability of the good news of
salvation. He quoted Leviticus 18:5, where God through Moses declared
that the person who kept the law perfectly would live (Rom. 10:5). In sharp
contrast, faith-righteousness is not gained through human effort, even
extreme exploits. Paul cited Deuteronomy 30:12-14 and applied the passage
to Christ’s incarnation and resurrection to stress His nearness (Rom. 10:6-
7).

VERSE 8b
This is the message of faith that we proclaim:
In Deuteronomy 30:14, God through Moses cautioned the Israelites to heed
His “message” to them. They were to be faithful to His covenant with them
so that God might bless them as they entered the promised land (Deut.
30:16). Paul applied the word message to the good news of salvation—the
message of faith he proclaimed. The focus of Paul’s message was faith as
the basis of right relationship with God. The good news of salvation by
grace through faith did not require meticulous search or difficult work.
Rather, it was “near” or easily accessible (Rom. 10:8a).

VERSE 9

If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe

in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be
saved.
Paul summarized the message he proclaimed—“the message of faith” to
which he had referred (Rom. 10:8b). In order to be saved, people had to
confess openly, “Jesus is Lord.” These words may have been the earliest
Christian confession of faith spoken at baptism. Gentiles who made this
confession elevated Jesus above the Roman emperor; people of Israel who
did so acknowledged Jesus’ Deity. Both groups were professing Jesus’
supremacy over their lives. Jesus’ lordship was grounded in His incarnation,
atoning death, and resurrection.
Receiving salvation required people to believe in their hearts that God
raised Jesus from the dead. At the center of their beings, the seat of
willful choice, they had to come to the solid conviction God enabled Jesus
to conquer death. Jesus’ resurrection was (and is) the heart of Christian
faith, for it validated all He said and did. Because He was raised, He can
raise believers to new life with Him.
The order of confession and belief corresponds to the order in Romans
10:8 in the quote from Deuteronomy 30:14 (“in your mouth and in your
heart”). Faith precedes confession, which arises from and gives evidence of
belief. Believers were to state publicly the deepest conviction of their lives.

VERSE 10

One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and

one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation.
Reversing the order in the previous verse, Paul expanded on people’s
salvation experience. A person believes with the heart; at life’s emotional,
intellectual, and volitional center, the individual arrives at conviction of
Jesus’ supremacy and resurrection. Such inner conviction results in
righteousness—right standing with God. That new standing—salvation
—will find expression verbally. In Paul’s statement, righteousness and
salvation are synonyms. The sense is that inner, total commitment to Christ
will be put into words as evidence of saving relationship with God. Belief is
confirmed by confession.

VERSE 11

Now the Scripture says, Everyone who believes on Him will

not be put to shame,
Paul repeated his quote from Isaiah 28:16 that he had given in Romans
9:33. The prophet wrote, “The one who believes will be unshakable” (Isa.
28:16). Paul adapted the quote to read, Everyone who believes on Him
will not be put to shame. The phrase put to shame translates a Greek term
that means “disgraced” or “disappointed.” Paul stressed that believers’ faith
in Christ for salvation would not let them down; it would not prove to be
empty.

VERSE 12

for there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, since the

same Lord of all is rich to all who call on Him.
The phrase there is no distinction catches the emphasis of the term
“everyone” in Romans 10:11. The people of Israel and Gentiles had
opportunity to exercise faith in Christ for salvation, for the same Lord of
all was rich to all who called on Him. The word Lord may refer to God or
Christ, probably the latter. The term rich may suggest abundance in mercy
and/or resources. The word call has the sense of turning to Christ for
salvation. Based on Old Testament usage, it carries the idea of worshiping
Christ as Deity.

VERSE 13

For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
Paul quoted Joel 2:32 to emphasize that all people who turned to Christ for
salvation, confessed Him, and worshiped Him (called on Him) would be
saved. The prophet emphasized calling on Yahweh, the Israelites’ covenant
name for God. Paul applied the quote to Christ, thus stressing His Deity.

VERSE 14

But how can they call on Him they have not believed in? And
how can they believe without hearing about Him? And how
can they hear without a preacher?
Paul may have posed questions from an anticipated objector, who
maintained that preachers of the gospel had not ministered to unbelieving
Israel; thus, Israel could not be condemned for rejecting the gospel. With a
series of three questions in Romans 10:14, Paul emphasized the need of
messengers who proclaimed the gospel. Of course, people could not place
their faith in Christ unless they first heard the good news about Him. The
imaginary objector protested that Israel had not had the benefit of
messengers who announced the gospel.
In Romans 10:8b-14, Paul summarized the gospel of salvation by faith he
preached. In the process, the apostle made the point that people cannot
believe unless someone tells them about Christ. When believers tell others
the good news of Christ, those Christians communicate God’s plan to save
people who believe. All believers are to be bearers of the good news.

EXPLORE FURTHER

Write a concise statement of what you consider to be the heart of the

gospel. What opportunities do you have to communicate the gospel to
others?

VERSE 15

And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is

written: How beautiful are the feet of those who announce
the gospel of good things!
An anticipated objector’s fourth question implied that no one had sent
messengers to preach the gospel to Israel. The noun form of the Greek word
translated sent designates a person sent on mission with the sender’s
authority. Thus, believers who proclaim the gospel are on God’s mission of
mercy and preach with His authority.
Paul quoted Isaiah 52:7 to emphasize God’s faithfulness in sending
messengers to Israel. In the original context, the prophet probably
prophesied concerning heralds of Israel’s deliverance from Babylonian exile.
Paul applied the words to heralds of an even greater message—the gospel
of good things or deliverance from sin’s bondage provided by God’s grace
in Christ. Paul’s point was that God had sent messengers to Israel with the
good news of Christ.

VERSE 16

But all did not obey the gospel. For Isaiah says, Lord, who has
believed our message?
Paul quoted Isaiah 53:1 to assert that by and large, Israel had rejected the
gospel. In the original context, the question was asked concerning the
Suffering Servant’s exaltation in light of His humiliation. Paul stressed the
words’ appropriateness in describing the response to Christ’s crucifixion
and exaltation. The phrase all did not obey has the sense of “only a few
obeyed.” By far the majority of the people of Israel had not believed Paul’s
and other Christian preachers’ message about Christ.

VERSE 17

So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes

through the message about Christ.
Paul repeated his emphasis of Romans 10:14 that faith comes from what
is heard, but the emphasis in Romans 10:17 also is a summary of Paul’s
line of thought. He defined clearly the content of Christian preachers’
presentation: the message about Christ—the good news of His provision
of salvation.

VERSE 18a

But I ask, “Did they not hear?” Yes, they did:

An earlier objection was that Israel had not heard the gospel (see Rom.
10:14). In a question of his own, Paul asked in essence: “Did they really not
hear?” He made clear that he was not equating hearing with heeding. Paul
answered his question emphatically: Yes, they did.
After pointing out that Christians need to be sent out with the gospel,
Paul implied preachers had been sent to his people, indicating they had
heard the gospel although many of them did not believe. Today, believers
communicate God’s plan to save people who place faith in Christ when they
go themselves or assist in sending Christians to tell others about the gospel.

EXPLORE FURTHER
 In what ways do you assist other Christians in their efforts to spread the
gospel? What else should you do?

In Romans 10:18b, Paul quoted Psalm 19:4 to support his assertion that
Israel received adequate revelation. He next cited Deuteronomy 32:21 to
imply that if unenlightened Gentiles could understand and receive the
gospel, surely Israel—with the benefit of special revelation—could
understand it (Rom. 10:19).
Paul then cited Isaiah 65:1 to emphasize that God reached out to
Gentiles, who were not searching for Him or inquiring about Him (Rom.
10:20). This outreach had always been His intention, and Israel was aware
of it. At the same time, God untiringly had opened His arms in loving
invitation to Israel, but the people had been “disobedient and defiant”
(10:21). The apostle employed Israel’s own Scriptures to demonstrate the
people had no excuse for rejecting God’s appeal to them through the gospel.

3. WE CAN BE SURE OF GOD’S PATIENCE (Rom. 11:1-36)

Paul emphatically denied God had rejected Israel. That Paul, a thorough
Israelite, had been saved by grace was one proof of that truth (Rom. 11:1).
The apostle asserted that a remnant of Christian Israelites existed in his
time. The remnant was made up of people who received God’s gift of grace,
not of people who achieved a works-righteousness (Rom. 11:5-6).
In Romans 11:7-10, Paul cited Deuteronomy 29:4; Isaiah 29:10; and
Psalm 69:22-23 to show that unbelievers in Israel had been “hardened’
(Rom. 11:7). The people’s failure to believe made them increasingly
insensitive to the truth. Their focus on religious celebrations prevented
them from seeing God’s revelation in Christ; their rituals became a trap and
a heavy burden (11:8-10).
In Romans 11:11-24, Paul declared Israel’s rejection of the gospel was not
final. The people were not beyond recovery. Their rejecting the gospel led to
its being offered to Gentiles. The Gentiles’ acceptance provoked Israel to
jealousy, prompting positive response (11:11-12). Paul stated he magnified
his ministry to Gentiles to make his people jealous enough to receive the
gospel. Their rejecting it had issued in the offer of reconciliation to Gentiles,
and he was confident Israel’s accepting it would bring an even greater
blessing (11:13-15).
Paul used as an illustration the Old Testament practice of offering God a
lump of dough made from the first grain harvested, which consecrated the
“whole batch” (11:16). The “firstfruits” probably were believers among Paul’s
people who comprised the remnant (see 11:5). The “whole batch” refers to
others who would be saved. Then Paul changed the illustration to that of a
root and its branches. The root may represent the patriarchs, and the
branches may indicate the Israelites of Paul’s time.
In Romans 11:17-24, Paul used an allegory or figure of an olive tree to
warn believing Gentiles not to become proud and presumptuous, looking
down on unbelieving Israel. The cultivated olive tree probably represented
true Israel; the branches broken off were unbelieving Israelites; and the
engrafted branches were Gentile believers. Gentiles’ arrogant assumption of
salvation without their perseverance in faith would result in God’s
judgment (11:22). Furthermore, God could and would graft believing
Israelites into true Israel again (11:23-24).
Interpretations of the phrase “all Israel will be saved” (11:26) include: (1)
“All Israel” refers to the church, God’s new Israel. (2) Israel’s conversion will
occur at Christ’s return. (3) The phrases “all Israel” (11:26) and “the full
number of the Gentiles” (11:25) refer to large numbers, not every
individual; Paul anticipated a great number of his people becoming
believers. They would become believers in the same way everyone else did:
by faith in Christ. I prefer the last view.

VERSE 28

Regarding the gospel, they are enemies for your advantage,

but regarding election, they are loved because of the
patriarchs,
Paul again emphasized that Israel’s rejecting the gospel resulted in the
Gentiles’ receiving the gospel—their advantage (see 11:11-12). The phrase
regarding election refers to God’s choice of Israel to be His covenant
people. Because of His redemptive purpose that began with the patriarchs,
God still loved Israel.

VERSE 29

since God’s gracious gifts and calling are irrevocable.

Literally, God did not regret His gifts and call to Israel. God adopted Israel
and made a covenant with the people. He remained faithful to His
promises. Because of His faithfulness, He continued to extend His love to
Israel.

VERSES 30-31

As you once disobeyed God, but now have received mercy

through their disobedience, so they too have now disobeyed,
resulting in mercy to you, so that they also now may receive
mercy.
Paul summarized God’s purpose: mercy for Israel and for Gentiles. Gentiles
once disobeyed God, but they received mercy when Israel rejected the
gospel. Israel disobeyed but could receive mercy as had the Gentiles.

VERSE 32

For God has imprisoned all in disobedience, so that He may

have mercy on all.
In Romans 1:18–3:20, Paul asserted that sin held Gentiles and the people of
Israel in a bondage from which they could not free themselves. He did not
cause their disobedience or sin; they were responsible for their plight.
Romans 11:28-32 does not teach that all people will be saved. The point is
that God wants to have mercy on all people. If they will only receive His
Son, they can have right standing with Him because of His mercy.
Paul reminded Christians in the largely Gentile church in Rome that God
wants to have mercy on all people, and they were proof of that since He
offered mercy to them and other Gentiles as well as to the people of Israel
and would continue to offer it to both. Today, we communicate God’s plan
to save when we seek to help all others hear the gospel. Paul closed his
presentation in Romans 9–11 with a majestic hymn of praise.

EXPLORE FURTHER

List ways believers can communicate God’s plan to save people who
believe. Choose one way you will implement.
 Session 9 > Romans 12:1-21

DOES YOUR LIFE PLEASE GOD?

INTRODUCTION
Most of us have spent long stretches of time in attempts to please
significant people in our lives. Early in life, we tried to please our parents to
receive their approval. Then we strove to please teachers, not merely for
grades but for their recognition and respect. If we married, we wanted to
please our spouses. Employers became increasingly important, so we sought
to please them with maximum work efforts. Along the way, we spent time
and effort on pleasing ourselves—sometimes selfishly. Too easily placed on
the back burners of our lives has been the continuing, conscious
determination to please God.
Pleasing God demands constant prayer, commitment, repentance for
lapses, and sensitivity to His presence and working in our lives. David
captured the deepest longing of serious believers in what has become my
often-repeated prayer: “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of
my heart be acceptable to You, LORD, my rock and my Redeemer” (Ps.
19:14). Only constant openness to God’s guidance can enable us to have
proper motives and to express them in appropriate, productive ways. As
Christ’s followers, we are to dedicate our lives to pleasing God—to being
acceptable to Him.
Dedication can be the perch for a selfish or immoral attitude, an
unhealthy attitude about work, or a positive spiritual attitude. Adults who
are dedicated to doing whatever they want are selfish and may be immoral,
and they cause trouble for themselves and for others. People who exhibit
job-first dedication make good employees, and they may receive big bonuses
for their work but may damage their family relationships or physical health.
Christians who dedicate their lives to pleasing God have a positive spiritual
attitude. In pleasing God, they also will be helping their churches, relating
well to other Christians, and surprising their enemies as well as doing what
is best for themselves.
This lesson’s Scripture passage provides examples of sacrificial living that
pleases God. The emphasis is on pleasing God by how we live. The lesson is
designed to help adults acknowledge they are to dedicate their lives to
pleasing God and in repentance confess any way they are not pleasing Him
now.

Romans 12:1-21
1. Give Yourself in Worship (Rom. 12:1-2)
2. Use Your Gifts (Rom. 12:3-8)
3. Love Your Fellow Christians (Rom. 12:9-16)
4. Treat Enemies with Kindness (Rom. 12:17-21)

UNDERSTAND THE CONTEXT

With the magnificent hymn of praise in Romans 11:33-36, Paul concluded
the presentation of the gospel he preached consistently. Following an
introduction and greeting in Romans 1:1-7, Paul expressed his desire to
visit Rome (Rom. 1:8-15) and gave in capsule his view of the gospel—the
good news of salvation in Christ he proclaimed (1:16-17).
In Romans 1:18–3:20, Paul emphasized humanity’s universal plight. All
people, Gentiles and Jews (1:18–3:20) had fallen short of God’s glory
because all sinned (3:23). People were responsible for their bondage to sin,
for they had received adequate revelation from God to respond to Him in
faith and worship, yet they had chosen not to do so. Thus, they were under
sin’s tyranny and could not free themselves.
Paul then presented God’s provision of salvation by grace through faith in
Christ (3:21–8:39). What sinful humans could not do for themselves, God
took the initiative to make available. Paul stressed that people do not
achieve right relationship with God through their works. Right standing
with Him is His gift of sheer grace. By faith in Christ, believers are freed
from the law and from sin’s rule and are given a new way of life in the Holy
Spirit.
In Romans 9–11, Paul dealt with the issue of Israel. Largely, the people of
Israel had rejected the good news of salvation in Christ. Did this mean God
had completely rejected them? Paul’s emphatic answer was that He had not.
Israel’s rejecting the gospel opened the door for Gentiles to receive it. A
remnant of Israelites had been saved, and Paul anticipated a larger number
of converts in the future. Neither God nor Paul had abandoned Israel; God’s
mercy was still available to all people. God continued to welcome Israelites
and Gentiles who turned to Him through faith in Christ.

