A Daily Bible Study in 7-Day Sections With a Summary-Commentary, Discussion Questions, and Daily Application
The Apostle Paul is the author of the Book of Romans. The overarching goal of Paul’s writing is to clarify several concepts critical to understanding the purpose of Christ’s mission on Earth; salvation-through-faith-alone, the value of righteous living in multiplying His family, and how it is that a sinner is redeemed-to-pre-Fall-purity to be able to stand before a perfect God.
All Bible text is from the NET unless otherwise indicated—http://bible.org
Note 1: These Studies often rely upon the guidance of the NET Translators from their associated notes. Careful attention has been given to cite that source where it has been quoted directly or closely paraphrased. Feedback is encouraged where credit has not been sufficiently assigned.
Note 2: When NET text is quoted in commentary and discussion all pronouns referring to God are capitalized, though they are lower-case in the original NET text.
Commentary text is from David M. Colburn, D.Min. unless otherwise noted.
Copyright © 2011 by David M. Colburn. This is a BibleSeven Study— “Romans”—prepared by David M. Colburn and edited for bible.org in October of 2011. This text may be used for non-profit educational purposes only, with credit; all other usage requires prior written consent of the author.
1:1 From Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God.
1:2 This gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy scriptures, 1:3 concerning his Son who was a descendant of David with reference to the flesh,
1:4 who was appointed the Son-of-God-in-power according to the Holy Spirit by the resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord.
1:5 Through him we have received grace and our apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles on behalf of his name. 1:6 You also are among them, called to belong to Jesus Christ. 1:7 To all those loved by God in Rome, called to be saints: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!
Paul’s Desire to Visit Rome
1:8 First of all, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed throughout the whole world. 1:9 For God, whom I serve in my spirit by preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness that I continually remember you 1:10 and I always ask in my prayers, if perhaps now at last I may succeed in visiting you according to the will of God.
1:11 For I long to see you, so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you, 1:12 that is, that we may be mutually comforted by one another’s faith, both yours and mine.
1:13 I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that I often intended to come to you (and was prevented until now), so that I may have some fruit even among you, just as I already have among the rest of the Gentiles. 1:14 I am a debtor both to the Greeks and to the barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. 1:15 Thus I am eager also to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome.
Lord, Your ministry through Paul used his intellect to explain many complex concepts to believers of any background. May I humbly study Your truth, delivered through him, so that I may fully grasp Your discipleship for me.
In Paul’s Salutation he identified himself as a “bondservant” of Christ [Note: Meaning that he had given up everything in this world, surrendered his free will, and surrendered everything to the Lordship of Christ through the Holy Spirit.]
He reminded them that Christ was prophesied in the past and that He had fulfilled those prophesies “... Son-of-God-in-power according to the Holy Spirit by the resurrection from the dead”.
Paul noted also that his ministry (and that of the other apostles) was to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles so that they would be saved by “... the obedience of faith”.
Paul addressed his letter, Romans, to believers; those who “belong to Jesus Christ”, “those loved by God in Rome”, and are “called to be saints”, who had been gifted with more than salvation but to live “ultrafidian” [beyond faith] lives.
Paul celebrated the faithfulness of the Roman Church (believers) for their reputation as Christians and notes that the Holy Spirit had him praying for them. He also expressed his long desire to visit Rome and to preach Christ there. [Note: Romans is not chronologically sequential to ACTS as the final text of ACTS places Paul in Rome.]
Paul reminded them that Jesus the Christ had fulfilled all of the prophesies about the Messiah.
How do you understand Paul's phrase that the “saints” had been gifted with more than salvation but to live "ultrafidian" [beyond faith] lives?
<http://bibleseven.com/ultrafidian.html>
Paul described himself as a truly-saved believer— he had given up everything in this world, surrendered his free will, and surrendered everything to the Lordship of Christ through the Holy Spirit.
When have you given up something of the world because it interfered with your daily walk with Christ?
Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you a way that you might live a more “ultrafidian”, beyond-faith, life.
Today I will pray for the strength and wisdom to set aside those things which prevent me from moving past salvation and safety to sacrifice and service.
The Power of the Gospel
1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is God’s power for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
1:17 For the righteousness of God is revealed in the gospel from faith to faith, just as it is written, “The righteous by faith will live.”
The Condemnation of the Unrighteous
1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of people who suppress the truth by their unrighteousness, 1:19 because what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.
1:20 For since the creation of the world his invisible attributes—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, because they are understood through what has been made. So people are without excuse.
1:21 For although they knew God, they did not glorify him as God or give him thanks, but they became futile in their thoughts and their senseless hearts were darkened. 1:22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 1:23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for an image resembling mortal human beings or birds or four-footed animals or reptiles.
1:24 Therefore God gave them over in the desires of their hearts to impurity, to dishonor their bodies among themselves. 1:25 They exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshiped and served the creation rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.
1:26 For this reason God gave them over to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged the natural sexual relations for unnatural ones, 1:27 and likewise the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed in their passions for one another. Men committed shameless acts with men and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.
1:28 And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what should not be done. 1:29 They are filled with every kind of unrighteousness, wickedness, covetousness, malice. They are rife with envy, murder, strife, deceit, hostility. They are gossips, 1:30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, contrivers of all sorts of evil, disobedient to parents, 1:31 senseless, covenant-breakers, heartless, ruthless.
1:32 Although they fully know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but also approve of those who practice them.
Lord, You clearly tell us what You have done for us, the Gospel, and why those who reject You are in trouble. May I be intentional in growing toward You and away from unrighteousness.
Paul then described the power of the Gospel
How?
The Lord God overcame the sin of the Fall in the Garden of Eden. He provided a way that we may be saved, He says that everyone who believes will be saved, He first offered salvation to the Jews, and then He offered it to everyone else (the “Gentiles”).
Does Paul’s description of “the power of the Gospel” describe your salvation experience?
Salvation is the result of a process, a series of God-ordained events; the righteousness of God is revealed, as one hears the Gospel, and it flows from the faith-response of the one being saved (one’s initial child-like trusting faith).
When have you observed the process of salvation unfolding in someones life?
Ask the Holy Spirit to you which of the elements of God’s “condemnation of the unrighteous” may be part of your life.
Today I will join with my prayer-partner to pray that I may quickly remove that which the Holy Spirit has revealed from my life. Permanently.
The Condemnation of the Moralist
2:1 Therefore you are without excuse, whoever you are, when you judge someone else. For on whatever grounds you judge another, you condemn yourself, because you who judge practice the same things. 2:2 Now we know that God’s judgment is in accordance with truth against those who practice such things. 2:3 And do you think, whoever you are, when you judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself, that you will escape God’s judgment? 2:4 Or do you have contempt for the wealth of his kindness, forbearance, and patience, and yet do not know that God’s kindness leads you to repentance? 2:5 But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath for yourselves in the day of wrath, when God’s righteous judgment is revealed! 2:6 He will reward each one according to his works: 2:7 eternal life to those who by perseverance in good works seek glory and honor and immortality, 2:8 but wrath and anger to those who live in selfish ambition and do not obey the truth but follow unrighteousness. 2:9 There will be affliction and distress on everyone who does evil, on the Jew first and also the Greek, 2:10 but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, for the Jew first and also the Greek. 2:11 For there is no partiality with God. 2:12 For all who have sinned apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. 2:13 For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous before God, but those who do the law will be declared righteous. 2:14 For whenever the Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature the things required by the law, these who do not have the law are a law to themselves. 2:15 They show that the work of the law is written in their hearts, as their conscience bears witness and their conflicting thoughts accuse or else defend them, 2:16 on the day when God will judge the secrets of human hearts, according to my gospel through Christ Jesus.
