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SECTION B - Greetings, Brief
(1:07)
Balanced by Section b - Greetings,
extended (16:1-23)
07. to all who are in Rome,
beloved by God, called saints:
Grace to you and peace from God, our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.
'..to all who are in Rome..'
Rome was the
centre of the great empire - politically, economically, and culturally. For
one reason or another, people from far and wide found their way to this
cauldron of activity. Among these were believers from other parts of the
empire where they had heard and accepted Paul's message. As will be noticed
in the greetings of Chapter 16, that among these at that time were some
relatives and very close friends of Paul. Through these the evangel was
introduced to Rome,
too. As it was a message for all mankind many, whether Jews or of the
nations, came to accept it, albeit in a rather incomplete form. To these
people of faith in the evangel Paul addresses his letter.
"...called saints...''
Here we are not talking of people, now dead, who have been elevated to the
rank of 'saints' by popes and religious councils (in accord with their
criteria). Rather, we speak of those who have been called out from among
humanity by God, set apart from others, and sanctified or dedicated to a
particular cause - in this case, for the glory of God.
Paul writes to these people in Rome
who are beloved by God as evidenced by their having been called to be
believers. For,
2Thes.2:13 Now
we ought to be thanking God always concerning you,
brethren, beloved by the Lord,
seeing that God prefers you from the
beginning for salvation,
in holiness of the spirit and faith in the
truth,'
Jn.6:44 No man can come to
Me
if ever the Father Who sends Me should not be drawing him.....
Jn.6:65 And
He said, "Therefore have I declared to you
that no one can be coming to Me if it
should not be given him of the Father."
Jn.6:29 Jesus
answered and said to them, "This is the work of God,
that you may be believing in that One
Whom He commissions."
1Tim.4:10 ...the living God,
Who is the Saviour of all mankind, especially
of believers.'
Paul will later expand on this special and extraordinary
way God deals with those who are to believe in the evangel entrusted to him
in his letter to the Ephesians (Eph.2:1-10).
This formula of 'grace and peace' is used, almost exactly, by Paul in
all his letters. (It is interesting to note that in this significant
greeting holy spirit is not associated with Jesus Christ and God as an
equal nor even as an individual distinct from Them.)
The 'grace' that Paul extends to his readers has a greater significance
than usual; it was not used cliché-like as a formal greeting. He had been
treated in grace - in a way that was to be the pattern for God's dealings
with those whom He is calling out under this context! This is the grace
that Paul sends to these fellow-believers in Rome.
1Tim.1:12-16 Grateful am I to Him Who invigorates me,
Christ Jesus, our Lord,
for He deems me faithful, assigning me a
service,
13I, who formerly
was a calumniator and a persecutor and an outrager:
but I was shown mercy, seeing that I do it
being ignorant, in unbelief.
14Yet the grace
of our Lord overwhelms, with faith and love in Christ Jesus.
15Faithful is the
saying, and worthy of all welcome,
that Christ Jesus came into the world to
save sinners, foremost of whom am I.
16But therefore
was I shown mercy,
that in me, the foremost, Jesus Christ
should be displaying all His patience,
for a pattern of those who are about to
be believing on Him for life eonian.
The 'peace' that Paul wishes on the ecclesia is, in
fact, the essence of the evangel of the Uncircumcision. Enmity is cast
aside; offences are not reckoned; a privileged standing is given;
reconciliation is in effect. This significance is clearly and succinctly
stated:
2Cor.5:18-21 ...all is of God, Who conciliates us to
Himself through Christ,
and is giving us the dispensation of
the conciliation,
19how that God was
in Christ, conciliating the world to Himself,
not reckoning their offences to them,
and placing in us the word of the
conciliation....
Rom.5:1,2 Being,
then, justified by faith,
we may be having peace toward God, through our Lord, Jesus Christ,
2through Whom we
have the access also, by faith, into this grace in which we stand,
and we may be glorying in expectation of the
glory of God.
Eph.2:17 ..He brings the evangel of peace to you, those afar...
Eph.6:15 ....and your feet sandaled with the evangel of peace;
Col.1:20 ...making peace through the blood of His
cross.....
God is recognised as 'our Father' thus
acknowledging all believers to be members of one family. Christ is the only
One who can really refer to God as `My Father' because that is true
for Him in a very special way.
Rev.3:14 And to the messenger of the ecclesia in Laodicea
write: 'Now
this is saying the Amen, the Faithful and
True Witness, and God's Creative Original:
Col.1:15 Who is the Image of the invisible
God, Firstborn of every creature,
He is THE Son of God! In awesome revelations, first to
John the Baptist at Jesus' baptism, and then to Peter, James, and John on
the mount of Transfiguration, God declares that Jesus is His Beloved Who
delights Him.
Mt.3:16,17 Now, being baptized, Jesus straightway stepped up from the
water,
and lo! opened up to Him were the heavens,
and He perceived the spirit of God
descending as if a dove, and coming on Him.
And lo! a voice out of the heavens,
saying,
"This is My Son, the Beloved, in
Whom I delight."