EXPLORE THE TEXT

1. GIVE YOURSELF IN WORSHIP (Rom. 12:1-2)
VERSE 1

Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to

present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to
God; this is your spiritual worship.
The word therefore most likely connects what follows to all Paul had
written in Romans 1–11. In light of believers’ salvation—their right
relationship with God—as God’s gift of grace in Christ, how should they
demonstrate they walked or lived “in a new way of life” (Rom. 6:4)? How
were Spirit-led lives to express themselves?
Chapters 12–15 of Romans commonly have been identified as the letter’s
practical or ethical section. In his letters, Paul often followed doctrinal
presentations with lifestyle applications for believers. For him, knowing and
believing Christian truths were not enough; Christians were to demonstrate
belief by Christlike behavior. In other words, salvation is both gift and
demand; it is God’s gift of grace, and it carries the demand for living that
reflects His character. The section Romans 12–15 has been characterized as
a blueprint for discipleship and as the Christian manner of life.
Addressing believers as brothers in Christ, Paul pleaded with them to
commit themselves totally to God’s service. He did so on the basis of God’s
mercies or expressions of compassion (see 11:30-32) shown to them in His
giving them right standing with Him (salvation). The Greek word rendered
present was a technical term for making a sacrificial offering. The word
bodies refers to believers’ total persons, their whole selves. They were to
commit themselves totally to God.
Paul urged believers to offer themselves to God as living sacrifices. In the
Jews’ sacrificial system, a worshiper brought an animal to a priest, placed a
hand on the animal to identify with it, and then killed the animal. The
priest collected the blood and sprinkled it around the altar. Paul wanted
believers to offer themselves, not some thing, to God voluntarily and
decisively in sacrificial living. The primary focus was not on making
offerings, but rather on being offerings. The Greek word translated holy has
the idea of being set apart or dedicated for God’s service and includes the
process of spiritual growth; the phrase pleasing to God has the sense that
self-sacrifice is acceptable because it is proper.
Paul declared that believers’ being living sacrifices was their spiritual
worship. The Greek word rendered spiritual in this context conveys the
sense of what is fitting or proper. In light of God’s acts of mercy toward us,
it is totally fitting that we commit ourselves unreservedly to Him. Believers’
lives were to be dedicated to ongoing service to God—expressions of
continual worship.

VERSE 2

Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the

renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the
good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.
Paul urged Christians not to assimilate themselves to the present age. The
Greek word rendered be conformed means “be molded after.” The phrase
this age referred to the present age characterized by evil (see Gal. 1:4) in
contrast to the age to come marked by renewal and resurrection. Christians
were to stop giving in to their culture’s pressures to fashion their lives
according its standards and practices—its mind-set. Rather, they were to go
on being transformed by the renewing of their minds. In other words,
they were to be in the process of changing in their inmost beings or
personalities—their centers of intellect and moral judgment. They
constantly were to identify and put into practice Christian attitudes and
ideals. God’s presence and power within them would transform them as
they depended on Him.
As God went on changing believers within, they would discern or
“approve by testing” God’s good, pleasing, and perfect will. A good
paraphrase is: “so that you may perceive what God’s will is—all that is good,
pleasing, and perfect.”
Using the language of sacrifice, Paul urged believers to worship God, using
their bodies or lives in ways that were holy and pleasing to Him. They were
to use their minds—their intellect and moral judgment—to discover which
ways comprised God’s will. Christians give themselves in worshiping God
when their way of living is holy, pleasing to Him, and based on His will.
Their manner of life is marked by sacrificial service for God.
 EXPLORE FURTHER

How do you define worship? In what way are acts of service also acts of
worship?

2. USE YOUR GIFTS (Rom. 12:3-8)

VERSE 3

For by the grace given to me, I tell everyone among you not
to think of himself more highly than he should think.
Instead, think sensibly, as God has distributed a measure of
faith to each one.
Paul based his admonition on his authority as an apostle. The phrase the
grace given to me referred to God’s commissioning him to be His
representative. Paul viewed his role as an apostle to be God’s gift. With a
play on the Greek word think, the apostle cautioned all believers against
overinflated egos. They were not to think . . . more highly of themselves
than they should think. The Greek term rendered think . . . more highly has
the sense of opinion or mind-set. Believers’ overestimation of themselves—
pride—negatively affected fellowship in the church.
Rather, believers were to think sensibly. This thinking involved a sound,
sane estimate of themselves in which they did not overvalue or undervalue
themselves. A balanced, humble estimate of themselves would include
acknowledging both their strengths and weaknesses. The phrase as God
has distributed a measure of faith to each one refers to God’s giving
each believer spiritual power to discharge that person’s particular spiritual
gift or function in the church. Thus Paul may have used the expression a
measure of faith to each one to refer to the ways faith was to be expressed in
the church’s functions.
VERSES 4-5

Now as we have many parts in one body, and all the parts do
not have the same function, in the same way we who are
many are one body in Christ and individually members of
one another.
Paul used the human body to illustrate the unity and diversity of the church
in the sense of all believers—the one body in Christ (Rom. 12:5; see 1 Cor.
12:12-31). The physical body has many parts, and each part has its specific,
vital function. In a healthy body, the various parts function properly. Paul
applied his illustration to the church, Christ’s body. Even as the body has
many parts, the church has many members but is characterized by unity or
oneness. Believers’ mutual experience of faith in Christ resulted in their
being formed into one body in Christ. Thus, believers were individually
members of one another. They retained their individuality but were
dependent on one another; they were bound together in close
interrelationship.

VERSE 6

According to the grace given to us, we have different gifts: If

prophecy, use it according to the standard of one’s faith;
Paul emphasized that God had given grace to each believer. The phrase the
grace refers to the fact that the spiritual gifts believers received originated
out of God’s grace. Through His Spirit, God graciously gave the gifts as He
chose (see 1 Cor. 12:11). Believers had different gifts that complemented
one another. Each Christian received at least one spiritual gift to be used in
service for God to benefit the church (see 1 Cor. 12:7).
Paul presented a representative list of spiritual gifts (Rom. 12:6b-8).
Other lists appear in 1 Corinthians 12:8-10,28-30 and Ephesians 4:11-12.
None of his lists is exhaustive; the various lists indicate the kinds of gifts
believers receive to serve Christ effectively.
 In his representative list of spiritual gifts in Romans 12, Paul listed
prophecy first, perhaps because he considered it to be foundational and
supremely important. In the New Testament, prophecy primarily involved
communicating the gospel—God’s message of salvation by grace—clearly
and effectively. Prophecy sometimes included prediction, but largely it had
to do with expressing God’s revealed truth for the present; thus, it involved
warning, encouragement, and instruction. Believers with this spiritual gift
were to exercise the gift according to the standard or “proportion” of . . .
faith. One view is that Paul meant a prophet’s message had to be within the
limits of his faith. Another view is that the prophet’s message had to be in
line with the Christian faith—the church’s body of revealed truth.

VERSE 7

if service, in service; if teaching, in teaching;

The Greek word translated service is a form of the term rendered “deacon.”
The word Paul used could include a broad scope of service, from major
ministry to lesser activities. Likely, however, it referred to practical ministry.
Paul probably stressed its importance by placing it second in his list of
spiritual gifts. Not every believer could prophesy, but each could render
practical service to others.
The term rendered teaching literally is “the one teaching.” Teachers
primarily instructed believers in guidelines for Christian living—for moral
conduct. Teachers helped believers understand the meaning of God’s
revealed truth. The believer with this gift was to exercise it for the church’s
good and growth.

VERSE 8

if exhorting, in exhortation; giving, with generosity; leading,

with diligence; showing mercy, with cheerfulness.
The Greek word translated exhorting can also mean “encouraging,”
“comforting” or “strengthening.” The term has the force of urging believers
on in the faith, not of pointing out their shortcomings. In a real sense, every
believer can be an encourager.
The one giving was to do so with generosity. The term giving has the
sense of contributing to help meet others’ needs. The Greek word translated
generosity means “simplicity” or “sincerity. It has the sense of liberality from
the right motive—large-hearted unselfishness that delights in giving.
Recently, caring people taught me a lasting lesson concerning generosity.
Fire damaged the home of my son and his wife. Fortunately, they and their
year-old son were not at home when the fire broke out. Quickly, a relief
organization came to give money to provide immediate help. Then an area
church began to respond to replace needed items that were lost. Individuals
—friends and family members—contributed work time, money, food,
clothing, and clean-up items. Individuals in my church, who had known my
son during his growing-up years, gave money. A family loaned a needed
appliance. Friends offered a basement apartment for temporary living
quarters while the home was being repaired. Then members of my Sunday
School department took up a collection and surprised me with a substantial
gift for my son’s family. None of the people who helped expected anything
in return. They responded generously to meet critical needs. Their liberality
has fueled my determination to be more generous in helping others in need.
The one leading, literally, “standing in front,” was be diligent in doing so.
Paul may have referred to the gift of overseeing the church’s functions. An
alternate suggestion is that this gift was that of taking the lead in caring for
needy believers. In either case, the gift was to be exercised for others’
benefit. The Greek term rendered diligence refers to zeal in applying one’s
energies to the task. Church leaders were to discharge their responsibilities
—use their gift—energetically and eagerly, not lazily or reluctantly.
Some believers had the gift of showing mercy. Paul may have referred to
forgiving others or to beneficial acts of mercy, such as ministering to sick,
disabled, hungry, poor, and aging individuals. Either way, believers were to
extend mercy cheerfully—readily and graciously, not grudgingly.
All Christians have at least one spiritual gift. Their gifts vary from person
to person, and they are to use these diverse gifts to benefit their local
churches.

EXPLORE FURTHER

What have you identified as your spiritual gift(s)? How are you using your
gift(s) to benefit your church?

3. LOVE YOUR FELLOW CHRISTIANS (Rom. 12:9-16)

VERSE 9

Love must be without hypocrisy. Detest evil; cling to what is

good.
Bible scholars differ in their understanding of Romans 12:9-21. Some think
all these verses are instructions for relating to Christians; others think the
topic ends in verse 13; and still others—whom this lesson follows—extend
the instructions through verse 16. In rapid-fire succession, Paul gave
guidelines for believers’ life together.
Christians’ love for one another is to be without hypocrisy. The Greek
word translated love is the distinctive Christian term that conveys the idea
of determined goodwill that acts in others’ best interests. It has the sense of
sacrificial self-giving that is not discouraged by others’ rejection but persists
in acting for their good. This love is a matter of will, not affection. It is
based on determination, not emotion. The phrase without hypocrisy renders
a Greek term that means “sincere” or “genuine.” The word hypocrite meant
“playactor”— a person who wore multiple masks for roles in a stage
presentation. It came to be used of an individual with hidden motives—one
whose outward image masked the real self. Paul stressed that Christian love
is to have no hidden agendas; it is not to mask unworthy motives.
 Believers are to detest evil. The term evil refers to wickedness,
maliciousness, or sin. It indicates that which is bad, vicious, or degenerate.
The Greek term rendered detest has the idea of recoiling in horror or of
hating passionately. Christians are to react to evil in shock and loathing.
Conversely, they are to cling to what is good. They are to be glued or
welded to what is of inner moral worth. They are to hold tightly to what is
morally right.

VERSE 10

Show family affection to one another with brotherly love.

Outdo one another in showing honor.
Paul used two additional Greek words that also can be rendered “love” (see
Rom. 10:9). The term translated family affection has the sense of the
natural, tender, mutual love between parents and children and between
husbands and wives. It has the sense of caring concern. Paul emphasized
the church is God’s family in which members are to be devoted to one
another. The Greek word translated brotherly love is related to a verb that
means “to be friendly” or “to be disposed kindly toward” another. Believers
are to be more than acquaintances; they are to form bonds of friendship. In
Romans 10:9-10 Paul used three Greek words for love at his disposal to
stress the special, caring relationship between believers in the church
fellowship.
One area of competition is open to believers in their relationship with one
another in the church: each one is to seek to lead the way or to set the
example in showing honor to others. The Greek word rendered honor has
the sense of valuing or fixing a price on something. Believers are to excel in
affirming one another’s worth.

VERSE 11

Do not lack diligence; be fervent in spirit; serve the Lord.

Believers were not to become sluggish or lazy in applying themselves
earnestly and energetically to Christian service. The Greek term rendered
lack can have the sense of hesitation or reluctance. Paul may have
cautioned against backing away from the demands of Christian living.
Believers were to be fervent in spirit or maintain a high level of zeal and
were to be consistent in their service for Christ.

VERSE 12

Rejoice in hope; be patient in affliction; be persistent in

prayer.
Paul urged believers to go on deriving joy from their hope—their solid
assurance concerning the future based on God’s ability and faithfulness.
They were to persevere or bear up under the load when they experienced
extreme pressure. The word affliction has the sense of being squeezed, as
in a vice—of being between a rock and a hard place. They were to give
constant attention to or to persevere in prayer as a channel for receiving
God’s strength. Prayer would enable believers to retain their fervor in the
midst of persecution.

VERSE 13

Share with the saints in their needs; pursue hospitality.

Believers with adequate resources were to contribute aid to Christians
(saints) who had needs. The Greek word translated share means “to have
in common.” Believers were to view their resources as being available to
help other Christians. In addition, believers were to be eager and diligent in
offering hospitality, in making other believers welcome and at home. The
instruction to pursue hospitality may mean not only providing it when
needed but also seeking opportunities to offer it.
In Paul’s time, Christians’ hospitality to one another met a continuing
need. Persecution forced some believers to migrate, and gospel messengers
traveled from place to place. Places for travelers to stay were not readily
available, and many of those were not adequate or safe. Believers’ opening
their homes to Christian travelers provided needed food and lodging.

VERSE 14

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.

Here Paul echoed Jesus’ difficult demand in Matthew 5:44, where He
instructed His followers to love their enemies and to pray for their
persecutors. Paul stressed that instead of imploring God to deal harshly
with their enemies, Christians were to ask Him to extend His favor to
persecutors. The Greek word translated curse means “wish or pronounce
evil or misfortune” on someone. The natural response to persecution is the
intense desire to get even; the Christian response is to pray for God to do
good for persecutors.

VERSE 15

Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep.
Believers were to celebrate together, and they were to mourn together.
Because of their strong bond in Christ, they were to affirm and enjoy one
another’s successes without envy. Also, they were to extend sympathetic
understanding in support of believers who were experiencing grief. Sharing
others’ joy over attainments or honors often is more difficult than sharing
people’s sorrow.