The Condemnation of the Jew
2:17 But if you call yourself a Jew and rely on the law and boast of your relationship to God 2:18 and know his will and approve the superior things because you receive instruction from the law, 2:19 and if you are convinced that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, 2:20 an educator of the senseless, a teacher of little children, because you have in the law the essential features of knowledge and of the truth—2:21 therefore you who teach someone else, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal? 2:22 You who tell others not to commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? 2:23 You who boast in the law dishonor God by transgressing the law! 2:24 For just as it is written, “the name of God is being blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.”
2:25 For circumcision has its value if you practice the law, but if you break the law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision. 2:26 Therefore if the uncircumcised man obeys the righteous requirements of the law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision? 2:27 And will not the physically uncircumcised man who keeps the law judge you who, despite the written code and circumcision, transgress the law? 2:28 For a person is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision something that is outward in the flesh, 2:29 but someone is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is of the heart by the Spirit and not by the written code. This person’s praise is not from people but from God.
Lord, You have blessed us with Your divine kindness, forbearance, and patience. May I share Your gifts with others, being kind, refrain from reacting to difficult people, and patient.
Paul described God's condemnation of the moralist, observing that all have fallen short of God’s righteousness so that all who judge and condemn others are judged and condemned by the same standard of righteousness. Only God is a sinless judge.
Paul provided a partial list of the unrighteous practices which condemn the moralist:
He observed that God’s kindness leads one to repentance [turning away from sin] and stubbornness and an unrepentant heart “stores up wrath” ... “in the day of wrath”.
In the day of wrath “God will reveal and reward each one according to his works”:
Paul reminded the Jews that nothing they do for righteousness under the law will compensate for hypocritical violations of the law.
Paul used the term “circumcision of the heart” to describe Jew and Gentile alike who have surrendered to the Holy Spirit and who have been permanently changed, marked for Christ.
The consequences of contempt for the wealth of God’s kindness, the wealth of God’s forbearance, or the wealth of God’s patience.
What is the difference between "judging", pretending to be God and to know the spirit—and imagining that one does so without sin of their own, and “discernment”, which is the recognition of sin in others without holding oneself as better than others?
Consider the imagery and practical application implied by Paul’s phrase “circumcision of the heart”.
When have you found someone unusually difficult to bear, wanted to react badly, but were restrained by the Holy Spirit within?
Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to me the difference between “judging” and “discerning” in my attitude toward others and one specific case where I practice more of a “judging” than a “discerning” attitude.
Today I will I will repent [turn away from] my non-Biblical “judging”, I will request and receive the Lord God's forgiveness, and then I will replace it as-is-appropriate with discernment.
3:1 Therefore what advantage does the Jew have, or what is the value of circumcision? 3:2 Actually, there are many advantages. First of all, the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God. 3:3 What then? If some did not believe, does their unbelief nullify the faithfulness of God? 3:4 Absolutely not! Let God be proven true, and every human being shown up as a liar, just as it is written: “so that you will be justified in your words and will prevail when you are judged.”
3:5 But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say? The God who inflicts wrath is not unrighteous, is he? (I am speaking in human terms.) 3:6 Absolutely not! For otherwise how could God judge the world? 3:7 For if by my lie the truth of God enhances his glory, why am I still actually being judged as a sinner? 3:8 And why not say, “Let us do evil so that good may come of it”?—as some who slander us allege that we say. (Their condemnation is deserved!)
The Condemnation of the World
3:9 What then? Are we better off? Certainly not, for we have already charged that Jews and Greeks alike are all under sin, 3:10 just as it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one,
3:11 there is no one who understands, there is no one who seeks God.
3:12 All have turned away, together they have become worthless; there is no one who shows kindness, not even one.”
3:13 “Their throats are open graves, they deceive with their tongues, the poison of asps is under their lips.”
3:14 “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.”
3:15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood,
3:16 ruin and misery are in their paths,
3:17 and the way of peace they have not known.”
3:18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
3:19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world may be held accountable to God. 3:20 For no one is declared righteous before him by the works of the law, for through the law comes the knowledge of sin.
3:21 But now apart from the law the righteousness of God (which is attested by the law and the prophets) has been disclosed—3:22 namely, the righteousness of God through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction, 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. 3:24 But they are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.
3:25 God publicly displayed him at his death as the mercy seat accessible through faith. This was to demonstrate his righteousness, because God in his forbearance had passed over the sins previously committed. 3:26 This was also to demonstrate his righteousness in the present time, so that he would be just and the justifier of the one who lives because of Jesus’ faithfulness.
3:27 Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded! By what principle? Of works? No, but by the principle of faith!
3:28 For we consider that a person is declared righteous by faith apart from the works of the law.
3:29 Or is God the God of the Jews only? Is he not the God of the Gentiles too? Yes, of the Gentiles too!
3:30 Since God is one, he will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith.
3:31 Do we then nullify the law through faith? Absolutely not! Instead we uphold the law.
Lord, You made a way just as You promised in the Garden of Eden, and You also opened the door of opportunity Jew and Gentile, male and female, old and young. May I be forever grateful for what You have done.
Paul continued to challenge the Jews to understand that the failure of some Jews does not say anything about the righteousness of God Who entrusted them with “the oracles of God”; He is perfectly righteous and rebellion only defines the rebel.
Paul explained the condemnation of the fallen world, saying that the perfect law of God proves the imperfection of all before a perfect God. Through the faith of the believer God fulfills the law which requires absolute dependence upon God and nothing else.
All are convicted by the law.
All may be justified by the sacrifice of Christ.
Christ fulfilled the requirement of the law for a perfect and pure sacrifice.
Observe the Grand Canyon-like chasm between fallen and God, man defined by imperfection and willful rebellion, God defined by His perfection.
Isn’t it amazing that the Lord God's love conquered all, even death, and that He chooses to pursue us for an eternal relationship with Him?
How interesting to this perfect God Who provides a way through Christ for imperfect and rebellious man to accept His gift and to be restored to the original Edenic plan for eternal relationship.
When have you stopped and reflected and prayed about the amazing gift of love from God?
Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you an opportunity to take some time to truly celebrate the amazing gift of the Lord God.
Today I will join a fellow believer in a heartfelt celebration of thankfulness for God's loving provision of a path to redemption.
The Illustration of Justification
4:1 What then shall we say that Abraham, our ancestor according to the flesh, has discovered regarding this matter? 4:2 For if Abraham was declared righteous by the works of the law, he has something to boast about—but not before God. 4:3 For what does the scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” 4:4 Now to the one who works, his pay is not credited due to grace but due to obligation. 4:5 But to the one who does not work, but believes in the one who declares the ungodly righteous, his faith is credited as righteousness.
4:6 So even David himself speaks regarding the blessedness of the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:
4:7 “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered;
4:8 blessed is the one against whom the Lord will never count sin.”
4:9 Is this blessedness then for the circumcision or also for the uncircumcision? For we say, “faith was credited to Abraham as righteousness.” 4:10 How then was it credited to him? Was he circumcised at the time, or not? No, he was not circumcised but uncircumcised! 4:11 And he received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised, so that he would become the father of all those who believe but have never been circumcised, that they too could have righteousness credited to them. 4:12 And he is also the father of the circumcised, who are not only circumcised, but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham possessed when he was still uncircumcised.