Mt.17:5 While he is still speaking, lo! a luminous cloud overshadows
them,
and lo! a voice out of the cloud,
saying,
"This is My Son, the Beloved, in
Whom I delight. Hear Him!"
Mt.16:15-17 He is saying to them, "Now you, who are you saying that I
am?"
Now answering, Simon Peter said, "Thou art
the Christ, the Son of the living God."
Now, answering, Jesus said to him,
"Happy are you, Simon Bar-Jonah,
for flesh and blood does not reveal it to
you, but My Father Who is in the heavens.'
Jn.10:36 are you saying to Him Whom the Father hallows and dispatches into
the world
that 'You are blaspheming,' seeing that I
said, 'Son of God am I'?'
Christ Jesus is significantly the 'Lord' to true
believers for whom there can be only ONE (1Cor.8:6). We should realise that
we have been bought and paid for by Christ. To Him belongs our allegiance
and obedience.
SECTION C - Prayer
(1:08,09)
Balanced by Section c - Prayer
(15:30-33)
08. First,
indeed, I am thanking my God through Jesus Christ
concerning all of you, that your faith is being announced in the whole
world.
Paul begins his actual message with thanks to God for the Roman
congregation whose belief in the evangel was becoming known among believers
everywhere. His thankfulness stems from his appreciation of the fact that
it is God's work that there was progress among the believers at Rome.
(Ph.2:13,14).
1Cor.3:7 So that, neither is he who is
planting anything, nor he who is irrigating,
but God Who makes it grow up.
Phil.2:13 for it is God Who is
operating in you
to will as well as to work for the sake of His
delight.
He thanks God through Jesus Christ, realising the
fact that everything to and from God is through the Channel
that God Himself has appointed - His Son and His Christ - Jesus!
1Cor.8:6 for us there is one
God, the Father, out of Whom all is, and we for Him,
and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through
Whom all is, and we through Him.'
John.14:6 Jesus is saying to him, "I am
the Way and the Truth and the Life.
No one is coming to the Father except
through Me.'
1Tim.2:5 For there is one God,
and one Mediator of God and mankind,
a Man, Christ Jesus,'
09. For God is my
Witness, to Whom I am offering divine service in my spirit
in the evangel of His Son, how unintermittingly I am making mention of
you,
In his preaching of the evangel of God's Son, Paul functioned as a
priest would, offering divine service to God - not in the rites and
rituals nor in the pomp and ceremony that accompany an actual priestly
vocation, but in spirit. He acts as if a priest in this operation,
placing before the nations the approach present God has reserved for them
in His gift of faith for salvation.
Rom.15:15,16 ...because of the grace being given to me from
God
16for me to be the
minister of Christ Jesus for the nations,
acting as a priest of the evangel of God, that the approach
present of the nations
may be becoming well received, having been
hallowed by holy spirit.
Eph.2:8,9
For in grace, through faith, are you saved,
and this is not out of you; it is God's
approach present,
not of works, lest anyone should be boasting.
SECTION D - Intended Journey
(1:10-13)
Balanced by Section d - Intended
Journey (15:22-29)
10. always in my prayers beseeching, if somehow, sometime,
at length
I should be prospered, in the will of God to come to you,
Moved by his desire to carry out his divine service, Paul was constant
in praying for God's provision so that he could visit with the Roman
ecclesia.
11. For I am longing to see you, that I may be sharing
some spiritual grace with you, for you to be established:
12. yet this is to be consoled together among you
through one another's faith, both yours and mine.
It was Paul's desire and intention to share some spiritual grace
with the ecclesia so that they would become better grounded in and sure of
their beliefs through a more detailed and complete message than the outline
they had already come to believe. He wanted them to be comforted by the
evangel just as much as the other Gentile ecclesias Paul had already
visited. He was looking forward to a fellowship in their faith for mutual
benefit.
13. Now I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren,
that often I purposed to come to you
(and was prevented hitherto)
that I should be having some fruit among you also,
according as among the rest of the nations.
Many times it had been Paul's intention to visit them for he wanted to
have good results among the Romans as he had had among the other nations.
But each time something had cropped up to prevent him actually coming to Rome.
He accepts it in faith for there had been other times, too, when the spirit
had forbidden or prevented Paul from carrying out his good intentions and
strategies. In all it is God Who decides who will hear the
evangel and when that will take place. He sets the priorities
and the schedules!
Act.16:6-10 Now they passed through Phrygia
and the Galatian province,
being forbidden by the holy spirit to
speak the word in the province of Asia.
7Yet, coming about
Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia,
and the spirit of Jesus does not let them.
8Yet they, passing
by Mysia, descended into Troas.
9And during the
night a vision was seen by Paul.
A certain man, a Macedonian, was standing
and entreating him, and saying,
"Cross over into Macedonia!
Help us!"
10Now as he
perceived the vision, we immediately seek to come out to Macedonia,
deducing that God has called us to bring
the evangel to them.
As God, He has all of creation at His disposal - and He
will use whatever tool or agency He may decide on to accomplish His
purposes.
1Thes.2:17,18 ...being bereaved of you for the period of
an hour, in face, not in heart, endeavor the more exceedingly to see your
face, with much yearning,
18because we want
to come to you, indeed, I, Paul, once--even twice--
and Satan hinders us.