VERSE 16

Be in agreement with one another. Do not be proud; instead,

associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own
estimation.
The phrase be in agreement with one another has the idea of having
harmonious relationships. It does not mean having the same opinions on
issues. It has the sense of being unified in purpose because of an
understanding of God’s will and way. To live and work in harmony,
believers would need to avoid pride. They were not to be haughty or
snobbish. Rather, they were to associate with the humble. The phrase
could have the sense of accepting menial tasks; mingling with people society
considered lowly or ordinary; or adjusting to humble situations. In any case,
believers were not to consider themselves better than others. They were not
to have overblown opinions of themselves. A sense of superiority would
foster intellectual snobbery and fracture fellowship.
Paul exhorted believers in Rome to be sincere in their love for one another
and to express that love generously, and he identified many ways and
situations in which to express Christian love. Today, love is to characterize
how we as Christians relate to one another.

EXPLORE FURTHER

Read the article entitled “Love” in the Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary,
pages 1054-1055. What factors make loving other Christians difficult for
you? What steps will you take to overcome those difficulties?

4. TREAT ENEMIES WITH KINDNESS (Rom. 12:17-21)

VERSE 17

Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Try to do what is honorable

in everyone’s eyes.
In Romans 12:17-21, Paul focused on believers’ responses to their
opponents and persecutors. The exhortation, do not repay anyone evil for
evil, went against the natural tendency to retaliate against people inflicting
harm. The word evil could refer to wrong, crime, harm, or injury. Thus evil
would include physical and verbal abuse. Believers were not to strike back at
oppressors. Paul echoed Jesus’ words about turning the other cheek (see
Matt. 5:39). Christians were to strive to exhibit what was honorable—the
Christlike qualities of their newness of life in Christ. The word honorable has
the sense of what is beautiful, morally excellent, and worthy of praise.
Believers’ behavior was to bring honor to Christ. Interestingly, the Greek
term rendered try to do suggests that believers were to use foresight in
determining their exemplary conduct.

VERSE 18

If possible, on your part, live at peace with everyone.

Paul recognized that to live at peace with everyone sometimes was not
possible. Believers would have to oppose evil, and they had no control over
others’ attitudes and responses. The phrase if possible conveys the idea “if
others will allow.” The words on your part can be paraphrased “as much as
depends on you.” If peace was shattered, believers were not to be the cause.
They were to make every effort to maintain peaceful relationships with
people around them so the gospel would get a hearing.

VERSE 19

Friends, do not avenge yourselves; instead, leave room for

His wrath. For it is written: Vengeance belongs to Me; I will
repay, says the Lord.
Paul urged Christians not to seek to punish people who wronged them.
Rather, they were to leave room for God’s wrath, His steadfast opposition
to sin. In His economy, sin works its way out to destruction. Thus, in time,
enemies who persecuted believers would face God’s judgment and the
harvest of the hate and hurt the oppressors had sown. Because of God’s
complete knowledge, the punishment would fit the crime. Paul quoted
Deuteronomy 32:35 to underscore God’s prerogative to exact justice and to
determine punishment.
A caution is appropriate in applying Paul’s directive to leave vengeance to
God. When Christians suffer wrong or injury from others, we are not to
anticipate with pleasure that “God’ll get’em.” Rather, we are to pray that
they will turn to God in repentance and faith.

VERSE 20

But if your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give

him something to drink. For in so doing you will be heaping
fiery coals on his head.
Rather than exact vengeance on enemies or relish God’s eventual judgment
on them, Christians were to do good to them. Paul quoted most of Proverbs
25:21-22 to stress believers’ response to their enemies. Believers were to
help enemies, out of Christian love offering food and drink to meet their
basic needs.
What did Paul mean by the statement in so doing you will be heaping
fiery coals on his head? Did he mean that deeds of kindness to enemies
would ensure a harsher judgment on them? Did he mean believers were to
help needy enemies in order to make them feel guilt or shame? I think Paul
meant the result of Christians’ kindness to enemies would be that their
shame or guilt would burn like or be as effective as fire. That result could
lead to repentance.

VERSE 21

Do not be conquered by evil, but conquer evil with good.

In verse 21 Paul summed up the teaching of Romans 12:17-20. If believers
countered evil with evil, the result only would be increased evil. They would
allow evil to triumph. If, however, they responded to evil with good, they
would conquer evil. Believers were to set the standard for stopping the
cycle of evil by subduing their enemies with kindness. To return evil for evil
and good for good is human; to return evil for good is barbaric; to return
good for evil is Christian.
Christians are not to treat others badly; instead, they are to do what is
right, to live peaceably with others, and to leave vengeance to God. Instead
of seeking vengeance when people do us wrong, we as believers are to be
good to them.

EXPLORE FURTHER

Consider people you are trying to please. Where does God come in your
list? Confess any way you are not pleasing Him and repent of your failure
to do so.
 Session 10 > Romans 13:1-14

CAN YOU BE COUNTED ON?

INTRODUCTION
Frequently, we have had people say to us or we have said to others, “I’m
counting on you.” Sometimes, the words come in the form of a question:
“Can I count on you?” A dictionary gives multiple definitions of the word
count. Then it provides meanings when the term is paired with other words.
The phrase count on can be defined as relying or depending on someone.
Whether or not we put our dependence into words, we count on numerous
people regularly.
I have a confession to make. I am mechanically challenged—severely. I
know something about the basic care of automobiles, but I depend on a
number of people to service and repair mine. Fortunately, I do business
with several people who have proved their knowledge, skills, and honesty in
taking care of the vehicles my wife and I drive. We have known a service
consultant at one of our dealerships for about 33 years. When he tells me
what my SUV needs done to it (and what it does not need), I trust him. I
count on him to steer me right (no pun intended). I depend on the manager
of a tire store to advise me on the proper tires for our vehicles and to give
me a good price. At still another dealership’s service center, I have
confidence the service manager will keep my wife’s car in top-notch
condition. All these people have proved themselves dependable.
The list of people most of us count on is long. Family members and
friends no doubt head the list. Think about people on whom you depend
who are outside the circle of your family and friends—your doctor,
accountant, attorney, surgeon, broker, and home-repair person. Counting
on one another is a prominent element of our lives.
First and foremost, believers can count on God to be present and active in
their lives. When adults become Christians, they can count on God to
provide what He promises. They can count on Him for salvation in all its
aspects, both for this life and the life to come. They can count on Him to
guide them throughout this life and then to welcome them into heaven. In
fact, they can always count on God. Only one question then needs to be
asked at this point: Can God count on them to live as Christians? Of
particular importance is the matter of relating to their neighbors, who may
or may not be Christians, and to their government. Can they be counted on
to demonstrate high-quality behavior in these and all other matters?
The lesson passage is about certain obligations Christians have. The
lesson emphasizes how we behave in relation to our government and our
neighbors, and why we do so. The lesson encourages adults to be counted
on for high-quality behavior.

Romans 13:1-14
1. As a Citizen (Rom. 13:1-7)
2. As a Neighbor (Rom. 13:8-10)
3. As Times Require (Rom. 13:11-14)

UNDERSTAND THE CONTEXT

Once sinners realize their need to be rescued from their imprisonment to
sin, place their faith in Christ, and receive right standing with God, how are
they to live out their newness of life? Beginning with Romans 12:1, Paul
gave practical guidelines concerning behavior characteristic of the Spirit-led
life. In Romans 12:1-2, he urged believers to be living sacrifices—to offer
themselves continually in sacrificial service for Christ. Such dedicated
service would constitute ongoing worship of the God who opened a way of
grace for them through Christ.
In Romans 12:3-8, Paul stressed that believers “are one body in Christ”
(Rom. 12:5) and are interrelated. Then he presented a representative list of
Christians’ spiritual gifts. Through His Spirit, God had given believers
different spiritual gifts they were to use in His service. Paul included
prophecy (preaching, proclaiming the good news), service (from menial to
momentous), teaching, encouraging, giving, leading, and demonstrating
mercy. The genius of the apostle’s inspired list is that no Christian could or
can offer the excuse of not having a spiritual gift. The force of Paul’s words
in Romans 12:6-8 is that believers were to be diligent in exercising their
particular gifts.
Paul emphasized the primacy of love—God’s kind of love—in believers’
relationships in the church (12:9-16). Their love for one another was to be
genuine and generous. In rapid-fire fashion, he gave various ways and
situations in which Christians were to express their love.
The Christians in Rome were a small minority in a pagan, sometimes
hostile environment. How were they to respond to opponents? Paul
exhorted them to repay any evil done to them with good (12:17-21). Instead
of seeking revenge, they were to leave judgment and punishment to God.
Believers were to meet their enemies’ needs; in so doing, opponents’ shame
and guilt might lead them to repent. Christians were to conquer evil by
doing good.

EXPLORE THE TEXT

1. AS A CITIZEN (Rom. 13:1-7)
VERSE 1
Everyone must submit to the governing authorities, for
there is no authority except from God, and those that exist
are instituted by God.
A vital aspect of believers’ behavior—their daily demonstration of newness
of life in Christ—involved their attitudes and actions toward governing
authorities. They lived in the Roman Empire’s capital city, under the
emperor’s shadow. Paul issued straightforward commands about believers’
conduct as citizens.
Setting the background for Paul’s directives in Romans 13:1-7 is helpful.
In A.D. 49, Emperor Claudius had expelled Jews from Rome because of a
dispute. Jews in the Jewish quarter of Rome likely had taken issue with
Christians’ claims that Jesus was the Christ or Messiah. At the time Paul
wrote (A.D. 55-57), Nero had become emperor and allowed Jews to return
to Rome. Paul’s instructions may have been motivated by the intent to
avoid a repetition of the previous disturbance.
Although Nero was emperor, no state-sponsored persecution of
Christians had begun. In fact, Roman officials generally viewed Christianity
as coming under the umbrella of Judaism, a legal religion. Thus, Christians
at least in some instances directly benefited from the government’s
protection. The legendary “peace of Rome” allowed Paul to conduct his
missionary campaigns without fear of government interference.
In Judea, Paul’s destination with an offering for poor Christians, relations
between Jews and their Roman rulers were deteriorating. Militant
opposition was growing and would lead to the Jews’ disastrous revolt in
A.D. 66-73. Some Christians in Rome may have harbored resentment of
their government. Others simply may have become casual or lax in fulfilling
their duties as citizens. Paul asserted that believers were to be good citizens
as part of their witness concerning Christ’s life-changing power.
Paul stressed that everyone must submit to the governing
authorities. The Greek term rendered must submit is a command, and the
tense has the sense of “let each one submit himself or herself.” The idea is
that of willing submission. The verb means “to arrange under” or “to place
under” and in this context “to obey.” Paul directed Christians to subject
themselves to the civil authorities under which they lived. The words
governing authorities gathered up all people invested with power and likely
included both the individuals and the offices they held.
The primary reason Christians were to be obedient subjects of their
government was that no authority existed that was not from God. God
instituted government; it has its source in Him and is His gift to people for
their good. He designed government to create and maintain order, to
protect citizens, and to provide for their welfare.

VERSE 2

So then, the one who resists the authority is opposing God’s

command, and those who oppose it will bring judgment on
themselves.
Because God originated government for people’s well-being, the one who
resists the authority is opposing God’s command. The Greek word
translated resists is a military term that means “lines up against” in battle
array. The term rendered is opposing means “is setting oneself against” or
“resisting.” The word command means “decree” or “ordinance”—something
set in place. The person who opposed, disregarded, or disobeyed
government set himself or herself against what God had set in place. The
result of such action would be judgment—condemnation and punishment.
Government acted as God’s instrument of judgment on people who rebelled
against what He had established.
A question arises at this point. Must a Christian obey government even
when its mandates go counter to allegiance to God? God ordained
government for people’s good. When any government fails to implement
His purpose for it, Christians can and must oppose it. In Mark 12:13-17,
Jesus made clear that citizens have obligations to their government but that
their ultimate allegiance must be to God. In Acts 4:19, in response to the
Sanhedrin’s order that Peter and John stop preaching and teaching about
Jesus, the two disciples responded, “Whether it’s right in the sight of God
for us to listen to you rather than to God, you decide.” They indicated God
had ultimate claim on them, not the Jews’ supreme governing body. In Acts
5:29, before the Sanhedrin and in response to the high priest’s charge that
the apostles had disobeyed the court’s order, “Peter and the apostles replied,
‘We must obey God rather than men.’” Believers live in the tension created
by competing claims—government’s directives and God’s guidelines.
Christians’ loyalty to government is not absolute; their absolute loyalty is to
God.

VERSE 3

For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Do

you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good,
and you will have its approval.
Paul pointed out that generally rulers were no threat to the person who
behaved. A law-abiding citizen had no reason to fear government officials.
However, those who did evil had reason to fear reprisal. If believers wanted
to be unafraid of the authority, they consistently should do . . . good—
behave themselves or practice what is right as good citizens. Such conduct
would gain rulers’ approval, their “praise” or “commendation.”

VERSE 4

For government is God’s servant for your good. But if you do

wrong, be afraid, because it does not carry the sword for no
reason. For government is God’s servant, an avenger that
brings wrath on the one who does wrong.
Paul stated plainly what he previously implied: God instituted government
for people’s good. It is His servant or “minister” in carrying out that
purpose. The Greek term rendered servant is the word sometimes translated
“deacon.” Here it has the idea that government implements God’s
commission to act in people’s best interests. If believers conducted did evil
or wrong, however, they had good reason to be afraid. The government
had authority to punish disobedient or rebellious citizens. The phrase carry
the sword has the sense of government’s having the power to enforce its
regulations for acceptable conduct. One interpretation of the phrase is that
it indicates government’s right to inflict capital punishment. An alternate
view is that the phrase does not apply exclusively to execution but includes
lesser penalties and perhaps the fear the sword instills.
Paul maintained that God commissioned government to be His avenger
—to exact penalty for wrongdoing. Government acted on God’s behalf in
dispensing judicial punishment on people who rebelled against it. Ideally, it
functioned to restrain evil. The word wrath has the sense of judgment or
condemnation. Government has authority to pass sentence on wrongdoers.

VERSE 5

Therefore, you must submit, not only because of wrath, but

also because of your conscience.
Paul again commanded that Christians obey government’s mandates. Note
the exception discussed in the comments on Romans 13:2. The apostle gave
two reasons for such obedience: (1) because of government’s authority to
judge and punish wrongdoers and (2) because of conscience. The word
conscience refers to believers’ moral judgment, their sense of right and
wrong, their Spirit-empowered ability to distinguish between good and bad.
Believers’ newness of life involved doing what was right.

VERSE 6

And for this reason you pay taxes, since the authorities are
God’s public servants, continually attending to these tasks.
Paul turned to specific duties Christians had as citizens. The phrase for this
reason may connect what follows with Paul’s presentation in Romans 13:1-
5. It could refer specifically to his directive in Romans 13:5 that believers
obey their government because of possible punishment for bad conduct and
because of their consciences. Paying taxes was an expression of believers’
obedience to governmental authorities. In addition to the reasons stated in
Romans 13:5, believers paid taxes because the authorities were God’s
public servants. The Greek term rendered taxes referred especially to
annual taxes such as those on land. The Greek term translated public
servants is used, along with related terms, to refer to service to God and
sometimes to the highest kinds of ministry in worshiping God (see Luke
1:23, where the term is used of Zechariah’s priestly service). Paul may have
indicated that rulers were discharging a divinely commissioned service.