4:13 For the promise to Abraham or to his descendants that he would inherit the world was not fulfilled through the law, but through the righteousness that comes by faith. 4:14 For if they become heirs by the law, faith is empty and the promise is nullified. 4:15 For the law brings wrath, because where there is no law there is no transgression either. 4:16 For this reason it is by faith so that it may be by grace, with the result that the promise may be certain to all the descendants—not only to those who are under the law, but also to those who have the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all 4:17 (as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”). He is our father in the presence of God whom he believed—the God who makes the dead alive and summons the things that do not yet exist as though they already do. 4:18 Against hope Abraham believed in hope with the result that he became the father of many nations according to the pronouncement, “so will your descendants be.” 4:19 Without being weak in faith, he considered his own body as dead (because he was about one hundred years old) and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. 4:20 He did not waver in unbelief about the promise of God but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God. 4:21 He was fully convinced that what God promised he was also able to do. 4:22 So indeed it was credited to Abraham as righteousness.
4:23 But the statement it was credited to him was not written only for Abraham’s sake, 4:24 but also for our sake, to whom it will be credited, those who believe in the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. 4:25 He was given over because of our transgressions and was raised for the sake of our justification.
Lord, You inspired David to observe that it would be a blessing for one who behaved in a “lawless” manner and who sinned to be the beneficiary of Your grace, rather than the law. May I remember that it is Your mercy that has allowed me to not suffer eternal punishment for lawlessness and sin and to therefore seek righteousness and avoid lawlessness and sin.
Abraham was saved by faith, if he were saved by works God would have an obligation to him for having completed some sort of righteousness-earning task, but it was purely grace in return for his belief in God.
David noted that the Lord blesses by removing the eternal conviction-of-death-from-sin and Paul reminded the reader that this has nothing to do with religious ritual like circumcision since David was referring to Abraham and he was saved-by-faith before he was circumcised.
Paul also reminded that Abraham was promised that he would be the “father of many nations” while he and Sarah were still childless and he was elderly—indicating that everything involved with salvation would be unrelated to works, ritual, or any single nationality.
He concluded that saving-faith was for “... those who believe in the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was given over because of our transgressions and was raised for the sake of our justification.”
What a tragedy that man's distortions of God's word had led to such a heresy as to believe in any form of works-righteousness.
Isn’t freedom from works amazing? It does not come from membership in a man-made religious organization or nationality or race or gender. It liberates a person to simply love God and to receive His blessing and gifts and mission for life, undistorted by imperfect humans.
Freedom comes from understanding that salvation is through faith-alone and not works.
When have you experienced or observed confusion as to saved-by-faith-not-works versus saved-by-faith-plus-works?
Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you any moments in your life where you doubt your salvation and that I turn to any form of works-righteousness to try to justify myself before God.
Today I will ask a fellow believer to pray in agreement to purge the lie of doubt and/or works-righteousness from my life so that I may trust and worship God-alone.
The Expectation of Justification
5:1 Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 5:2 through whom we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in the hope of God’s glory.
5:3 Not only this, but we also rejoice in sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 5:4 and endurance, character, and character, hope.
5:5 And hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
5:6 For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.
5:7 (For rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person perhaps someone might possibly dare to die.)
5:8 But God demonstrates his own love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
5:9 Much more then, because we have now been declared righteous by his blood, we will be saved through him from God’s wrath.
5:10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, how much more, since we have been reconciled, will we be saved by his life?
5:11 Not only this, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received this reconciliation.
The Amplification of Justification
5:12 So then, just as sin entered the world through one man and death through sin, and so death spread to all people because all sinned—5:13 for before the law was given, sin was in the world, but there is no accounting for sin when there is no law. 5:14 Yet death reigned from Adam until Moses even over those who did not sin in the same way that Adam (who is a type of the coming one) transgressed.
5:15 But the gracious gift is not like the transgression. For if the many died through the transgression of the one man, how much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one man Jesus Christ multiply to the many!
5:16 And the gift is not like the one who sinned. For judgment, resulting from the one transgression, led to condemnation, but the gracious gift from the many failures led to justification.
5:17 For if, by the transgression of the one man, death reigned through the one, how much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one, Jesus Christ!
5:18 Consequently, just as condemnation for all people came through one transgression, so too through the one righteous act came righteousness leading to life for all people.
5:19 For just as through the disobedience of the one man many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of one man many will be made righteous.
5:20 Now the law came in so that the transgression may increase, but where sin increased, grace multiplied all the more, 5:21 so that just as sin reigned in death, so also grace will reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Lord, You provided the Law so that humankind could see why there was a breach in our relationship with You and what it was costing us, so that we then could recognize why it was such an amazing miracle when You sacrificed to make salvation- powered-righteousness available to us. May I recognize that Your grace is already sufficient for every transgression, that every new transgression only testifies to the magnitude of Your Grace, and that righteousness rather than transgression is the best statement of gratitude.
Paul explained that our expectation of justification is because through faith Jesus became our advocate so that at the Final Judgment the Enemy accuses and Jesus speaks up for us—declaring our justification for perfection because He “did our time”.
Paul also explained the power and purpose of the knowledge of our salvation:
Paul also addressed the amplification of justification, how how the sin of Adam spread to all of his descendants, and the grace from the sacrifice of Jesus multiplies back to believers beyond mere life but into eternity.
There is a long list of reasons that God should never allow you into His perfect and forever sin-free Heaven. Contemplate how great is the love that set you free of that.
How does understanding the power and purpose of the knowledge of our salvation give us something of value to which to we may cling when the challenges of life in a fallen world bring suffering?
There is an important contrast between the Enemy and Jesus. The Enemy is Prince of this world (because of the Fall of Adam and Eve) and it will last for only a little while. His kingdom is also imperfect and temporary. The kingdom of Jesus is perfect and will be eternal, because He made it possible though His own grace and power.
When have you felt overwhelmed by the world for a time and it was only your assurance of salvation that gave you the strength to remain hopeful and to make it through?
Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to me any lie that may rest in a confused place in my heart that anything I have ever done, or that has been done to me, can ever overwhelm the God of all Creation—when He says I am free and I am promised Heaven.
Today I will share Paul's stages for understanding the power and purpose of the knowledge of our salvation with someone who is struggling with suffering and together we will pray for hope.
The Believer’s Freedom from Sin’s Domination
6:1 What shall we say then? Are we to remain in sin so that grace may increase?
6:2 Absolutely not! How can we who died to sin still live in it?
6:3 Or do you not know that as many as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?
6:4 Therefore we have been buried with him through baptism into death, in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too may live a new life.
6:5 For if we have become united with him in the likeness of his death, we will certainly also be united in the likeness of his resurrection.
6:6 We know that our old man was crucified with him so that the body of sin would no longer dominate us, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 6:7 (For someone who has died has been freed from sin.)
6:8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.
6:9 We know that since Christ has been raised from the dead, he is never going to die again; death no longer has mastery over him.
6:10 For the death he died, he died to sin once for all, but the life he lives, he lives to God.
6:11 So you too consider yourselves dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
6:12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its desires, 6:13 and do not present your members to sin as instruments to be used for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who are alive from the dead and your members to God as instruments to be used for righteousness.
6:14 For sin will have no mastery over you, because you are not under law but under grace.
The Believer’s Enslavement to God’s Righteousness
6:15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Absolutely not!
6:16 Do you not know that if you present yourselves as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or obedience resulting in righteousness?