God does not do things on the spur of the moment or as
an afterthought. He works out ALL according to the counsel of His own will.
Eph.1:11 ....being designated beforehand according
to the purpose of the One
Who is operating all in accord with the
counsel of His will,
Rom.11:33-36 O, the depth of the riches and the wisdom and the knowledge of
God!
How inscrutable are His judgments, and
untraceable His ways!
For, who knew the mind of the Lord? or, who
became His adviser?
or, who gives to Him first, and it will be
repaid Him?
seeing that out of Him and through
Him and for Him is all:
to Him be the glory for the eons! Amen!
SECTION E - Previous
Ministry (1:14-17)
Balanced by Section e - Previous
Ministry (15:8-21)
14. To both Greeks and barbarians, to both wise and foolish,
a debtor am I.
15.
Thus this eagerness of mine to bring this evangel to you also, who
are in Rome.
Paul had been commissioned to bring the evangel he had been specially
entrusted with to the nations. He, therefore, feels he owes to all - to the
cultured and the civilised, as well as to the uncultured and the
uncivilised, to the wise and to the foolish of humanity - a hearing of that
evangel. Thus his eagerness to bring his message to the Roman ecclesia.
16. For
not ashamed am I of the evangel,
for it is God's power for salvation to everyone who is believing -
to the Jew first, and to the Greek as well.
Almost all non-Christians seem to have no qualms about declaring their
faith and doctrines - no matter how illogical or ill-conceived these may
be. They have no reservations about parading these tenets in public
processions and rituals. And they seem ready to defend their religion to
the death, even.
There seem to be many who call themselves Christians, on the other hand,
who seem ashamed to stand up and be counted. They seem unsure of their
beliefs and apologetic when required to explain what they do admit to.
Perhaps these 'many' do not really believe that we have God's truth,
that we have His very word on it, that we have His testimony
to the facts of revelation.
Paul was not ashamed of the evangel! He saw it for what it is -
the power through which those who are being called will be saved by God -
whether or they happen to be Jew or of the nations. Paul would announce
this wonderful news of salvation at every opportunity. We should be moved
the same way, too.
17. For in it God's righteousness is
being revealed, out of faith for faith,
according as it is written: Now the just one by faith shall be living.'
Men are constituted sinners by God. They have no intrinsic
righteousness to display or exercise. They are disqualified from
even approaching the righteous God. Men cannot, therefore, do
anything to change this situation. Scripture insists that it is God
Who initiates a change, Who breaks this estrangement, this
un-approachable-ness, with His approach present.
The evangel reveals a righteousness of GOD - and not that of sinful man
- for the faith of Christ is gratuituously given to those chosen to be
believing so that they will believe and be saved.
Rom.3:21-23 Yet now, apart from law, a righteousness
of God is manifest
(being attested by the law and the
prophets),
22yet a righteousness of God through Jesus
Christ's faith,
for all, and on all who are believing, for there is no distinction,
23for all sinned and are wanting of the glory of God.
Gal.2:16 having perceived that a man is not
being justified by works of law,
except alone through the faith of Christ
Jesus,
we also believe in Christ Jesus that
we may be justified by the faith of Christ
and not by works of law, seeing that by
works of law shall no flesh at all be justified.
Eph.2:1-10 And you, being dead to your offenses and
sins, 2in which once you walked,
in accord with the eon of this world,
in accord with the chief of the jurisdiction of the air, the spirit now
operating in the sons of stubbornness
3 (among whom we also all behaved ourselves
once in the lusts of our flesh,
doing the will of the flesh and of the
comprehension,
and were, in our nature, children of
indignation, even as the rest),
4yet God, being rich in mercy, because of
His vast love with which He loves us
5 (we also being dead to the offenses and the lusts),
vivifies us together in Christ (in grace
are you saved!)
6and rouses us together and seats us together among the celestials,
in Christ Jesus, 7that, in the oncoming eons, He should be
displaying the transcendent riches of His grace in His kindness to
us in Christ Jesus.
8For in grace, through faith, are you saved,
and this is not out of you; it is God's
approach present,
9not of works, lest anyone should be boasting.
10For His achievement are we, being created
in Christ Jesus for good works,
which God makes ready beforehand, that
we should be walking in them.
Phil.3:8,9 But, to be sure, I am also
deeming all to be a forfeit
because of the superiority of the knowledge
of Christ Jesus, my Lord,
because of Whom I forfeited all, and am
deeming it to be refuse,
that I should be gaining Christ, 9and
may be found in Him,
not having my righteousness, which is
of law,
but that which is through the faith of
Christ,
the righteousness which is from God for
faith:
He is not ashamed to preach this evangel of 'faith only'
to one and all. The precedent for the efficacy of faith was already there,
for there was a period in the days of old when all works through rituals
and ceremonies had become suspended because of the destruction of the
Temple system, those who were just could only please and worship God by
faith alone (Hab.2:4)!
Back to:
Index of
Articles - Romans
Proceed to:
Chapter 1,
Verses 18-32
Aug 2005
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