VERSE 7

Pay your obligations to everyone: taxes to those you owe

taxes, tolls to those you owe tolls, respect to those you owe
respect, and honor to those you owe honor.
Paul commanded believers to pay their obligations to everyone. The word
everyone in this context most likely refers to governmental authorities. The
Greek term rendered pay has the sense of rendering what is due. Believers
were to fulfill their duties to people in authority. The word taxes referred to
direct taxes such as those levied on houses, lands, and individuals (a poll
tax). Tolls were indirect taxes levied on goods, such as a customs tax.
Believers were to respect or “reverence” and honor people in authority, not
primarily because of their power and prestige but because they were God’s
representatives, ministers for people’s good.
I once watched a movie about racketeering in the United States. In one
scene I observed an accused mobster answering questions before a
congressional panel. In response to a question concerning what he
contributed as an American citizen, he responded rather lamely that he paid
his taxes. The accused mobster evidently considered that payment to be the
extent of his duty to his government. You and I know paying taxes is only
part of our responsibilities as citizens. We are to abide by the laws of the
land, to seek to change unfair laws by peaceful means, to take part in
electing officials or even be candidates for office, and to assist others who
are underprivileged. For Christians, good citizenship is not an option; it is a
requirement.
Paul called on believers in Rome to recognize government’s God-given
authority, to do what was right, and to respect as well as support the
government. Today, high-quality behavior as Christians involves being
responsible citizens who do what is right, including paying our taxes.

EXPLORE FURTHER

Do you think Christians should engage in civil disobedience? If not, why

not? If so, in what situations would you disobey government regulations
or policies?

2. AS A NEIGHBOR (Rom. 13:8-10)

VERSE 8

Do not owe anyone anything, except to love one another, for

the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.
Paul moved from the area of believers’ obligations to government to address
their overarching responsibility to one another and to people outside the
Christian community. Interpreters have understood Paul’s statement do
not owe anyone anything variously as forbidding any debt, encouraging
payment of all debts, and emphasizing the obligation to love others. Paul
did not forbid borrowing to meet needs. Also, he probably cautioned against
rashly and easily incurring debt. Believers were to be diligent in repaying all
debts promptly. Primarily, however, Paul stressed Christians’ obligation to
love others. Believers were to allow only this debt to remain outstanding;
they could never pay it off. They were to go on owing others the
demonstration of love. The Greek word for love Paul used was the
distinctive Christian term for God’s kind of love—self-giving, sacrificial,
determined good will that acted for others’ best interests.
The phrase one another may refer primarily to other believers, but it also
encompasses people outside the community of faith. The reason love is
vitally important is that the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.
In the Greek text, the term another literally can be rendered “the other” and
indicates another person of a different kind. Translators and interpreters
have taken the phrase to mean “fellowman” and “neighbor.” Paul may have
referred to Jesus’ summary of the law in which He quoted Leviticus 19:18:
“Love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:31). If so, a believer’s neighbor
was anyone the Christian encountered who was in need (see Luke 10:25-
37). Christians’ love is not to be confined to people who are like them or
who respond favorably to them. It includes others who are markedly
different.
Paul declared that a believer who extended ongoing love for others has
fulfilled the law. The phrase has fulfilled expresses completed action; it
conveys the sense that the Christian’s love for others meets the law’s
requirements. Extending love accomplishes the law’s purpose concerning
relationships with others.

VERSE 9

The commandments: Do not commit adultery; do not

murder; do not steal; do not covet; and whatever other
commandment—all are summed up by this: Love your
neighbor as yourself.
With the exception of the Commandment not to give false witness, Paul
quoted Exodus 20:13-17 (Deut. 5:17-21), the law’s second table that deals
with how people are to relate to one another. His point was that love for
others met these requirements. Christian love involves both respect and
restraint. It issues in faithfulness to spouses and thus excludes adultery.
Love seeks others’ best interests and thus never entertains even the
thought of murder. Love builds up; it does not destroy. Rather than steal
others’ property, love gives sacrificially. Instead of wanting what others’
have, love shares what it has. In summary, Paul stated that all the
Commandments are summed up in the one command: Love your
neighbor as yourself. In a real sense, all the Commandments related to our
dealings with other people can be reduced to the demand to love others.

VERSE 10

Love does no wrong to a neighbor. Love, therefore, is the

fulfillment of the law.
Paul summed up how love meets the law’s requirements concerning
relationships with others: Love does no wrong to a neighbor. Love seeks
others’ well-being; thus, it will not treat them badly. The Greek word
rendered wrong can have the sense of moral evil, injury, or harm. Love will
not inflict suffering on others. Thus, love fills up the law; it’s the full or
complete performance of the law.
Paul insisted that Christians pay their debts and love one another. He
stressed that Old Testament commands related to doing no wrong to their
neighbors can be summarized in one command: They were to love their
neighbors.
I have an across-the-street neighbor who is a consistent example of what
Paul had in mind when he urged believers in Rome to love their neighbors.
My neighbor is one of those people who can repair anything from small
motors to household conveniences to automobiles. As I have indicated, to
say I am mechanically limited is an understatement. Thus, I have beaten a
path from my house to his with frequent requests for his help with
problems I have encountered. He always responds with cheerful goodwill.
He is a constant reminder that although I cannot do the range of things he
does for others, I can and must act in good will to help meet others’ needs—
spiritual as well as physical. High-quality behavior as Christians involves our
being good to our neighbors. Our neighbors are people we encounter who
are in need—the people in our paths.

EXPLORE FURTHER

Read the article entitled “Neighbor” in the Holman Illustrated Bible

Dictionary, page 1185. What is your definition of a neighbor? Who are
some neighbors who are different from you to whom you can extend
love?

3. AS TIMES REQUIRE (Rom. 13:11-14)

VERSE 11

Besides this, knowing the time, it is already the hour for you
to wake up from sleep, for now our salvation is nearer than
when we first believed.
With the phrase besides this, Paul introduced another reason believers
were to love neighbors and thus fulfill the law. His words express a sense of
urgency. He reminded Christians they lived in a critical time. Believers were
to be keenly aware of the significance of the time. The Greek language had
two words for time. One term had the sense of chronological time—time
measured by hours, days, months, and years. The second word, which Paul
used here, conveys the idea of a fitting, opportune, or suitable season. It
refers to the spiritual significance of a period of time. Paul stressed the
crucial nature of the period in which he and the believers in Rome lived—
the era preceding Christ’s return.
The apostle pointed out the hour or “moment” had arrived for believers
to wake up from sleep—to rise up from spiritual lethargy. They needed to
be alert and active. A clear realization was to motivate them—their
salvation was nearer than when they first believed or committed
themselves to Christ in faith. The word salvation here refers to the
completion or fulfillment of their salvation at Christ’s return.
To Paul and other early Christians, Jesus’ ministry, death, and
resurrection had ushered in the last days, an interval between His ascension
and His return. This interval of indefinite duration is God’s gracious
provision of time and opportunity for people to hear the gospel and place
their faith in Christ. Every passing day brings closer the moment when
Christ will return, the curtain will come down on history’s final act, and
God’s kingdom will come in its fullness. As believers move steadily toward
that climactic moment, they are to be busy in their Master’s service and
awake to opportunities to impact people for Him.

VERSE 12

The night is nearly over, and the daylight is near, so let us

discard the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.
Paul may have used the images of night and daylight for the overlapping
ages in which Christians lived. The present age (the night) characterized by
evil was passing away. The new age of God’s fully realized kingdom (the
daylight) was dawning. A slightly different approach is that night refers to
Christ’s physical absence and daylight alludes to His return. Both views
stress that believers live in the tension between the now and the not yet.
Believers in Paul’s age lived in expectancy of Christ’s return. Christians
today are to live in that expectancy.
Because of Christ’s impending return, believers were to discard the
deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. The Greek term
rendered discard means “to take off” as a person would remove clothing. The
deeds or “works” of darkness to be renounced were practices that marked
the present evil age—dark deeds that would not stand the light of day.
 Believers were to shed night clothes for the armor of light. Newness of life
in Christ included a call to the battle against evil. Several times in his letters
Paul employed the images of Christians’ armor and weapons for spiritual
warfare (see Rom. 6:13; 2 Cor. 6:7; 1 Thess. 5:8). In Ephesians 6:13-17 he
itemized believers’ spiritual armor that would enable them to be victorious
in the battle against evil. The phrase the armor of light may refer to Christian
virtues and practices that can stand the light of day.

VERSE 13

Let us walk with decency, as in the daylight: not in carousing

and drunkenness; not in sexual impurity and promiscuity;
not in quarreling and jealousy.
Paul urged believers to walk with decency, as in the daylight. The word
walk means “live” and refers to manner of life. The Greek term rendered
with decency has the idea of honorable speech and conduct. Believers’
behavior was to be of such high quality that people who watched them
would be impressed favorably by their newness of life in Christ.
Paul presented a list of six sins of unacceptable behavior that belonged to
the night or darkness and that Christians were to discard (13:12-13). Why
did he choose these specific sins? One suggestion is that they were common
among pagans across the Roman Empire and perhaps particularly in the
Empire’s capital city. They certainly were practiced widely in Corinth, the
city from which Paul was writing. Paul listed the six sins in three pairs that
had to do with intemperance, moral impurity, and conflict or strife.
The word carousing means “reveling” and was used generally for feasts
and lengthy drinking parties. Such parties produced drunkenness. The
Greek term translated sexual impurity refers to unlawful sexual activity.
The word promiscuity has the idea of shameless, indecent behavior, of
flaunting unlawful sexual excesses. The term quarreling also means
“discord,” “strife,” or “contention.” It conveys the idea of a competitive spirit
that seeks to be first and that strives for power and position. It is the exact
opposite of Christian love. The Greek word rendered jealousy means “zeal”
and can have a good or a bad sense. In the context of Romans 13:13, it has
the idea of begrudging others’ honors, positions, or possessions. People who
envy others are not content with what they have and jealously want what
others have. A competitive spirit and jealousy issue from evil ambition.
Paul included both actions and attitudes in his list of “deeds of darkness”
(13:12). High-quality Christian behavior involves Christlike attitudes as well
as exemplary actions.

VERSE 14

But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no plans to

satisfy the fleshly desires.
With the word but, Paul introduced a sharp contrast to the pagan behavior
he listed in Romans 13:13. As a decisive act, Christians were to put on the
Lord Jesus Christ as their armor in spiritual warfare (see 13:12).The
apostle used his customary full designation for Christ. Lord expressed His
Deity; Jesus referred to His role as Savior; Christ identified Him as the
Messiah, God’s promised Deliverer. To put on Christ was to reproduce His
character traits—to have His attitude or disposition, His mind-set (see Phil.
2:5-11). It also involved following the model of His behavior or habits.
Believers were to express outwardly the new life they had experienced
within.
Paul directed believers to make no plans to satisfy the fleshly desires.
They were not to satisfy the unbridled desires that belonged to the sphere
ruled by evil in which they formerly lived. The phrase fleshly desires includes
anything that is corrupt, not only sensual sins.
Paul described the time in which he lived as crucial. He called for believers
to forsake common pagan practices of that era and to demonstrate Christ’s
character. I am convinced that Christians today live in an increasingly pagan
society. Moral purity, decency, self-discipline, and selflessness are becoming
increasingly rare. Sexual immorality, shameless disregard for high standards
of behavior, insistence on excess, and self-seeking competitiveness are on
the rise. We live in a critical time that calls for high-quality Christian
behavior. Such behavior involves adhering to high ethical standards because
of who our Lord is.
Years ago, when our children were small, our daughter sometimes would
seize opportunities to mother-hen her younger brother. When she was
about four and he was two-and-one-half, she often would monitor his
conduct. When he became somewhat rambunctious, she would admonish:
“Jeff, ‘hav youself!” She was giving an order she had received many times.
Paul’s imperative to first-century believers remains timeless. His directive
comes to us with the authority of the God who inspired it, and it applies to
every one of us: “Behave yourself!”

EXPLORE FURTHER

Write a description of what you consider to be high-quality behavior.

What are some examples of people today who demonstrate high-quality
behavior? How do they exhibit such behavior?
 Session 11 > Romans 14:1-12

DO YOU SHOW RESPECT TO

OTHERS?

INTRODUCTION
A number of years ago, I bought a cassette tape that features instrumentals
and vocals by two outstanding guitarists of different ages and musical
genres. One, now deceased, was arguably the greatest guitarist the field of
country music has produced. The other is still a renowned rock musician.
The unlikely duo collaborated on a wide range of compositions. On one
song, they trade good-natured gibes as they play flawlessly. Patently obvious
is that they are having a good time, enjoying what they are doing. At one
point, the younger rock guitarist does an outstanding segment on a song.
The country music legend admonishes him gently not to make him look bad
but to have respect for his elders.
I still play the tape every so often on my now-antiquated radio/tape
player. Almost every time I hear the older guitarist’s tongue-in-cheek
comment, “Respect your elders,” my mind goes back to my early childhood
and the lesson my parents drummed into me: I was to be respectful and
mannerly toward my elders. Now “I are one,” and I still am under the
Christian obligation to show respect for people of all ages. To a certain
extent, I must have a measure of respect for others whether or not they
earn it. In some cases, I must respect leadership offices or roles whether or
not I can respect the leaders. I am convinced that respect and its partner,
common decency or courtesy, are fast disappearing qualities in an
increasingly self-centered, me-first society. Christians are to set the pace in
restoring these qualities by demonstrating respect, especially for one
another.
Believers are to obey the biblical mandate to respect one another. For
them to show respect for one another should be natural—one expression of
the newness of life they experience in Christ. Even so, demonstrating
respect is not always easy. For example, showing respect to believers who,
for whatever reason, we do not even like or who do not demonstrate respect
for us is not easy. Nor can we easily show respect to Christians who do not
behave as we think believers should, who hold to what we would call weak
or poor theology, or who seem to participate in church activities in the
interest of gaining power rather than of serving. Also, showing respect to
Christians whose worship preferences or political views do not echo ours
may not be easy. Yet when we do show respect to all believers, we open the
door to understanding them better and perhaps to teaching them or to
learning from them. Regardless, other Christians deserve our respect.
This lesson’s Scripture passage is about not criticizing other Christians for
how they understand the gospel. The emphasis is on showing respect to
believers we do not view as strong Christians. The lesson encourages adults
to demonstrate respect for other believers.

Romans 14:1-12
1. Doesn’t God Respect Them? (Rom. 14:1-4)
2. Didn’t Christ Die for Them? (Rom. 14:5-9)
3. Aren’t They Family? (Rom. 14:10a)
4. Aren’t We Accountable to God? (Rom. 14:10b-12)

UNDERSTAND THE CONTEXT

Paul and other New Testament writers emphasized that believers’ conduct
or lifestyle was to reflect Christ’s character. They were to relate to non-
Christians in ways that honored Christ and gained a hearing for the gospel.
Believers were to interact with other believers in a manner that built up one
another. In Romans 13, Paul stressed that Christians were to exhibit high-
quality behavior as citizens and as neighbors. He emphasized that the
critical time in which they lived demanded such conduct.
Perhaps to head off or to calm unrest concerning governmental
requirements, Paul urged Christians in Rome to obey their government’s
regulations. God instituted government for people’s good; it was His
servant; and rulers’ authority came from Him. Thus, believers were not to
oppose their civic leaders. Believers’ obedience would remove fear of rulers’
reprisal and would earn the leaders’ commendation. Christians were to be
good citizens to avoid judicial penalty and because of a good conscience—a
Spirit-empowered understanding of right and wrong. Part of good
citizenship was paying the various taxes necessary to provide benefits and
respecting government leaders (Rom. 13:1-7).
In Romans 13:8-10, Paul admonished Christians to relate in love to other
believers and to people who differed from them. He emphasized that love
for neighbors—determined good will extended to all people whom believers
met in the traffic of daily life—was the only unpaid debt Christians were to
have. It was the one debt they could never pay off in full. The apostle
quoted part of the Ten Commandments’ second table to assert that love for
others fulfilled the laws of relationship. Paul stated that one command
summed up this law: “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Lev. 19:18).
Negatively, love would do no harm to others; positively, love would act in
others’ best interests.
Paul exhorted believers to recognize the crucial nature of the time in
which they lived. In light of Christ’s return and the completion of their
salvation, they were to be alert and active. Every passing day brought them
nearer to the fulfillment of God’s kingdom. That truth called for them to be
at their best in graceful, appealing behavior. Paul listed six sins believers
were to discard—works of darkness that marked the sphere ruled by evil.
Instead of planning to satisfy evil desires, they were to have and display
Christ’s character traits—the necessary spiritual armor in their warfare
against evil (Rom. 13:11-14).