6:17 But thanks be to God that though you were slaves to sin, you obeyed from the heart that pattern of teaching you were entrusted to, 6:18 and having been freed from sin, you became enslaved to righteousness.
6:19 (I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh.) For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.
6:20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free with regard to righteousness.
6:21 So what benefit did you then reap from those things that you are now ashamed of? For the end of those things is death.
6:22 But now, freed from sin and enslaved to God, you have your benefit leading to sanctification, and the end is eternal life.
6:23 For the payoff of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Lord, You made the way for our salvation, setting us free from the slavery of sin, liberating us into a freely-chosen slavery to righteousness. May I not allow my still-fallen flesh to pollute my eternally-saved spirit of righteousness.
Paul reflected back on Romans 5 long enough to remind us that the grace of Jesus covers sins of all kinds.
He trusted us to remember the teaching of Solomon that there is “nothing new under the sun”, therefore, once-saved no sin we commit now is “new” to the entirety o sin for which Jesus the Christ died and therefore it cannot add anything to the grace-over-sin completed work of Christ Jesus.
The unsaved person not only cannot without-Christ overcome the power of sin which controls their lives, they also cannot without-Christ overcome the power of sin to control their eternity, they must accept His gift in order to be free.
Paul explained that the believer has freedom from sin’s domination, but he or she must recognize and then act upon that freedom—pressing away the things of this temporary world which try to drag us down—choosing instead to stay on the path toward ever-increasing righteousness.
The believer’s enslavement to God’s righteousness replaces their prior-to-salvation slavery to sin.
The believer has not only the power, through the indwelling Holy Spirit, to resist sin—they have an implicit obligation to partner with the Holy Spirit to resist sin.
Paul's challenge was “... do not present your members to sin as instruments to be used for unrighteousness … now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.”
What are some ways that you were enslaved by sin prior to salvation?
There are many ways that the power of your salvation has set you free from the power of sin.
When have you observed the external evidence of freedom-from-sin in the life of a new believer?
Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you at least one area of your life where you need to surrender more to His Lordship so that you may pursue righteousness rather than allow your still-fallen flesh to drag you into sin.
Today I will thank Jesus for setting me free. I will ask a fellow believer to pray in agreement with me as I partner with God in breaking free in the flesh the same way that He set me free in my eternal spiritual self.
All Bible text is from the NET unless otherwise indicated—http://bible.org
Note 1: These Studies often rely upon the guidance of the NET Translators from their associated notes. Careful attention has been given to cite that source where it has been quoted directly or closely paraphrased. Feedback is encouraged where credit has not been sufficiently assigned.
Note 2: When NET text is quoted in commentary and discussion all pronouns referring to God are capitalized, though they are lower-case in the original NET text.
Commentary text is from David M. Colburn, D.Min. unless otherwise noted.
Copyright © 2011 by David M. Colburn. This is a BibleSeven Study— “Romans”—prepared by David M. Colburn and edited for bible.org in October of 2011. This text may be used for non-profit educational purposes only, with credit; all other usage requires prior written consent of the author.
The Believer’s Relationship to the Law
7:1 Or do you not know, brothers and sisters (for I am speaking to those who know the law), that the law is lord over a person as long as he lives?
7:2 For a married woman is bound by law to her husband as long as he lives, but if her husband dies, she is released from the law of the marriage.
7:3 So then, if she is joined to another man while her husband is alive, she will be called an adulteress. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law, and if she is joined to another man, she is not an adulteress.
7:4 So, my brothers and sisters, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you could be joined to another, to the one who was raised from the dead, to bear fruit to God.
7:5 For when we were in the flesh, the sinful desires, aroused by the law, were active in the members of our body to bear fruit for death.
7:6 But now we have been released from the law, because we have died to what controlled us, so that we may serve in the new life of the Spirit and not under the old written code.
7:7 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Absolutely not! Certainly, I would not have known sin except through the law. For indeed I would not have known what it means to desire something belonging to someone else if the law had not said, “Do not covet.”
7:8 But sin, seizing the opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of wrong desires. For apart from the law, sin is dead.
7:9 And I was once alive apart from the law, but with the coming of the commandment sin became alive 7:10 and I died. So I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life brought death!
7:11 For sin, seizing the opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it I died.
7:12 So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous, and good.
7:13 Did that which is good, then, become death to me? Absolutely not! But sin, so that it would be shown to be sin, produced death in me through what is good, so that through the commandment sin would become utterly sinful.
7:14 For we know that the law is spiritual—but I am unspiritual, sold into slavery to sin.
7:15 For I don’t understand what I am doing. For I do not do what I want—instead, I do what I hate.
7:16 But if I do what I don’t want, I agree that the law is good.
7:17 But now it is no longer me doing it, but sin that lives in me.
7:18 For I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh. For I want to do the good, but I cannot do it.
7:19 For I do not do the good I want, but I do the very evil I do not want!
7:20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer me doing it but sin that lives in me.
7:21 So, I find the law that when I want to do good, evil is present with me.
7:22 For I delight in the law of God in my inner being.
7:23 But I see a different law in my members waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that is in my members.
7:24 Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?
7:25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.
Lord, Your grace separates us from the deadly consequence of sin, yet You call us to a higher-standard—that of who we have become because of Whose we have become. May I honor Your grace with a life focused on You and not on my worldly flesh.
Since the Fall in the Garden of Eden all of Creation, most-relevant to this study—humankind—dwells apart from relationship with the Lord God. All is doomed to an imperfect and meaningless death, together with the “prince of the earth”, Satan. This is because nothing imperfect may enter Heaven and the presence of the perfectly-holy Lord God, because all imperfection is sin, and because everything apart from the Lord is worthless.
The law did not create sin, it defined it more-clearly and it made its commission an unavoidably volitional rather than a somewhat non-volitional act, as well as a volitional act that is intentionally rebellious because it breaches the clear boundaries set by the Lord God.
Paul explained that the Law sets boundaries in our temporary earthly existence; he used the example of a married person who is—according to the law—not allowed to abandon their spouse and to marry another while that spouse is alive, for they were bonded together for life.
He then noted that our salvation sets us free from the bond we have to sin so that we may become the family of Christ in emotional, intellectual, physical, and spiritual harmony.
[Note: It was not Paul’s intent to teach in any comprehensive way the Biblical approach to marriage, divorce, and remarriage here any more than Jesus was teaching about fishing or gardening when He used those as teaching illustrations. He did not intend to teach that only a woman is bound by that law, nor did he intend that one abandoned by a spouse who remarries is bound to remain single. He was simply using an available illustration—and as is true of all such illustrations when extrapolated too-far apart from the intended purpose—it fails.]
Paul continued to teach that because sin no longer controls us [in an eternal sense] the Law is no longer necessary to convict us of sin to preserve us for salvation; however, our temporary bodies remain enslaved to sin and the Law becomes a tool of the Holy Spirit to convict us of that sin so that we may partner with the Holy Spirit to press it away.
The Lord God brought clarity to the ancient and primitive Israelites, and to us, so that we may plainly know when we are doing that which offends Him.
What are some specific ways that the Law is used by the Holy Spirit to help us to discern when our temporary physical bodies are drifting into in, such as cheating, coveting, gossip, hatred, idolatry, jealousy, lying, stealing, etc?
The law made it impossible for any to pretend that the boundary between good and evil and right and wrong could not be readily known.
When have you been confronted with the challenge of worldly temptation and found the answer to where you must draw the line in the clear teaching of the law?
Ask the Holy Spirit to reminded you of the Lord God's Law "You shall not …" in some area where you are drifting into sin.
Today I will ask a fellow believer to pray in-agreement with me as I press-away that fleshly desire in this world which is leading me away from righteousness as the law defines it.
The Believer’s Relationship to the Holy Spirit
8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
8:2 For the law of the life-giving Spirit in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death.
8:3 For God achieved what the law could not do because it was weakened through the flesh. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and concerning sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 8:4 so that the righteous requirement of the law may be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
8:5 For those who live according to the flesh have their outlook shaped by the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit have their outlook shaped by the things of the Spirit.
8:6 For the outlook of the flesh is death, but the outlook of the Spirit is life and peace, 8:7 because the outlook of the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to the law of God, nor is it able to do so. 8:8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
8:9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, this person does not belong to him. 8:10 But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is your life because of righteousness. 8:11 Moreover if the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, the one who raised Christ from the dead will also make your mortal bodies alive through his Spirit who lives in you.
8:12 So then, brothers and sisters, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh 8:13 (for if you live according to the flesh, you will die), but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body you will live.
8:14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are the sons of God. 8:15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery leading again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry, “Abba, Father.”
8:16 The Spirit himself bears witness to our spirit that we are God’s children. 8:17 And if children, then heirs (namely, heirs of God and also fellow heirs with Christ)—if indeed we suffer with him so we may also be glorified with him.
8:18 For I consider that our present sufferings cannot even be compared to the glory that will be revealed to us.
8:19 For the creation eagerly waits for the revelation of the sons of God. 8:20 For the creation was subjected to futility—not willingly but because of God who subjected it—in hope 8:21 that the creation itself will also be set free from the bondage of decay into the glorious freedom of God’s children.
8:22 For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers together until now.
8:23 Not only this, but we ourselves also, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we eagerly await our adoption, the redemption of our bodies.
8:24 For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope, because who hopes for what he sees? 8:25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with endurance.
8:26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness, for we do not know how we should pray, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with inexpressible groanings.
8:27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes on behalf of the saints according to God’s will.
8:28 And we know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose, 8:29 because those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.
8:30 And those he predestined, he also called; and those he called, he also justified; and those he justified, he also glorified.
Lord, You made a way for us to be set free from the death of sin due to our fallen-flesh, You offered us this free gift, and when we accepted You indwelt us with Your Holy Spirit. May I be grateful beyond-measure for Your incredible gift and for Your indwelling assurance of my salvation.
Paul revisited his teaching that a believer’s freedom from eternal condemnation for sin was necessary because their flesh was imperfect and prone to sin.
He noted that at-salvation the Holy Spirit indwelt every believer such that no-one is saved unless they have the indwelling Holy Spirit.
[Note: This is why “... the baptism of John” was insufficient.]
Paul then described the believer’s relationship to the Holy Spirit; where we once were fear-controlled slaves to sin we became joy-filled adopted-children of the eternal family of God.
Paul listed several specific ways that we are blessed by the presence of the Holy Spirit:
“... if the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, the one who raised Christ from the dead will also make your mortal bodies alive through his Spirit who lives in you.”
How do the elements of Paul’s list of the blessings of the indwelling Holy Spirit apply to your walk with God?
The Lord God's consistency begins with the law that flesh-based sin means death. Jesus took the consequences of all flesh-based sin to Himself then overcame it with grace so that when we surrender and join Him we receive His redemption and flesh-based sin cannot cause us eternal death. Those who do not have Christ, and the indwelling Holy Spirit as His down-payment on Heaven, are still accountable to the law—their flesh-based sin will bring them death. This consistency builds trust in the Lord God.
When have you found the courage to resist flesh-based sin in the assurance of your salvation by a loving and self-sacrificing Lord God?
Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you one way that He has impacted your life through one of the blessings of His presence as listed by Paul.
Today I will share the story and then celebrate in praise and worship what He has revealed to me—together with another believer.
8:31 What then shall we say about these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
8:32 Indeed, he who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, freely give us all things?
8:33 Who will bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.
8:34 Who is the one who will condemn? Christ is the one who died (and more than that, he was raised), who is at the right hand of God, and who also is interceding for us.
8:35 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will trouble, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?
8:36 As it is written, “For your sake we encounter death all day long; we were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”
8:37 No, in all these things we have complete victory through him who loved us!
8:38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor heavenly rulers, nor things that are present, nor things to come, nor powers, 8:39 nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Lord, You are the cause and the power that makes the gift of salvation possible, and once we belong to You we are yours forever. May I not be confused by the many extra-Biblical doctrines and rather cling to Your Word.
Paul reviewed God’s requirements for salvation and His power for righteous living:
[Note: Paul's purpose here is not to teach fatalism, that God predetermined who would be saved and not and then just timed their salvation with no regard for His commitment to free will, evidenced in the Garden, and repeated elsewhere. This is, instead, Paul reminding us that God's standards are high and His commitment to people of faith consistent. The One true God is never arbitrary or inconsistent.]
Once we, through volitional acceptance of the gift of Christ—and our submission to His Lordship that comes with it—belong to Him, there is no power on earth or in heaven that can separate us from Him.
The terms “elect” and “predestined” have been the source of great confusion and conflict but can you see where the Lord God says that the “elect” are those who accept the gift and are then transformed from the “non-elect” and once they are among the “elect” they are “predestined to be conformed to the image of Jesus [righteousness] through the indwelling work of the Holy Spirit?
The victory of the believer is not over earthly enemies, it is not over worldly imperfections (e.g. disease, loss, troubles), but it is over death-itself. The focal purpose of salvation is on eternity and not our temporary existence here on earth.
When have you contemplated the change in you from before your intentional surrender to Jesus and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit?
Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you someone who is confused about “elect” and “predestined”.
Today I will pray for the one to whom the Holy Spirit has directed me. I will respectfully offer to study these verses in Romans, and others in the B7-series, which clarify the matter of “elect”, “predestination”, and “free will” in a Biblically-consistent manner.
9:1 Israel’s Rejection Considered
I am telling the truth in Christ (I am not lying!), for my conscience assures me in the Holy Spirit—9:2 I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. 9:3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed—cut off from Christ—for the sake of my people, my fellow countrymen, 9:4 who are Israelites. To them belong the adoption as sons, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the temple worship, and the promises. 9:5 To them belong the patriarchs, and from them, by human descent, came the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever! Amen.
9:6 It is not as though the word of God had failed. For not all those who are descended from Israel are truly Israel, 9:7 nor are all the children Abraham’s true descendants; rather “through Isaac will your descendants be counted.”
9:8 This means it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God; rather, the children of promise are counted as descendants.
9:9 For this is what the promise declared: “About a year from now I will return and Sarah will have a son.” 9:10 Not only that, but when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our ancestor Isaac—9:11 even before they were born or had done anything good or bad (so that God’s purpose in election would stand, not by works but by his calling)—9:12 it was said to her, “The older will serve the younger,” 9:13 just as it is written: “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”
9:14 What shall we say then? Is there injustice with God? Absolutely not!
9:15 For he says to Moses: “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”
9:16 So then, it does not depend on human desire or exertion, but on God who shows mercy.
9:17 For the scripture says to Pharaoh: “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may demonstrate my power in you, and that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth.” 9:18 So then, God has mercy on whom he chooses to have mercy, and he hardens whom he chooses to harden.
9:19 You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For who has ever resisted his will?”
9:20 But who indeed are you—a mere human being—to talk back to God? Does what is molded say to the molder, “Why have you made me like this?” 9:21 Has the potter no right to make from the same lump of clay one vessel for special use and another for ordinary use?