EXPLORE THE TEXT

1. DOESN’T GOD RESPECT THEM? (Rom. 14:1-4)
VERSE 1

Accept anyone who is weak in faith, but don’t argue about

doubtful issues.
One major source of tension among early believers was disagreement about
what constituted true Christianity. The gospel’s demand was that they
believe and behave, but what were the proper beliefs and permissible
practices? Convictions differed, so how was unity to be maintained? Did
harmony demand total uniformity of doctrine and practice?
Early in Paul’s ministry, Jewish Christian teachers came behind him to
places he had established churches. These false teachers insisted that
Gentile converts had to become Jewish proselytes to be genuine Christians.
Male converts had to be circumcised, and all Gentile believers had to follow
Jewish rules. Paul resolutely insisted that faith in Christ alone, with nothing
added, was necessary for salvation. His Letter to the Galatians constitutes
his strong defense of the gospel of salvation by grace through faith unmixed
with works of the law.
Evidently some Jewish Christians had difficulty letting go of familiar and
long-observed regulations and rituals. This difficulty was part of the
problem Paul addressed in the Colossian church (see Col. 2:16-23). On the
other hand, some believers—particularly Gentile converts—saw no need to
adhere to Jewish observances. That difference probably was a factor in the
tension among Christians in Rome.
Interpreters have offered various suggestions concerning the identity of
the group Paul termed the weak in faith. These believers may have held
onto some Jewish practices as well as some ideas promoted by false
teachers. Another view is that these Christians adhered to a mixture of
Jewish practices as well as some holdovers from their pagan background.
Still other scholars view these believers as Christians with a background in
Judaism who struggled with how to apply their faith. Whatever constituted
the basis of the conflicting views, Christians with varying convictions
needed to live and work together in harmony for the sake of Christ’s cause
and the church’s health. In Romans 14:1-12, Paul addressed the issue of
conflicting opinions and presented mutual respect as a key to unity.
Paul urged more spiritually mature believers to accept anyone who was
weak in faith. The Greek term rendered accept is a command that means
“receive kindly or hospitably” or “take as a friend.” It has the sense of
offering and maintaining fellowship. It conveys the idea of showing respect.
The phrase weak in faith described believers who were immature spiritually.
They did not have a firm grasp of the truth that the gospel freed them from
legalistic and ascetic practices. They may have continued these practices
under the false assumption that they could make their salvation more
certain.
Paul called for a healthy tolerance of believers with differing convictions,
and he warned against arguing about doubtful issues. The phrase doubtful
issues renders a Greek term that means “inward reasonings” or “opinions.”
The word can refer to matters of scruples, doubts, or even motives. It does
not refer to the basics of the gospel such as salvation by faith.
Conflict concerning food choices is not a problem among believers today.
Other matters of conviction, however, are points of contention. As
mentioned in the introduction to this lesson, such strongly held opinions
include worship-style preferences and political views. In these areas where
differences may legitimately exist within the Christian faith, Christians are
to respect one another.
Believers in Rome were not to judge one another’s views on matters that
ultimately were not significant. Implied in Paul’s directive was that the
strong or more spiritually mature believers’ motive in welcoming weaker or
spiritually immature Christians into fellowship was not to be to correct the
latter’s views. Christian fellowship must not be based on adopting a
prevailing view on inconsequential matters.

VERSE 2

One person believes he may eat anything, but one who is

weak eats only vegetables.
One area of conflict focused on diet—what foods were proper for believers
to eat. The more mature believers understood that faith in Christ had freed
them from legalistic requirements concerning food (see Mark 7:18-19).
Thus, they could eat anything. Because Jewish kosher laws no longer
applied, they could eat a wide range of meats, grains, fruits, and vegetables.
Others (the weaker in the faith), however, believed strongly that Christians
should eat only vegetables. Paul may have referred to a group of
vegetarians in the church in Rome, who refused to eat meat offered to an
idol or who followed Jewish dietary regulations. They may have feared the
animals had not been slaughtered properly according to Jewish dietary
standards. At any rate, the situation concerned a matter that had no great
significance. The issue was trivial.

VERSE 3

One who eats must not look down on one who does not eat,
and one who does not eat must not criticize one who does,
because God has accepted him.
Christians who believed they could “eat anything” (Rom. 14:2) were not to
look down on those who did not eat meat. The Greek word translated look
down on is a strong term that means “to despise” or “to treat with contempt
and scorn.” Note that although Paul was mature in his faith, he did not side
with the stronger Christians in Rome and chide immature believers for their
strict diets. For the sake of the church’s unity, he wanted spiritually mature
believers to respect the more immature Christians’ convictions. The
stronger believers did not have to adopt the weaker Christians’ practices,
but neither were they to treat the more immature believers with disdain.
Paul admonished the vegetarians not to criticize church members who
ate a wide range of foods. The Greek term rendered criticize means “to
judge” in the sense of censuring or condemning. Paul stressed that God had
accepted the believers with unrestricted diets. The Greek term rendered
accepted is a form of the word Paul used in Romans 14:1 for welcoming
immature believers into fellowship. Because God had warmly received into
His family believers who ate meat—even as He had welcomed vegetarians
—the vegetarians were to extend fellowship.
Note that both contempt on the stronger believers’ part and censure as
the immature believers’ response were close kin to pride. The stronger felt
superior in their freedom; the weaker felt qualified to judge other believers’
conduct. Both attitudes threatened the church’s fellowship. Paul pointed
out that as members of God’s kingdom, Christians with differing
convictions about nonessential matters were to exercise forbearance or
patience. God had not based His acceptance of any of them on what they
ate. Why should diet be a divisive factor in how they related to one another?
The importance of respect has been highlighted in a negative, destructive
way in recent years. Some people in our society react violently when they
feel others have disrespected them. One of the things I do to try to stay
mentally sharp is work crossword puzzles. Sometimes the word called for is
street slang for conveying insult. The term is dis, short for showing
disrespect. While feeling that we have been “dissed” may sometimes be
synonymous with oversensitivity, it nevertheless underlines our common
need to feel respected. We should have a level of respect for all people
because they bear God’s image, however faintly some may do so. We
especially are to respect other believers because God has accepted them.

VERSE 4

Who are you to criticize another’s household slave? Before

his own Lord he stands or falls. And he will stand. For the
Lord is able to make him stand.
Paul continued to address the more immature believers. With a rhetorical
question, he called attention to a recognized principle: No one has the right
to meddle in someone else’s domestic affairs. To condemn or censure
another person’s household slave was an arrogant, presumptuous act. The
domestic servant answered only to his or her master. Paul applied the
principle to believers’ relationship with Christ. The statement before his
own Lord he stands or falls applies a human master’s authority to
evaluate his servant to Christ’s exclusive right and ability to judge. The
Christian who exercised freedom concerning foods would stand; that is,
Christ would affirm the quality of his or her service and integrity of
character. Christ has the power to enable the more mature Christians, as
well as the weaker believers, to serve Him acceptably.
In Romans 14:1-4 Paul addressed groups in the church in Rome who held
conflicting convictions. Though some believers were stronger in faith and
others were weaker, all served God and God had accepted them. Thus, all
Christians were to accept one another. They were not to look down on or
criticize one another. Today, we are to show respect to other Christians
because God respects them.
The basics of the gospel are supremely important and are not to be
compromised. They matter. Christ’s life of service, atoning death, and
resurrection to life are nonnegotiable. So is salvation by grace through faith
in Christ—redemption and right relationship with God as His gift with its
accompanying demand for right living. On the other hand some viewpoints
and convictions are of no real consequence. Contending for divergent views
about nonessentials is divisive; respecting believers who hold them builds
and strengthens relationships.

EXPLORE FURTHER

How would you define the word respect? In what ways do you try to
show consideration or courteous regard for other Christians with whom
you disagree?

2. DIDN’T CHRIST DIE FOR THEM? (Rom. 14:5-9)

VERSE 5

One person considers one day to be above another day.

Someone else considers every day to be the same. Each one
must be fully convinced in his own mind.
Paul turned his attention to a second point of conflict among believers in
Rome. Some (Christians who were more immature spiritually) considered
one day to be above another day. The Greek word translated considers
can mean “judges” in the sense of condemning (see Rom. 14:4, where it is
translated “criticize”), but here it has the idea of preference, of approval or
esteem. Several suggestions have been offered concerning the differences in
opinions about special or sacred days: (1) whether festival days prescribed in
the Old Testament ceremonial laws, especially the Sabbath, should be
observed; (2) whether believers should observe the Sabbath or the Lord’s
Day; and (3) whether fasting was required on certain days.
Other believers (stronger or more spiritually mature Christians) believed
every day to be the same. Most likely, Paul meant that these believers
preferred to view every day as sacred—a day to be celebrated as God‘s gift
and to be lived for the Lord in obedient service. Thus, such Christians gave
little credence to observing special days.
 Again, rather than take sides or prescribe a set of hard-and-fast rules (see
Rom. 14:1-3), Paul gave guidelines designed to create or maintain harmony
in the church. He declared that each believer was to be guided by
conscience. The phrase fully convinced (assured) in his own mind has the
force of reasoned, honest opinion according to the revelation each person
had received.
Early in my ministerial journey, I received the opportunity to preach in a
pastor’s absence. After the morning worship service, I went with a family to
their home for lunch. After the meal, we relaxed in the family’s den. I
wanted to watch a championship football game on television, but when
game time arrived no one made a move to turn on the TV. I asked whether
we might watch the game. The husband responded that the family did not
watch television on Sunday, but he would turn the set on for me. I always
have been grateful that I immediately declined his offer. I was a guest in his
home, and I would respect his conviction concerning Sunday television. I
did not share his view, but he had every right to hold it. I am not suggesting
he was the weaker Christian and I was the stronger; I simply did not wish to
impose my view on him. My anguish over missing the game was a small
price to pay for not running roughshod over his family’s conviction and
practice.
Paul was consistent in his approach to the causes of tension among the
Christians in Rome. As he did in the case of the conflict concerning foods,
Paul stressed that individual conscience, not forced conformity, was the
guideline concerning special days. This principle was the key to fellowship
and harmonious service. The guideline was unity in diversity, not coerced
agreement on nonessential matters.

VERSE 6

Whoever observes the day, observes it for the honor of the

Lord. Whoever eats, eats for the Lord, since he gives thanks
to God; and whoever does not eat, it is for the Lord that he
does not eat it, yet he thanks God.
Paul pointed to an underlying truth that should have produced a healthy
tolerance among believers with differing convictions. Whoever observed
the day did so for the honor of the Lord. One suggestion is that Paul here
referred to some believers who observed the Sabbath and to other believers
who observed the first day of the week—the day on which Jesus was raised.
Whatever day Christians regarded as special, they did so in good conscience
out of reverence for Christ.
The more mature believers who ate a wide variety of foods did so out of
conscience in a spirit of respect for the Lord (Christ) and with gratitude to
God. The phrase gives thanks to God may refer to a “blessing” or “grace”
before a meal. In like manner, believers who observed Jewish food laws did
so out of conscience and reverence for Christ, giving thanks to God for His
provision. Thus all Christians had the same purpose in their practices. They
wanted to please Christ.

VERSE 7

For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself.

Paul’s statement none of us lives to himself means believers are
accountable to Christ for how they live. He is present and observes their
behavior and service. Included may be an implied warning against self-
centered living and an arrogant sense of self-sufficiency. A valid inference is
that Christians’ lives affect others; thus believers are responsible for their
impact on other Christians and on unbelievers.
Paul’s assurance that no one dies to himself referred to death’s failure to
severe believers’ relationship with Christ. The Lord is present in our lives,
and He is present at our deaths. Having lived for Him in obedient service,
we will die held securely in His love and grace (see Rom. 8:38-39).

VERSE 8

If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the
Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we belong to the
Lord.
Paul reinforced his statement in Romans 14:7. Believers lived in Christ’s
sight, answerable to Him. If they died, they still belonged to Him. The
overarching guideline for Christian living was—and is—relationship with
Christ. That relationship dictated believers’ conduct and extended beyond
death. In life and in death, believers were Christ’s possessions—His
servants. Because all Christians belonged to Christ and were His servants,
none had the right to question other believers’ convictions in nonessential
matters.

VERSE 9

Christ died and came to life for this: that He might rule over
both the dead and the living.
The purpose of Christ’s atoning death and resurrection was that He might
rule over both the dead and the living. Christ’s death and resurrection
established His right to be Lord of the dead and the living. Because or on
account of His voluntary death on behalf of sinners He is Lord of the dead;
because of His resurrection He is Lord of the living. Believers who had died
still were subject to Him in eternity. Believers still living served under His
lordship. The power of His resurrection life enabled them to live “for” Him
(14:8).
After identifying some contrasting views Christians held, Paul stressed
that all of life belongs to God and that Christ died for all who would place
faith in Him. We are to show respect to other believers because Christ died
for them.

EXPLORE FURTHER

How does reminding yourself Christ died for other Christians as He did
 for you help you show respect to those with whom you disagree? Do
you think He values spiritually advanced believers more than He does
immature Christians? Why or why not?

3. AREN’T THEY FAMILY? (Rom. 14:10a)

VERSE 10a

But you, why do you criticize your brother? Or you, why do

you look down on your brother?
This partial verse concludes Romans 14:5-9 and introduces verses 10b-12.
With two sobering questions, Paul addressed believers who held conflicting
views about diet and special days. Why did the more immature or weaker
Christian criticize or “censure” his brother? The apostle turned to the
more mature believer and asked why he looked down on or “treated with
contempt” his brother. Pointedly, the apostle reminded both groups they
were brothers in God’s family, related by grace. Because God welcomed
them into His family as His children, they should not deal harshly with one
another. They should treat one another with love, kindness, and respect.
In condemning both criticizing and looking down on other Christians,
Paul twice used the term brother, which not only emphasized their
relationship in God’s family but also implied a caution. Both groups should
refrain from judging one another because they all bore Christ’s name. We
are to show respect to other Christians because they are valued members of
God’s family.

EXPLORE FURTHER

Read and meditate on the hymn entitled “Believers All, We Bear the
Name” (No. 399, The Baptist Hymnal, 1991). Give special attention to
 stanza 3. What do you think the words “We offer outstretched hands to
all within the bonds of faith” mean? In what ways do you do so?

4. AREN’T WE ACCOUNTABLE TO GOD? (Rom. 14:10b-12)

VERSE 10b

For we will all stand before the tribunal of God.

Paul had given reasons the Christians in Rome should not treat one another
with contempt or censure. They all were acting on their convictions to
honor Christ (Rom. 14:6). They lived in Christ’s presence and were
accountable to Him. God had welcomed them all into his family, and they
were related as His children; thus, they were to demonstrate mutual respect
(14:10a).
In Romans 14:10b, the apostle gave the strongest reason believers were to
cease their conflict over unimportant religious matters: They all would
stand before the tribunal of God. The Greek term rendered tribunal
means “an elevated place ascended by steps” and was used of a judge’s
official seat. Paul used the familiar image to refer to God’s judgment seat.
The future tense, will stand before, points to the final judgment at the end of
time, when Christians will answer for their lives’ productivity for Christ. The
judgment Paul had in mind will concern believers’ quality of life, not
whether they are saved.
Paul clearly taught that Christians will be judged. In 2 Corinthians 5:10,
he wrote that all believers will stand before Christ’s judgment seat to receive
what is due them for their actions, good or bad.
Paul’s strong warning might be loosely paraphrased as follows: “Think
about the moment in the future when you will stand before the One who
gave His life for you—your Lord. How will you explain your contempt for or
your harsh judgment of one another? What possible reason for your
behavior will stand up in His court?”
VERSE 11

For it is written: As I live, says the Lord, every knee will bow
to Me, and every tongue will give praise to God.
Paul combined words from Isaiah 49:18 and 45:23 to reinforce the certainty
of believers’ future judgment. The phrase as I live is an oath. Believers will
stand before the crucified, resurrected Christ. At that time, everyone will
worship Him (see Phil. 2:10-11).

VERSE 12

So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.

Paul’s emphatic conclusion was that each Christian will give an account of
himself to God. For Christians to judge one another over insignificant
matters was presumptuous; it was to seek to exercise God’s prerogative.
God, not believers, will render ultimate judgment. Every believer will answer
for himself or herself, not for someone else. No Christian will be called as a
witness against another. Implied in the phrase will give an account of himself
is believers’ need to evaluate or judge themselves in the present.
What kind of questions do you think God will ask as believers stand
before Him? My favorite professor of New Testament in seminary felt that
we will be surprised, though we should not be. We have been given the
answer ahead of time. A key question will address how we treated others.
How did we respond to the needs of “the least” of Christ’s brothers (Matt.
25:40)? I have an idea that hard on the heels of that question will be one kin
to it: “How did you relate to other believers?” Will we be able to answer,
“With love and respect”?
Paul stressed that Christians will have to give an account to God for their
actions. In light of that sober truth, we are to respect other Christians, for
we will answer concerning how we treated one another.
A comedian quite popular a number of years ago often lamented during
his act, “I don’t get no respect.” His jokes at his expense were funny. In real
life, however, being slighted or brushed-off as not worth serious
consideration is not humorous. In the community of faith, believers build
up one another by showing respect. At the final judgment how do you think
God will evaluate your conduct? How can you be in the process of preparing
for that moment?

EXPLORE FURTHER

List reasons Christians should show respect for other believers. Circle
reasons you need to accept more completely.
 Session 12 > Romans 14:13-23

DO YOU STRIVE FOR PEACE WITH

OTHERS?

INTRODUCTION
I grew up in a small town that had one movie theater. In my preteen years, I
always eagerly looked forward to Saturday afternoons. With a quarter for a
ticket and for popcorn and a soft drink, I reveled in an afternoon of sheer
entertainment. Invariably, the movie was a western starring one of a
plethora of cowboy heroes. He was easy to spot because he wore a white hat,
while the bad guys wore black ones. Six-guns shot twelve times without
reloading. Plenty of shooting took place, with bullets whining off rocks and
splintering door frames. Seldom did anyone get hit dead center; mostly,
victims were “winged” and could be patched up. Multiple fights occurred,
but the violence was not gory. Losers were none the worse for their
experiences and usually were up and going again in a miraculously brief
time. In the week following each Saturday, little boys in the community
emulated the movie’s star.
One of my favorite western heroes called himself “Wild Bill,” and he
consistently lived up to his name. He would ride into a town, and in
minutes bad guys would accost him, intent on doing him harm. Of course, I
knew they had miscalculated badly. He would dispatch two or three
opponents rather handily; and on being congratulated for his quick work, he
would smile and say something on the order of, “I’m sorry this happened.
I’m really a peaceable man.” The first time he said that, I was surprised and
puzzled for a few minutes. In light of the carnage he had wreaked, how
could he describe himself as peaceable? Then subsequent dialogue and
scenes made evident that he wanted to be at peace with everyone, but some
folks would not let him do so.
In Romans 12:18, Paul wrote: “If possible, on your part, live at peace with
everyone.” Believers could not control others’ attitudes, actions, and
responses; but as much as depended on them, they were to maintain
peaceful relationships with people around them. Their efforts to do so
would be a positive witness for the gospel. The apostle’s admonition
continues its relevance in our time.
In announcing Jesus’ birth to the shepherds, the heavenly host used the
phrase “peace on earth” (Luke 2:14). Sadly, except for the peace of God in
His people’s hearts, peace is not evident on the earth. Even sadder, it
sometimes is nonexistent between people who have placed their faith in
Jesus as Savior. Churches split into factions, members nurture grudges, and
believers hurl harmful words at one another. Many other examples could be
cited as evidence of the lack of peace among God‘s people. Why does so
much conflict exist among believers? Why are Christians not more
concerned about peace in their churches? Do they not realize that they are
to strive for peace with other believers and that these believers are to do the
same?
The Scripture passage that provides the basis for this lesson is about our
behaving in ways that will not cause other believers to stumble. The
emphasis is on behavior that promotes peace with others. The lesson
encourages adults to strive for peace with other Christians.

Romans 14:13-23
1. Ceasing Criticism (Rom. 14:13-15)
2. Pursuing Priorities (Rom. 14:16-18)
3. Helping Others Grow (Rom. 14:19-21)
4. Keeping Quiet (Rom. 14:22-23)
UNDERSTAND THE CONTEXT
In Romans 13:11-14, Paul exhorted believers to demonstrate grace-filled
behavior by divesting themselves of evil practices and exhibiting Christ’s
character. Their lifestyles were to contrast sharply with their pagan
environment. The apostle gave his directives a sense of urgency by
reminding them of Christ’s approaching return.
The apostle continued to make practical applications of believers’
salvation by grace through faith. Their right standing with God—His
undeserved, unearned gift—must issue in right living. Redemption had
significant implications concerning believers’ attitudes and actions toward
unbelievers and in their relationships with one another.
In Romans 14:1-12, Paul addressed a problem in the church that
threatened its unity. Two groups in the church held divergent views about
proper diet for believers and about celebration of special days. One group
evidently advocated adherence to strict laws regarding food and observance
of certain days on a religious calendar. To identify this group precisely is
difficult, but Jewish Christians likely held to rules and rituals that were
holdovers from their previous Jewish practices. Paul described these
believers as “weak in faith” or spiritually immature (Rom. 14:1). By
implication, the second group was stronger or more spiritually mature in
faith. The members of this second group realized that faith in Christ freed
them from legalism. They knew the Lord had made all foods clean (see Mark
7:19). Paul stated emphatically that stronger believers were not to treat
weaker believers with contempt, and the weaker believers were not to judge
and condemn the stronger ones. The apostle reminded the weaker ones that
only Christ was qualified to judge (Rom. 14:2-4).
Paul addressed the conflict concerning whether some days were to be
considered special in Romans 14:5-6. He stressed that conviction should be
based on Spirit-guided consciences. The more immature believers were free
to celebrate special days; the more mature Christians were free to consider
each day as sacred—a day to worship and serve Christ. After all, both
groups followed their consciences to honor Christ in how they celebrated
days and in what they ate.
In Romans 14:7-9, the apostle emphasized that believers lived and would
die in Christ’s presence and under His lordship. Both groups in tension
belonged to Him. Christ exercised supreme authority over Christians.
Christ’s death and resurrection established His right to be Lord of the dead
and the living. Because of His voluntary death on behalf of sinners He is
Lord of the dead; because of His resurrection He is Lord of the living.
Believers who had died still were subject to Him in eternity. Believers still
living served under His lordship.
Paul ended his case for healthy tolerance among believers concerning
insignificant matters (not the basics of the gospel or key doctrinal issues)
with a sober reminder. At some point in the future, all believers would
stand before God’s judgment seat. They would bow in worship and give
praise to Him. Then each believer would answer for his or her behavior and
service as a Christian. Not so subtly, Paul asserted that no one would be
asked to evaluate others (14:10-12).

EXPLORE THE TEXT

1. CEASING CRITICISM (Rom. 14:13-15)
VERSE 13

Therefore, let us no longer criticize one another. Instead

decide never to put a stumbling block or pitfall in your
brother’s way.
The word therefore connects what follows with Romans 14:1-12. It
particularly links Romans 14:13-23 with 14:10-12, where Paul wrote that
one day each believer would “stand before the tribunal of God” (14:10) and
would “give an account of himself” (14:12). At that time, believers would
not be given an opportunity to be critical of other Christians. Thus, they no
longer should criticize one another in the present. The Greek term
rendered criticize could be used in a number of ways. It could mean “to
separate or select,” “to approve or esteem,” “to be of the opinion or think,”
“to determine or resolve,” “to judge (in the sense of condemning),” “to rule,”
or “to dispute.” In Paul’s first sentence in Romans 14:13, he used the word
with the idea of harsh judgment or censure (see 14:3). The term’s tense in
Romans 14:13 has the force of “do not continue to criticize” or “stop
criticizing.” For the sake of the church’s harmony, the ongoing mutual
criticism had to come to a screeching halt.
Paul employed a play on words to urge an end of the tendency for
believers to judge one another harshly. Likely, he addressed the more
mature Christians at this point. The Greek word translated decide is a form
of the same term rendered criticize. Instead of censuring one another,
Christians were to resolve or determine to avoid harming other believers.
The phrase stumbling block is related to a verb meaning “to strike (the
foot) against” and thus “to stumble.” The term rendered pitfall originally
had the sense of a snare’s trigger stick and came to mean an impediment or
a trap placed in someone’s way. Paul used the words to indicate a hindrance
to faith. Stronger Christians were not to place in weaker believers’ paths
examples of conduct that would create occasions for sinning.
The phrase in your brother’s way emphasized believers’ bond of
fellowship and responsibility for one another. They were related by grace.
Thus, they were to avoid injuring one another spiritually.

VERSE 14

(I know and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus that nothing is

unclean in itself. Still, to someone who considers a thing to
be unclean, to that one it is unclean.)
Paul took his stance with the more mature Christians on the matter of rules
concerning food that was permissible to eat. The words I know and am
persuaded emphasize his strong, settled conviction. The phrase by the
Lord Jesus indicates Paul did not arrive at his conviction through
reasoning but in his relationship with Jesus. The apostle may have known
about Jesus’ words in Mark 7:14-23, or he may have meant that his view
arose from and was consistent with his union with Christ.
Paul was convinced that nothing was unclean in itself. We must be
careful in interpreting these words. We have to keep in mind that he was
addressing secondary, nonessential factors. He was not advocating that
believers were free to do anything they considered OK for them. As the
apostle had indicated earlier, some acts and attitudes were—and are—
definitely wrong (see Rom. 13:13).
In themselves, foods were not evil, but not all believers held this
conviction. Some were convinced certain foods were unclean—impure or
defiled in the Levitical sense. Their consciences had not become enlightened
on this matter but dictated that they abstain from foods Jewish regulations
excluded. Thus, to eat these foods would violate their consciences.

VERSE 15

For if your brother is hurt by what you eat, you are no longer
walking according to love. Do not destroy that one Christ
died for by what you eat.
Paul stressed the guiding principle believers were to apply to the secondary
matter of acceptable foods was love. A stronger Christian who insisted on
eating foods a weaker Christian considered ceremonially defiled could hurt
—“grieve” or “offend”—his more immature brother. Paul may have implied
that the weaker Christian could be influenced to eat foods that violated his
conscience. Thus, the stronger believer would fail to live according to love
—the standard of Christian behavior. The Greek word translated love is the
distinctive Christian term for persistent goodwill that seeks others’ best
interests. If more mature Christians were not willing to forego some foods
in order not to pain weaker believers, the stronger ones were putting their
own selfish interests first.
Paul admonished stronger believers to forego certain foods in order not to
destroy believers weaker in faith. The word destroy does not refer to loss of
salvation but to spiritual harm in the sense of injured consciences. In a real
sense, stronger believers’ insistence on their freedom could lead weaker
Christians astray by causing them to violate their convictions. Paul
reminded the more mature believers that Christ also died for Christians
who were weaker in faith. If He considered them worth dying for, could
stronger believers not forego some items of food for them?
Paul acknowledged he agreed with the stronger believers in Rome, but he
directed them to stop criticizing others in order not to cause them
problems. Today, when we refrain from criticizing other Christians, we are
striving for peace with them.

EXPLORE FURTHER

How do you counter the temptation to criticize other Christians harshly?

How do you cope with criticism leveled at you?

2. PURSUING PRIORITIES (Rom. 14:16-18)

VERSE 16

Therefore, do not let your good be slandered,

Paul continued to address the more mature believers in Rome. The word
good referred to their freedom to eat a wide variety of foods. The Greek
term rendered be slandered also can be translated “be evil spoken of,” with
the sense of being reproached. Although some interpreters suggest Paul
referred to unbelievers’ responses to strong believers’ actions, primarily he
probably had in mind weaker Christians’ strongly voiced protests. Paul did
not want stronger Christians to be inconsiderate in enjoying an unrestricted
diet with the result that weaker believers were hurt and spoke disparagingly
of the stronger Christians. Such conflict could escalate and disrupt
fellowship. Of course, at least secondarily, the conflict would reflect badly
on the church—and the gospel.

VERSE 17

for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but

righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.
Paul emphasized that life in the kingdom of God was not to be trivialized.
Through faith in Christ, believers had placed themselves under God’s
lordship. Their life with Him, individually and collectively, did not revolve
around secondary, external matters of diet—eating and drinking. It was
centered on much more important spiritual qualities: righteousness,
peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. Paul probably was indicating how
believers were to relate to one another. They were to be right or just in their
dealings, to promote harmony, and to express their delight at being held
securely in God’s grace—supplied by God’s indwelling presence. These
blessings were supreme graces or virtues of kingdom life. These graces, not
diet, were to take priority among believers. Thus for the sake of the weaker
believers, the stronger Christians were to use restraint in their eating and
drinking.
Members of my church family do not joust with one another about proper
items of diet for Christians. Our potluck suppers attest to the almost
limitless scope of our food consumption. As in the case of many other
churches, however, we have had to deal with different views concerning
worship styles. In the past, some members advocated a more
“contemporary” style of worship; others favored a more “traditional”
approach. The tension simmered over a period of time, resulting in some
members leaving. Unfortunately, many of us were slow to see that God’s
kingdom is not style of worship but quality and effectiveness of worship—
not so much how we worship but what our worship produces in and
through us. A clearer understanding of kingdom priorities would have
helped us resolve conflict to emerge a stronger, more united church.

EXPLORE FURTHER

Read the section “New Testament” in the article entitled “Kingdom of

God” in the Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary, pages 988-989. How
consistently and how well do you demonstrate the three kingdom
graces Paul emphasized? Which do you need to develop more fully?