9:22 But what if God, willing to demonstrate his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience the objects of wrath prepared for destruction?
9:23 And what if he is willing to make known the wealth of his glory on the objects of mercy that he has prepared beforehand for glory—9:24 even us, whom he has called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles?
9:25 As he also says in Hosea: “I will call those who were not my people, ‘My people,’ and I will call her who was unloved, ‘My beloved.’”
9:26 “And in the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ there they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’”
9:27 And Isaiah cries out on behalf of Israel, “Though the number of the children of Israel are as the sand of the sea, only the remnant will be saved, 9:28 for the Lord will execute his sentence on the earth completely and quickly.”
9:29 Just as Isaiah predicted, “If the Lord of armies had not left us descendants, we would have become like Sodom, and we would have resembled Gomorrah.”
Lord, You provided the law to the Israelites, the subset of humankind descended from Isaac. The law convicted them of sin and provided a ritual-covering for them but it was never possible for them to earn salvation in their fallen-flesh through works but only through faith—as had Abraham—prior to the law. May I be grateful to be free from the law, to be in-Christ through faith, and be found grateful through thankfulness and righteous living.
This section of Romans 9 describes the Lord God’s relationship with humankind under the law. the final few verses of Romans 9 (discussed in the next section of this Study) addresses the sovereignly-altered realationship under the grace of the Cross.
Paul explains God’s rejection of Israel, because God’s promise to God was not inclusive of all in the tribes of Israel but only a remnant—for faith not tribe—Jew and Gentile alike.
Israel’s repeated rejection of the God made both the nation and individuals culpable.
God chooses, based on the standard described in Romans 8, whom He will bless and whom He will not and no man or tribe may correct Him.
God testifies to His sovereignty from the enforcement of His holy decrees, mercy as He sees fit, hardening the already hard also as He sees fit, all according to His perfect plan.
Those who were born Israelites were blessed with a unique relationship with the Lord God, yet because of their generations of rebellion only a remnant was preserved, and their special earthly-relationship lost.
Isn’t it amazing how God's standard of a faithful-surrender to His Lordship has never changed?
The descendants of Israel have always shared access to a faith-based salvation with the “gentiles” but they lost sight of that due to their unique earthly relationship in the past.
When have you experienced or observed a person imagining that their membership in a unique job, religious organization, or social circle makes them more valuable to the Lord God?
Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you a place in your fellowship, or one one elsewhere in your community (perhaps a cult of some sort) where some may be confusing membership and performance/works with salvation through faith-alone.
Today I will pray in-earnest for those who are confused, and if the Holy Spirit provides an opportunity, I will gently, patiently, and respectfully share with them the truth of salvation through faith-alone.
Israel’s Rejection Culpable
9:30 What shall we say then?—that the Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness obtained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith, 9:31 but Israel even though pursuing a law of righteousness did not attain it.
9:32 Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but (as if it were possible) by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone, 9:33 just as it is written,
“Look, I am laying in Zion a stone that will cause people to stumble and a rock that will make them fall, yet the one who believes in him will not be put to shame.”
Lord, You gave the law to show the way to grace, and under grace the law serves to point the way to righteousness. May I be faithful, under grace, in the pursuit of righteousness.
Paul asked if the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness—via the law—still obtained it?
He also asked if Israel, who did (at least in theory) pursue righteousness—via the law—did not?
Paul explained that the difference that Israel attempted works-righteousness, salvation without faith, rather only by legalistic-works, whereas the Gentiles sought a faith-based salvation without pre-salvation works.
He further explained that Israel had become so invested in their legalism that it because a stumbling-block which distracted them from the faith that saved Abraham.
The Lord God wanted Israel to choose a saving-relationship with Him through faith-alone, but Israel was like those in the time of the Tower of Babel, they wanted to access the Lord God though their own “power”.
God's standard for salvation and righteous living reflects that which is necessary to set-apart those whose genuine surrender will make them sinless occupants of "the new heaven and new earth" to come.
The Lord God was consistent, from the Garden of Eden to Paul's time of teaching, restoration was always a matter of faith.
When did you first truly understand the meaning of salvation through faith-alone?
Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you a place in your life where a religious habit or ritual or tradition has displaced genuine relationship with the Lord God.
Today I will praise the Lord God for His consistency, sharing with another believer how that has built confidence in my relationship with Him and in my daily walk.
10:1 Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and prayer to God on behalf of my fellow Israelites is for their salvation.
10:2 For I can testify that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not in line with the truth.
10:3 For ignoring the righteousness that comes from God, and seeking instead to establish their own righteousness, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.
10:4 For Christ is the end of the law, with the result that there is righteousness for everyone who believes.
10:5 For Moses writes about the righteousness that is by the law: “The one who does these things will live by them.”
10:6 But the righteousness that is by faith says: “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) 10:7 or “Who will descend into the abyss?” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).
10:8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we preach), 10:9 because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
10:10 For with the heart one believes and thus has righteousness and with the mouth one confesses and thus has salvation.
10:11 For the scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.”
10:12 For there is no distinction between the Jew and the Greek, for the same Lord is Lord of all, who richly blesses all who call on him.
10:13 For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
Lord, so many have been frustrated by works-righteousness, and as a result have been difficult to reach with Your message of grace. May I be faithful in praying for those who need you and in sharing Your message of grace.
Paul lamented that the Jews “... are zealous for God”.
He explained that they were zealous for a religion that ritually honored the name of the Lord God but not one that truly surrendered to Him as Lord of their lives.
Paul lamented that they failed to be zealous for “... the righteousness that comes from God” but were “... seeking instead their own righteousness”.
He explained that they were trapped in an idolatry of works-righteousness under the law, to which they had added many human rules and regulations, so that it had all become a crusing and hopeless burden.
Paul declared “Christ is the end of the Law ... there is righteousness for everyone who believes” and then he reminded them that those who would seek righteousness in only the law would be trapped in the hopeless pursuit of works-righteousness.
He instructed that righteousness by faith does not look for Christ and His salvation in heaven or hell but instead right where they stood—through a repentant heart and surrendered spirit when they declare Christ to be their Lord and Savior.
Paul reminded them that with Christ via faith all of humankind was granted equal access to salvation, without regard to Jew or Gentile.
Trying to earn the right to enter heaven when the standard is perfection is a fools-errand.
What are some of the ways that the Jews may have sought their own righteousness, despite their zealousness for God?
Does it seem that there are many ways that many people of many cultures still engage in works-righteousness today?
When have you imagined that the Lord God was far away when it was your choices that was making it hard for you to recognize that He was right beside you; actually, in your heart.
Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to me any way in which I may still seeking my own righteousness, Jesus plus my performance.
Today I will prayerfully reflect upon my commitment to Christ; and I will intentionally seek a path of maturity that leads to a more-complete surrender.
10:14 How are they to call on one they have not believed in? And how are they to believe in one they have not heard of? And how are they to hear without someone preaching to them?
10:15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How timely is the arrival of those who proclaim the good news.”
10:16 But not all have obeyed the good news, for Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?”
10:17 Consequently faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the preached word of Christ.
10:18 But I ask, have they not heard? Yes, they have: Their voice has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world.
10:19 But again I ask, didn’t Israel understand? First Moses says, “I will make you jealous by those who are not a nation; with a senseless nation I will provoke you to anger.”
10:20 And Isaiah is even bold enough to say, “I was found by those who did not seek me; I became well known to those who did not ask for me.”
10:21 But about Israel he says, “All day long I held out my hands to this disobedient and stubborn people!”
Lord, You send your children who have responded to Your call to be evangelists and missionaries, and they share Your message with the unsaved. The unsaved choose to believe or not to believe. Salvation is a gift, offered to all, but is one which must be accepted. May I be grateful to those who surrendered to You not only for their salvation but to be Your instruments so that I could hear and receive.
Paul explained that before one may believe one must first hear of the gospel of Christ.
He then noted that the ones who are doing the telling are those who have been sent by the Lord God.
He emphasized that "... the preached Word of Christ" is very important so that those who hear have an opportunity to make an informed choice.
Paul reaches back to Isaiah to demonstrate how long the Lord God has been telling His story and how long many have refused to respond in faith.
He answered the question of the Israelites “.. have they not heard” as they tried to understand why the Israelites were not Christians with “ Yes, they have ...”
Paul then reminded them of the warning of Moses that it would be non-Israelites who would first respond and that would make them jealous enough to finally listen.
He clarified “I was found by those who did not seek me; I became well known to those who did not ask for me.” [Speaking of the Gentiles]
And finally Paul quoted Isaiah, in reference to Israel “All day long I held out my hands to this disobedient and stubborn people!”
No matter how many times Moses or Isaiah or others tried to explain faith to the Israelites most refused to break-away from living in the flesh and/or works-righteousness in the law.
What has been your experiences with those who have “preached”. Was what they preached the pure Word of God or was something added or deleted or distorted? How do you know?
The Lord God has chosen to use humankind in the “preaching” and “teaching”—sharing—of the gospel in his great plan of salvation.
When did you hear and how long did it take you to respond?
Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you n opportunity to be His instrument to bring the gospel to someone who has yet to understand and surrender.
Today I will courageously and respectfully share the gospel with the one who the Holy Spirit has prepared to receive it. I will be patient as they may take some time to absorb and accept before they repent and surrender.
All Bible text is from the NET unless otherwise indicated—http://bible.org
Note 1: These Studies often rely upon the guidance of the NET Translators from their associated notes. Careful attention has been given to cite that source where it has been quoted directly or closely paraphrased. Feedback is encouraged where credit has not been sufficiently assigned.
Note 2: When NET text is quoted in commentary and discussion all pronouns referring to God are capitalized, though they are lower-case in the original NET text.
Commentary text is from David M. Colburn, D.Min. unless otherwise noted.
Copyright © 2011 by David M. Colburn. This is a BibleSeven Study— “Romans”—prepared by David M. Colburn and edited for bible.org in October of 2011. This text may be used for non-profit educational purposes only, with credit; all other usage requires prior written consent of the author.
Israel’s Rejection not Complete nor Final
11:1 So I ask, God has not rejected his people, has he? Absolutely not! For I too am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin.
11:2 God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew! Do you not know what the scripture says about Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel? 11:3 “Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have demolished your altars; I alone am left and they are seeking my life!”
11:4 But what was the divine response to him? “I have kept for myself seven thousand people who have not bent the knee to Baal.”
11:5 So in the same way at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. 11:6 And if it is by grace, it is no longer by works, otherwise grace would no longer be grace.
11:7 What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was diligently seeking, but the elect obtained it. The rest were hardened, 11:8 as it is written,
“God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that would not see and ears that would not hear, to this very day.”
11:9 And David says,
“Let their table become a snare and trap, a stumbling block and a retribution for them;
11:10 let their eyes be darkened so that they may not see, and make their backs bend continually.”
11:11 I ask then, they did not stumble into an irrevocable fall, did they? Absolutely not! But by their transgression salvation has come to the Gentiles, to make Israel jealous. 11:12 Now if their transgression means riches for the world and their defeat means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full restoration bring?
11:13 Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Seeing that I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry, 11:14 if somehow I could provoke my people to jealousy and save some of them. 11:15 For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? 11:16 If the first portion of the dough offered is holy, then the whole batch is holy, and if the root is holy, so too are the branches.
11:17 Now if some of the branches were broken off, and you, a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among them and participated in the richness of the olive root, 11:18 do not boast over the branches. But if you boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you.
11:19 Then you will say, “The branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in.” 11:20 Granted! They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but fear! 11:21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, perhaps he will not spare you.
11:22 Notice therefore the kindness and harshness of God—harshness toward those who have fallen, but God’s kindness toward you, provided you continue in his kindness; otherwise you also will be cut off.
11:23 And even they—if they do not continue in their unbelief—will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. 11:24 For if you were cut off from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these natural branches be grafted back into their own olive tree?
11:25 For I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited: A partial hardening has happened to Israel until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. 11:26 And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written:
“The Deliverer will come out of Zion; he will remove ungodliness from Jacob.
11:27 And this is my covenant with them, when I take away their sins.”
11:28 In regard to the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but in regard to election they are dearly loved for the sake of the fathers. 11:29 For the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable. 11:30 Just as you were formerly disobedient to God, but have now received mercy due to their disobedience, 11:31 so they too have now been disobedient in order that, by the mercy shown to you, they too may now receive mercy. 11:32 For God has consigned all people to disobedience so that he may show mercy to them all.
11:33 Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how fathomless his ways!
11:34 For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?
11:35 Or who has first given to God, that God needs to repay him?
11:36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever! Amen.
Lord, Your plan is unfolding, we need to honor and obey and to pray for those who still need to repent and surrender to You. May I be faithful in telling Your story to those who are still strangers to You and to disciple fellow-believers who need to become better servants of yours.
“Israel ... 7,000 people who have not bent the knee to Baal… a remnant…” preserved by the Lord God because they did not rebel by worshiping the false god.
“... chosen by grace ... salvation has come to the Gentiles, to make Israel jealous ...” [Disobedience is against the Law, first the Jews and then the Gentiles are convicted by it, this then creates the opportunity for grace to bring unmerited mercy.]
Paul used the term “grace” as he had described earlier, a response to faith, not to works, and the “elect” as he previously described to be those who met the Roman 10 standard of belief and confession to receive salvation.
Paul noted that rebellious Israel had been further-hardened by God for a time so that the Gentiles could be “grafted in” but that later on Jews who repented of their rebellion would be “grafted back in”.
The Lord God did not cause them to be hardened, they chose to worship Baal, that was their initial “hardening”. Israel had, for a time, lost its status as a favored-nation.
The Lord God used Israel as His instrument to fulfill His prophesy at the time of the Fall in the Garden of Eden, so as-such, Israel was a necessary prior-step to the Gentile’s salvation—so Paul warned the Gentiles to not disrespect the Israelites.
Those among the Israelites who would repent of their rebellion and return to the Lord God would be welcomed back into the His family for eternity.
The grace-through-mercy of God, made possible by Jesus the Christ, cannot ever be earned or deserved by fallen man but is offered in exchange for our surrender of the hopelessness of slavery to a sin-controlled existence in a fallen world.
The Israelites had a long and rocky relationship with the Lord God, often blessed, and often punished from terrible rebellion, yet the Lord God still loved them—the same as He did the very first man and woman and everything in His creation.
Does the pattern of options and choices give you confidence in the Lord God's promise to allow humankind free will, even though it pains Him greatly to see us fail and suffer, and even though it cost His only Son?
The sequence of events in God’s redemption of rebellious man:
When have you been reading your Bible and paused in amazement at the consistency and the persistent-patience and unending love of the Lord God?
Ask the Holy Spirit to remind me of the one most-appealing thing that drew me to Him.