VERSE 18

Whoever serves Christ in this way is acceptable to God and

approved by men.
Paul declared that believers who had their priorities in order were
acceptable to God and approved by men. By relating to one another in
“righteousness, peace, and joy” (Rom. 14:17), they served Christ well. They
were pleasing to God. They also commended themselves to observers; they
stood the test of scrutiny and proved to be acceptable. The lofty goals of
giving God pleasure and exemplifying Christian behavior were compelling
motives for strong, loving relationships among believers.
God’s kingdom focuses on righteousness, peace, and spiritual joy rather
than on what a Christian eats or drinks. Believers are to pursue kingdom
priorities. When we give priority to God’s kingdom and its concerns, we will
promote peace with other Christians. What are your priorities as a member
of God’s kingdom under His lordship? What trivial matters pose threats to
those priorities?

3. HELPING OTHERS GROW (Rom. 14:19-21)

VERSE 19

So then, we must pursue what promotes peace and what

builds up one another.
The phrase so then or “accordingly therefore” introduces the conclusion of
Paul’s treatment of the conflict concerning “eating and drinking” (14:17).
The apostle continued to address the strong Christians who advocated and
exercised freedom in matters of diet. That the more mature believers
pursue two objectives was imperative. The Greek word translated pursue
literally means to “run after” something. It was used in a bad sense of
“persecute” and in a good sense of “press forward.” In Romans 14:19, it
conveys the idea of striving earnestly to acquire something.
Christians were to be eager to seek what promoted peace. The Greek
word for peace corresponds to a Hebrew term that means “completeness,”
“soundness,” or “health.” It can convey the sense of tranquility. The more
mature Christians were to act in a way that fostered harmony in the church.
By doing so, they would contribute to the church’s soundness.
The strong believers also were to pursue what built one another up. In the
background of the Greek term rendered builds up may be the Hebrew idea
of blessing or prospering. Paul likely used the word to indicate spiritual
growth. The stronger believers were to act in ways that helped weaker
believers grow toward spiritual maturity. As the stronger believers sought to
promote the weaker Christians’ spiritual soundness and growth, the entire
community of faith would be healthy in the sense of being effective in
witness and ministry.
I admire people who pursue worthy goals with dedication, determination,
and discipline. I silently applaud adults who in midlife or as senior adults
complete their college degrees. I cannot imagine how difficult that challenge
must be. When my classmates and I began our senior year in high school,
we were introduced to a new student. Margie, a middle-aged adult, was
pursuing her goal of finishing her high-school education. I gave little
thought to her courage and persistence—not to mention her patience with
a group of immature teenagers. She fit right in, took part in class activities,
made good grades, and received her diploma. She persisted toward her goal
and reached it.
With determined effort, believers need to pursue the goal of enriching
other Christians’ lives and strengthening their churches. We would be hard-
pressed to set worthier goals.

EXPLORE FURTHER

Read the article entitled “Edification” in the Holman Illustrated Bible

Dictionary, page 459. In what ways are you contributing to building up
individual Christians? How are you enhancing your church’s strength and
soundness?

VERSE 20

Do not tear down God’s work because of food. Everything is

clean, but it is wrong for a man to cause stumbling by what
he eats.
Paul admonished the more mature Christians not to tear down (“destroy”
or “demolish”) God’s work because of food. The apostle continued the
illustration suggested by the phrase “builds up” in Romans 14:19. One
interpretation of the phrase God’s work is that God was in the process of
building up the local church in Rome and the larger community of faith
composed of all believers. Continuing conflict over the unimportant issue of
proper diet for Christians would tear down what God was building. A
second view is that Paul had in mind God’s work in the weaker Christians—
His creative work in shaping them as new people in Christ. Stronger
Christians’ selfish behavior could hamper that effort severely. Either way,
Paul stressed that impeding or negating God’s work was a serious matter.
Paul repeated the conviction he had expressed in Romans 14:14. The
statement everything is clean applies to food. Paul did not mean that
everything was permitted, that Christians could do whatever they thought
was OK. He may have been aware of Mark’s parenthetical comment that
Jesus swept aside Jewish food laws (see Mark 7:17-19). The words also may
reflect stronger believers’ often-repeated conviction they were free from
dietary restrictions. At any rate, Paul asserted that for the more mature
Christians to exercise their freedom without love was wrong or evil. By
running roughshod over the weaker believers’ convictions concerning food,
the stronger would cause stumbling. The stronger Christians would offend
the weaker believers’ consciences.

VERSE 21

It is a noble thing not to eat meat, or drink wine, or do

anything that makes your brother stumble.
Paul laid out plainly the right action the stronger Christians were to take in
the matter of eating and drinking. The Greek term rendered noble means
“morally good,” “proper,” or “right.” The commendable approach was to
decline to eat meat and drink wine so as not to cause one’s fellow
Christian to stumble. Again the idea is refusal to flaunt freedom to
immature Christians’ detriment. This verse supports total abstinence from
alcoholic beverages.
Paul broadened the guideline for strong believers’ behavior toward weaker
Christians. The strong were to avoid doing anything that made the weaker
one stumble. The apostle’s repeated references to avoiding causing others
to stumble (see Rom. 14:13,20) emphasized the importance of putting
others’ spiritual welfare above one’s own preferences. He asserted that
foregoing privileges was far better than insisting on them and hurting other
believers. Paul practiced what he preached. In 1 Corinthians 8:13 he wrote:
“If food causes my brother to fall, I will never again eat meat, so that I won’t
cause my brother to fall.” The apostle called for and practiced self-imposed
limitations on Christian freedom for others’ good—a demonstration of self-
giving love.
One significant expression of our worship is our consistent effort to
strengthen one another in the faith. We reflect God’s character when we
love as He loves. Paul declared that for Christians to build up other believers
was more important than doing something they believed was acceptable but
would cause problems with or hinder other believers’ spiritual growth. He
stressed that Christian love acted in others’ best interests instead of
insisting on its rights. Today, when we base our actions on what will help
other Christians grow spiritually, we are promoting peace with them.

EXPLORE FURTHER

In what ways are you seeking to facilitate your spiritual growth? Identify
other Christians who are contributing to your growth. What do you have
to offer that will help someone else grow?

4. KEEPING QUIET (Rom. 14:22-23)

VERSE 22

Do you have a conviction? Keep it to yourself before God.

The man who does not condemn himself by what he
approves is blessed.
Paul continued to address the more mature believers. The Greek term
rendered conviction literally is “faith” and refers to the firm belief that
freedom in eating was right. Paul counseled the stronger Christians to hold
this conviction as a private matter between them and God. They were not to
view their freedom in matters of diet as sinful because weaker Christians
did so. The stronger believers were to hold to their conviction, but out of
consideration for the weaker ones they were not to trumpet their view.
Rather than debate the different viewpoints of eating and drinking, the
stronger Christians were to enjoy their freedom; but they were to do so
quietly, kindly, and discreetly.
Two approaches are possible for Romans 14:22b. The first view takes the
phrase the man who does not condemn himself by what he approves to
refer to a weaker Christian. In this interpretation, the meaning is that the
person refuses to do what he feels is wrong. He maintains a good conscience
by not eating foods he considers unclean. He does not waver in his
conviction. A second approach views verse 22b as describing a more mature
believer. Through a process of carefully examining the matter of diet, he had
arrived at his conviction that he could eat a wide range of foods. He could
eat freely with no qualms of conscience—without condemning himself. Of
course, implied is Paul’s steady emphasis that part of the strong believer’s
good conscience would be not flaunting his freedom and thus offending
weaker Christians. In any case Paul’s words are relevant to both stronger
and weaker believers.
The Greek term translated blessed is often rendered “happy,” but the
term’s meaning is much richer than an emotion. It conveys the sense of
God’s evaluation of a person; one who is blessed has received God’s
approval. Paul stated that believers who with clear consciences rightly
exercised freedom in their choice of foods or Christians who abstained from
certain foods did so with God’s approval. God was pleased with both groups
for sticking with their convictions.
Periodically, I will declare jokingly to my wife that I intend to do
something, buy something, or eat the last portion of a favorite desert. She
will respond: “Let your conscience be your guide.” After a short pause, she
will rephrase: “No, wait. You don’t have a conscience. We need to talk about
it.” We joke about a serious truth: consciences can be conditioned. They can
be developed, and they can be deadened. In a time with great emphasis on
staying in shape physically, Christians must continue their efforts to
sensitize and strengthen their consciences.

EXPLORE FURTHER

Read the article entitled “Conscience” in the Holman Illustrated Bible

Dictionary, pages 333-334. What role does the Spirit play in shaping
believers’ consciences? How can we maintain the process of sharpening
our consciences?

VERSE 23

But whoever doubts stands condemned if he eats, because

his eating is not from a conviction, and everything that is
not from a conviction is sin.
Paul addressed the more immature Christians. If a weaker believer ate with
misgivings food he considered unclean, he stood condemned. The Greek
term rendered doubts has the sense of being hesitant or of being of two
minds about a matter. The tense of the Greek word translated condemned
has the idea of being condemned already with no necessity of waiting to be
judged. Although some interpreters have suggested that the condemnation
would come from God as well as within the individual, Paul probably had in
mind self-condemnation. If the person ate with an uneasy conscience, he
suffered self-incurred guilt because he violated his Christian conviction. The
phrase from a conviction literally is “from faith”—from a firm belief that
the action was right for a Christian (see Rom. 14:22).
Paul stated a general principle of Christian behavior: Everything that is
not from a conviction is sin. His words addressed the immediate matter
of differing viewpoints on what was permissible for Christians to eat or
drink, but they also have wider application. Believers’ convictions came
from their faith-relationship with Christ in which their consciences were
enlightened. For them to do anything without being convinced God
approved of their actions was to miss His mark for their living. All believers
were to be kind, considerate, and loving as they retained their faith-based
convictions.
Paul encouraged the stronger Christians to keep their views on what was
acceptable between them and God. He urged the weaker believers to be
certain that whatever they did was consistent with their convictions.
Sometimes, we fall victim to a competitive spirit and a need to be right.
We contend strongly for our views, even on unimportant issues in the
church. When we discipline ourselves to keep quiet about our opinions on
nonessential matters—opinions to which we know other members do not
adhere—we are striving for peace with them.

EXPLORE FURTHER

List reasons living at peace with other Christians is important. Then list
actions you will take to work for peace. Which action will you implement
immediately?
 Session 13 > Romans 15:1-13

DOES YOUR LIFE SPEAK WELL OF

GOD?
Background Passage: Romans 15:1–16:27

INTRODUCTION
Our eight-year-old midsized SUV was in good shape and had unusually low
miles on it, but my wife and I wanted to upgrade to the current year’s
model. After some comparison shopping and discussion, we made our
purchase from the dealer who had sold us our previous SUV.
To ensure the new vehicle’s durability, we purchased a coating system
that protects its exterior and interior. We were given the name of the
service technician to contact for an appointment for the work to be done. I
drove the SUV to the service center at the appointed time and met the
technician. He was personable and extremely accommodating. When my
wife and I decided to add two accessories to the vehicle, I arranged with the
same technician to have the work done.
During the process of making additions to the vehicle, I realized the
technician was the best possible commercial for his company. When the
work was finished, I thanked him for his over-and-above help and
complimented him for the excellent way he represented his employer. His
manner and efficiency spoke well of his company.
Some people with whom I have dealt have not represented their
organizations or causes well. Some salespersons refused to take no for an
answer. Some solicitors for charitable organizations persisted to the edge of
rudeness. These individuals’ actions did not speak well of their employers or
charities.
We all have the opportunity and responsibility of having our lifestyles
speak well of our churches, employers, and families. When children are well-
behaved, they speak well of the adults who are responsible for them. These
adults most likely have drilled the importance of good behavior into the
children’s minds, emphasizing that what the children do reflects on the
adults who have tried to shape them. How many of these adults who are
Christians have recognized their behavior reflects on their Heavenly Father?
If they sin, their behavior reflects poorly on God and His influence in their
lives. If they demonstrate exemplary behavior, their lifestyle speaks well of
God and His impact on their lives. Good behavior is a tribute to God and
what He has done and still is doing in their lives.
The Scripture passage that forms this lesson’s basis is about loving other
believers and glorifying God. The emphasis is on behavior that speaks well
of God. The lesson encourages adults to behave so their lives are a tribute to
God. It is designed to help them recognize their behavior reflects on God
and commit to strive consistently toward behavior that speaks well of Him.

Romans 15:1–16:27
1. Be a Tribute to God (Rom. 15:1-13)
2. Seek Others’ Prayers (Rom. 15:14-33)
3. Commend Others (Rom. 16:1-24)
4. Praise God (Rom. 16:25-27)

UNDERSTAND THE CONTEXT

This lesson concludes our study of Romans. A brief review reminds us of
the book’s significance. Paul began by introducing himself to the church in
Rome and by stating his confidence in the gospel he preached (Rom. 1:1-
17). Then he presented the content of his preaching. He demonstrated that
Gentile and Jewish unbelievers were enslaved to sin and could not escape
on their own (1:18–3:20). In Romans 3:21–4:25, the apostle emphasized
God took the initiative to make redemption available by grace through faith.
Through Christ’s atoning death, sinners can be made right with God by
placing their faith in Christ.
Paul stressed that salvation is God’s work on people’s behalf and explored
what salvation means for believers (5:1–8:39). When sinners receive right
standing with God through faith, they are freed from sin and the law. Not
even death can separate them from God’s love in Christ.
In Romans 9:1–11:36, Paul pointed out that salvation is available for all
people through faith in Christ. The apostle discussed the problem of Israel’s
general rejection of Christ. He declared that God is Sovereign and merciful;
but in His sovereignty, He will not force people to believe. Paul emphasized
that God is patient and will not give up on people.
Having presented right relationship with God as God’s gift of grace, Paul
asserted that right standing with God issues in right living (12:1–15:13).
The apostle outlined ways believers were to live out their faith in
relationship with one another and in their dealings with others.
In Romans 14, Paul addressed conflict between more spiritually mature
believers who exercised their freedom from legalistic requirements and
more spiritually immature believers who observed regulations concerning
such things as food and drink. Paul counseled believers to stop criticizing
one another and to exercise healthy tolerance. The law of Christian love was
to govern their attitudes and actions. They were to strive to promote peace
and to build up one another.

EXPLORE THE TEXT

1. BE A TRIBUTE TO GOD (Rom. 15:1-13)
VERSE 1

Now we who are strong have an obligation to bear the

weaknesses of those without strength, and not to please
ourselves.
Paul continued to address stronger believers’ duty to Christians with a more
immature faith. With the word we, the apostle identified with the strong
believers. The stronger believers recognized they were free from ceremonial
restrictions regarding food and special days. Those without strength were
the more immature Christians. Their weaknesses were their convictions
that some food items were ceremonially unclean and certain days on the
religious calendar were to be celebrated (see Rom. 14:1-5).
The Greek term rendered bear means much more than “endure” or “put
up with” in the sense of tolerance. It has the idea of stronger believers’
exercising self-denial to help weaker Christians. Rather than make light of
weaker believers’ convictions, the stronger were to make the more
immature Christians’ burdens their own (see Gal. 6:2). The stronger were to
be conscious of and considerate of the weaker Christians’ scruples.
Stronger believers’ tendency easily could have been to dismiss lightly
weaker Christians’ convictions. Rather than please themselves, however,
they were to forego insisting on their rights without regard for the effect
their self-gratification would have on weaker believers.

VERSE 2

Each one of us must please his neighbor for his good, to build
him up.
At first reading, Paul’s admonition may seem unrealistic. Constantly seeking
to please everybody could result in weak, feverish compliance with others’
whims or wishes; undue self-deprivation; and compromised convictions. On
closer examination, however, the guideline promoted healthy relationships
among Christians. The phrase each one of us referred to stronger believers;
the word neighbor designated a weaker Christian. The good in view was
what was of moral and spiritual worth to the weaker believer. The phrase to
build him up conveys the sense of contributing to the person’s spiritual
growth. Paul had in mind relationships within the church—especially
between stronger and weaker believers. Stronger believers were to act in
weaker Christians’ best interests. One’s rights and privileges were to take a
back seat to the weaker believers’ spiritual welfare. Such unselfishness
would contribute to weaker believers’ spiritual well-being and to the whole
church’s soundness.

VERSE 3

For even the Messiah did not please Himself. On the

contrary, as it is written, The insults of those who insult You
have fallen on Me.
Paul pointed to Jesus as the supreme example of putting others’ best
interests first. Even the Messiah did not please Himself. Christ lived a
life of self-denial. His whole life was spent in self-giving to meet others’
needs.
Paul quoted Psalm 69:9 to support his assertion that Christ did not please
Himself. In that psalm David addressed God and declared he had borne
reproaches aimed at God. Interpreters have expressed two views concerning
Paul’s use of this Scripture quotation: (1) Christ is the Speaker and
addresses God. Christ states He takes on Himself the insults people hurled
against God. In other words, Christ bore people’s hostility toward God. The
HCSB capitalizes You, adopting this approach. (2) Christ is the Speaker and
addresses a person representing others whose sufferings or reproaches
Christ took on Himself. He identified so closely with people that insults
against them became insults against Him. Although both views contain
truth, I favor the first view.
VERSE 4

For whatever was written in the past was written for our
instruction, so that we may have hope through endurance
and through the encouragement from the Scriptures.
Here Paul established the validity of using the Scriptures to support his
point that believers were to “please” their neighbors (Rom. 15:2). The
phrase whatever was written in the past refers to our Old Testament—
the Hebrew Scriptures. These sacred books were written for the benefit of
succeeding generations. God inspired and preserved the writers’ work for
people’s instruction. The Scriptures’ purpose was not merely to give
information to be learned, but also to impart continuing hope. The word
hope conveys the sense of confident assurance about the future based on
God’s ability and faithfulness.
The Scriptures teach endurance in Christian living. The Greek term
means “to remain under” (a load) or “to persevere” by holding fast to faith in
the face of misfortunes or trials. The Scriptures also provide
encouragement as believers live out their faith. The Scriptures offer
Christians consolation or comfort, exhortation, and support. Perseverance
in faith and the Scriptures’ encouragement enable Christians to work
through difficulties in hope—solid assurance of God’s presence and power.
Paul stressed that through the Scriptures God speaks words of comfort and
exhortation to believers.
In Romans 15:1-4, Paul described the stronger Christians’ obligation to
help weaker believers by seeking to please others rather than themselves.
He pointed out that Christ sought to please others rather than Himself.
Christians’ behavior speaks well of God when they give preference to
others over themselves. Voluntarily foregoing rights and privileges reflects
Christ’s self-giving attitude.

EXPLORE FURTHER
 Read the articles entitled “Old Testament” and “Scripture” in the Holman
Illustrated Bible Dictionary, pages 1216 and 1452–1453 respectively.
Which Scripture passages encourage you and strengthen your hope?
How do the Scriptures help you persevere through difficulties?

VERSE 5

Now may the God who gives endurance and encouragement

allow you to live in harmony with one another, according to
the command of Christ Jesus,
Paul inserted a prayer for the Christians in Rome. He stressed that God gave
endurance and encouragement through what He had inspired Old
Testament writers to record (see Rom. 15:4). Paul prayed that God also
would enable believers to live in harmony. He adeptly and effectively
combined prayer with exhortation. Paul’s rather lengthy presentation in
Romans 14:1–15:4 gives the impression that conflict in the church
threatened its unity. He wanted to head off division that would cripple the
church’s witness and ministry.
The Greek term rendered to live in harmony literally is “to think the same.”
Paul did not mean believers could not have differing opinions on church
matters; rather, they were to have a mind-set that placed the church’s
interests above their preferences. They were to have Christ’s perspectives or
outlook—His attitude of self-giving service (see Phil. 2:5-8). The phrase one
another likely referred to the groups in conflict—the stronger and weaker
believers. Both were to consider others’ interests before their own.
The phrase according to the command of Christ Jesus literally is
“according to Christ Jesus.” The words have the force of shaping attitude or
approach according to Christ’s character and example. Paul wanted believers
to follow Christ’s model of sacrificial self-giving, His example of putting
others’ interests before His own (see Rom. 15:3). The phrase also could
mean that unity of perspective and purpose was Christ’s will for them.
VERSE 6

so that you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ with a united mind and voice.
Believers’ unity of purpose would glorify . . . God. Their demonstrating
Christ’s servant attitude would honor God in the sense of causing people to
acknowledge His dignity and worth—His excellence and majesty. The
phrase the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ probably conveys
the idea that the God revealed in the Hebrew Scriptures now was identified
supremely as Christ’s Father, who sent His Son as the supreme revelation of
Himself. Paul implied that Christ was the fulfillment of Old Testament
faith. As believers lived “in harmony with one another” (15:5), they would
honor God with a united mind (one purpose) and with one voice.
Paul prayed that the Christians in Rome would agree with one another
and be united in order to honor God. Today, when believers seek harmony
with one another their behavior speaks well of God.

EXPLORE FURTHER

What message does a divided church convey to non-Christians? What

message does a united church give? What are you doing to strengthen
your church’s unity?

VERSE 7

Therefore accept one another, just as the Messiah also

accepted you, to the glory of God.
The Greek term rendered accept is a command that means “receive kindly or
hospitably” or “take as a friend.” It has the sense of welcoming or offering
and maintaining fellowship (see Rom. 14:1). All believers in Rome were to
establish and maintain strong bonds of fellowship marked by kindness and
genuine warmth. After all, Christ had accepted them; He had welcomed
them into a saving relationship with Him, extending incredible kindness.
With the same graciousness, Christians were to welcome one another into
close fellowship. The words to the glory of God may refer to Christians’
welcoming one another into fellowship or to Christ’s welcoming them into
close relationship with Him. One approach is that both meanings apply.
Christ’s receiving sinners into saving relationship with Him and believers’
welcoming one another into fellowship honored God and were expressions
of praise to Him

VERSES 8-9a

For I say that the Messiah became a servant of the

circumcised on behalf of God’s truth, to confirm the
promises to the fathers, and so that Gentiles may glorify God
for His mercy.
With the words I say, Paul introduced additional support for his
admonition to unity in Romans 15:1-7. He stressed that Christ became a
servant of the circumcised. The Greek term rendered servant gives us our
word deacon, meaning “minister.” In Mark 10:45, Jesus declared He had
come to minister, not to receive others’ ministry. Jesus was the Promised
Messiah who came to reveal God’s good news of grace first to the people of
Israel.
Christ ministered to His people on behalf of God’s truth. One purpose
of His ministry was to demonstrate or confirm God’s faithfulness to fulfill
His promises to the fathers. In Christ, the Promised Deliverer, God kept
His covenant promises to His people.
A second purpose of Christ’s ministry was to enable Gentiles to glorify
(“praise” or “honor”) God for His mercy. Christ’s making God’s grace
available to Gentiles fulfilled God’s promise to Abram in Genesis 12:3: “All
the peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” Thus, God was true to His
word concerning extending mercy to Jews and Gentiles.

VERSE 9b

As it is written: Therefore I will praise You among the

Gentiles, and I will sing psalms to Your name.
In verses 9-12 Paul quoted from the Old Testament to reinforce his
contention that God always intended that Gentiles be included in His offer
of salvation. The apostle first quoted 2 Samuel 22:50 (Ps. 18:49), part of
David’s song of gratitude for God’s granting him victory and deliverance.
Because God had rescued David, he would praise the Lord among the
Gentiles. David would proclaim God’s sovereignty to the nations he had
subdued and to other nations. David stated his determination to publish
God’s goodness and grace (“mercy,” Rom. 15:9a) to Gentiles. The statement
I will sing psalms to your name stresses David’s singing to honor God.

VERSE 10

Again it says: Rejoice, you Gentiles, with His people!

Paul quoted the first words of Deuteronomy 32:43 from the Song of
Moses. This closing verse calls on all people to praise God for redeeming His
people and defeating His adversaries. Gentiles were to join the Israelites in
celebrating God’s blessings. Paul applied the words to Gentiles’ being
included in God’s grace and called on them to join other believers in
praising God.

VERSE 11

And again: Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles; all the peoples
should praise Him!
Paul’s next quotation is Psalm 117:1. This brief psalm celebrates God’s
faithful love. The psalmist called on all peoples and nations (Gentiles) to
praise the Lord. The verse’s two lines repeat the same basic thought for
emphasis: all people are to honor God. Paul stressed that Gentiles were to
praise God for His love and mercy extended to them.
Paul charged believers in Rome to accept one another because Christ
accepted them and because their mutual acceptance would glorify God.
Their doing so also could lead unsaved Gentiles to glorify God, an idea that
appears in several Old Testament passages. Today, when Christians accept
others their behavior speaks well of God.

EXPLORE FURTHER

Identify Christians you have not welcomed into a warm, personal

relationship. What factors have prevented you from doing so? What
steps will you take to establish fellowship with them?

VERSE 12

And again, Isaiah says: The root of Jesse will appear, the One
who rises to rule the Gentiles; the Gentiles will hope in Him.
Paul quoted Isaiah 11:10, a messianic passage. The root of Jesse referred
to Christ, David’s descendant and the Promised Messiah. The statement
the Gentiles will hope in Him conveys the sense of their trusting in Him.
With this quote, Paul concluded his exhortation that the Roman believers
“accept one another” (Rom. 15:7). Christ had received or welcomed both
Jews and Gentiles into one community of faith. Thus, believers were to be
unified, living in harmony without censuring or judging one another.

VERSE 13

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as
you believe in Him so that you may overflow with hope by
the power of the Holy Spirit.
Paul included a prayer for believers. He prayed that God, who alone is the
Source of hope—solid confidence concerning the future based on God’s
ability and faithfulness—would fill them with all joy and peace. Paul
wanted believers to have these qualities to the fullest extent possible. The
term joy refers to a deep sense of being held securely in God’s grace
regardless of the circumstances. The word peace conveys the idea of
wholeness or well-being under God’s rule. The Christians in Rome would
experience these graces as they trusted God and were committed to Him
through Christ. As a result, they would overflow abundantly with hope.
Because of God’s more-than-enough provision, believers could face the
present and the future with assurance. In His strength, they could live and
work in harmony, and they could face future adversity with confidence.
Overflowing hope, as well as abundant joy and peace, would come by the
power of the Holy Spirit. God’s indwelling presence would supply the
graces necessary to cope with life’s uncertainties. Significantly, Paul’s prayer
begins and ends with the emphasis on God as the Giver of hope.
After reminding believers of the Old Testament basis of their Christian
hope, Paul prayed that God would help them overflow with hope. Today,
Christians’ behavior speaks well of God when they express the hope they
have through Him. What is the basis of your hope? How are you expressing
Christian hope?

2. SEEK OTHERS’ PRAYERS (Rom. 15:14-33)

Romans 15:14–16:27 forms the conclusion of Paul’s letter. He
complimented the believers in Rome on their character and spiritual
maturity (Rom. 15:14). Yet as the Apostle to the Gentiles he had written to
remind them of certain truths so he could present the Gentiles as an
acceptable offering to God, with obedient lifestyles (15:15-19a). He had
worked in a large part of the eastern Roman Empire, and his aim was to
spread the gospel in pioneer areas (15:19b-21). In Romans 15:22-33, Paul
outlined his travel plans. For a long time he had intended to travel to Rome,
but his work had prevented him from doing so (15:22-23). He planned to
take the gospel to Spain, and he wanted to stop in Rome to visit the church
there. He wanted the believers in Rome to help equip him for his mission to
Spain. First, however, he would travel to Jerusalem with an offering from
Gentile churches for the poverty-stricken Christians there (15:24-29).
In Romans 15:30-33, Paul implored believers to pray earnestly for him.
He knew that Jews in Jerusalem were antagonistic and posed a threat to
him. He also wanted the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem to receive
gratefully the monetary gift from Gentile churches. If they did so, perhaps
the growing breach between Jewish and Gentile Christians might be healed.
Then Paul could joyfully visit believers in Rome for mutual refreshment. He
closed this part of his letter with a brief benediction.

3. COMMEND OTHERS (ROM. 16:1-24)

Paul commended a woman named Phoebe [FEE bih] to the church in Rome.
The apostle asked believers to receive her warmly and lend her assistance
because she had helped “many,” including him (16:1-2). In Romans 16:3-16,
Paul sent greetings to 26 Christians by name, asked church members to
“greet one another with a holy kiss” (16:16), and relayed greetings from
other churches. Likely, the reason Paul knew so many people in the church
in Rome was that numerous coworkers, friends, and converts had made
their way to the city from other areas of the Roman Empire.
Paul warned against people who were causing trouble for the church
(16:17-18). These troublemakers were disrupting the church’s fellowship
with teachings contrary to the true gospel. They served themselves, not
Christ. In Romans 16:19-20, Paul complimented Christians in Rome for
their obedience to Christ and expressed the joy they gave him. He wanted
them to be well-versed in what was good and to be devoid of evil. They
needed to be alert and discerning in order to reject the false teachers. Paul
assured believers “the God of peace” soon would “crush Satan under (their)
feet” (16:20)—give them victory over people creating discord. Then Paul
expressed a prayer that believers would receive grace from Christ. Next Paul
sent greetings from individuals associated with him. Tertius [TUHR shih
uhs], to whom Paul was dictating the letter, added his greeting (16:21-23).
The apostle again stated a prayer that Christ’s grace be with all believers in
Rome (16:24).

4. PRAISE GOD (ROM. 16:25-27)

Paul concluded his Letter to the Romans with a beautiful doxology, which
some scholars suggest he wrote by his own hand. He offered praise to God
and touched on major points of the letter. He directed his praise to the God
who is able to empower believers as promised in the gospel Paul preached.
The apostle’s gospel was the good news of Christ he had received and had
made his own. This message focused on Christ’s atoning death, resurrection
to life, and living presence. God’s intention to provide redemption in Christ
once had been hidden but now was revealed. Through the centuries, God
had given insights concerning His plan. “The prophetic Scriptures” had
alluded to it (16:26). The good news of salvation by grace through faith in
Christ now was revealed clearly by God’s command. His purpose was (and
is) to draw “all nations” to faith in Christ.
Paul resumed his expression of praise he began in Romans 16:25 and
identified “Him who has power” (16:25) as “the only wise God” (16:27).
Redemption offered to all people on the basis of grace had its source in the
mind of God. The phrase “through Jesus Christ” (16:27) may refer to Christ
as the One who generates people’s praise because He revealed God’s
redemptive character (His glory). Paul ended with the declaration that God
deserves eternal praise. “Amen,” Paul’s final word, was a ringing affirmation:
“Let it be!”

EXPLORE FURTHER
In what ways does your behavior speak well of God? In what ways does it
speak badly of Him? What steps will you take to develop behavior that
consistently speaks well of Him?