Today I will reflect with a fellow believer upon the incredible expanse of HIS-story—a story where God has not allowed His children to all be destroyed, a story within which He has made corrections to the flow of human history without violating the individual free will choice of everyone to chose Him or not.
Consecration of the Believer’s Life
12:1 Therefore I exhort you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a sacrifice—alive, holy, and pleasing to God—which is your reasonable service.
12:2 Do not be conformed to this present world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may test and approve what is the will of God—what is good and well-pleasing and perfect.
Conduct in Humility
12:3 For by the grace given to me I say to every one of you not to think more highly of yourself than you ought to think, but to think with sober discernment, as God has distributed to each of you a measure of faith.
12:4 For just as in one body we have many members, and not all the members serve the same function, 12:5 so we who are many are one body in Christ, and individually we are members who belong to one another.
12:6 And we have different gifts according to the grace given to us. If the gift is prophecy, that individual must use it in proportion to his faith. 12:7 If it is service, he must serve; if it is teaching, he must teach; 12:8 if it is exhortation, he must exhort; if it is contributing, he must do so with sincerity; if it is leadership, he must do so with diligence; if it is showing mercy, he must do so with cheerfulness.
Conduct in Love
12:9 Love must be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil, cling to what is good.
12:10 Be devoted to one another with mutual love, showing eagerness in honoring one another.
12:11 Do not lag in zeal, be enthusiastic in spirit, serve the Lord. 12:12 Rejoice in hope, endure in suffering, persist in prayer.
12:13 Contribute to the needs of the saints, pursue hospitality.
12:14 Bless those who persecute you, bless and do not curse.
12:15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.
12:16 Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty but associate with the lowly. Do not be conceited.
12:17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil; consider what is good before all people.
12:18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all people.
12:19 Do not avenge yourselves, dear friends, but give place to God’s wrath, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. 12:20 Rather, if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in doing this you will be heaping burning coals on his head.
12:21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Lord, You teach us to not attempt to overcome evil with more evil (because we will then be overcome by evil and the enemy will have a double-victory) but rather to overcome evil with good. May I be faithful in that, even though it is contrary to my flesh, and very difficult to do—with Your indwelling Holy Spirit I am able—in Your righteous-strength.
It “... is your reasonable service. Do not be conformed to this present world.” Be humble, honor one another through mutual love. “Rejoice in hope, endure in suffering, persist in prayer ... Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
Paul implored “... present your bodies as a sacrifice ... be transformed by the renewing of your mind” so that in knowing and applying the will [known via the Word] of God one may mature as a Christian.
Paul linked back to his discussion of “judging” to make the point that humility prevents the sin to “... think more highly of yourself than you ought to think”. He then goes on to note that the exercise of “gifts” are to be in proportion to “humility”, not to show off and not ritualistically. He specifically lists prophesy, service, teaching, exhortation, contributing, leadership, and mercy.
Paul qualifies each to show the linkage between humility (as modeled by Jesus and Paul) and the exercise of gifts:
Gift Description |
Humility-Qualifier |
Prophesy (mostly re-telling, rarely fore-telling) |
In proportion to faith (not faked) |
Service (assisting others in need) |
Serve (remember foot-washing) |
Teaching (the Word of God w/o changes) |
Teach (tell HIS-story, not yours) |
Exhortation (plead for salvation and righteousness) |
Exhort (not manipulate, motivate) |
Contributing (give from God’s bounty) |
Sincerely (not Ananias & Sapphira) |
Leadership (intentionally show the way) |
Diligence (integrity & persistence) |
Mercy (comfort, encourage, & forgive) |
Cheerfully (not reluctantly) |
Paul checked-off a list of what true Biblical love “looks like”:
Whenever we think of ourselves more-highly than we should we are then prone to “judge” others, but when we are humble we may be discerning about others without judging them.
How do the items on the chart and the checklist from Paul and reflect upon your life and how do they apply to your walk?
It is the righteousness of the Lord God that His Holy Spirit pours-out through us which accomplishes the things Paul listed.
When have you experienced or observed a struggle with humility which then was reflected in the right application of and attitude toward gifts?
Ask the Holy Spirit reveal to your at least one item on Paul’s list where you need to partner with Him in order to grow.
Today I will ask a fellow believer to pray in agreement with me for perseverance in that effort.
Submission to Civil Government
13:1 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except by God’s appointment, and the authorities that exist have been instituted by God. 13:2 So the person who resists such authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will incur judgment 13:3 (for rulers cause no fear for good conduct but for bad). Do you desire not to fear authority? Do good and you will receive its commendation, 13:4 for it is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be in fear, for it does not bear the sword in vain. It is God’s servant to administer retribution on the wrongdoer. 13:5 Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of the wrath of the authorities but also because of your conscience. 13:6 For this reason you also pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants devoted to governing. 13:7 Pay everyone what is owed: taxes to whom taxes are due, revenue to whom revenue is due, respect to whom respect is due, honor to whom honor is due.
Exhortation to Love Neighbors
13:8 Owe no one anything, except to love one another, for the one who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. 13:9 For the commandments, “Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not covet,” (and if there is any other commandment) are summed up in this, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 13:10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
Motivation to Godly Conduct
13:11 And do this because we know the time, that it is already the hour for us to awake from sleep, for our salvation is now nearer than when we became believers. 13:12 The night has advanced toward dawn; the day is near. So then we must lay aside the works of darkness, and put on the weapons of light. 13:13 Let us live decently as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in discord and jealousy. 13:14 Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh to arouse its desires.
Lord, You teach us about our human nature and our spiritual nature in-You, then You teach us how to manage both. May I be a humble and teachable student.
Jesus taught: “Then give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” Matthew 22:21 [Paul was expanding on the practical application of that principle.]
Fallen humans, even believers, require the “container” or boundaries of organized systems for civilization lest we drift into Sodom and Gomorrah-like anarchy “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except by God’s appointment ... if you do wrong, be in fear ...”
Paul was not teaching Christians to be debt-free, but to be balanced (because elsewhere the management of debt is discussed) “Pay everyone what is owed ... Owe no one anything ...” describes both immediate payments in-full and debt payments on-time.
He challenged Christians whose human nature caused them to seek their own best-interest and to think of themselves as valuable to look outside of themselves and to “Love your neighbor as yourself ...”
Paul echoed the call of Jesus to live righteously “Let us live decently as in the daytime ... put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh to arouse its desires.”
Paul reminded that authority “... does not bear the sword in vain.”, because authority by-definition includes the power to enforce boundaries and rules.
He provided a list of expectations for Christians in-community as guidance:
Paul provided another list for us to successfully “... live decently as in the daytime” putting “... on the Lord Jesus Christ” making “... no provision for the flesh to arouse its desires.”
The fallen nature of man results in a typical outcome when fallen humans are separated from a civilizing "container" for long.
What is your understanding of the dividing line between “that which is Caesar’s” and “that which is God’s”? Reflect upon
Paul’s list for putting on the Lord Jesus Christ (righteous living) is reflected elsewhere in the direct teaching of Jesus, that of other Biblical authors, and in the Old Testament. The Lord God is perfectly-consistent.
When have you experience or observed the consequence of the absence of authority and a “container for civilization”?
Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you a place in Paul's list for putting on the Lord Jesus Christ (righteous living) and identify at least one area where you need to partner with the Holy Spirit to move toward greater maturity.
Today I will ask a fellow believer to pray in agreement with me for perseverance in my effort, with the Holy Spirit, to move toward greater maturity. I will share the result of that effort with that prayer-partner and we will celebrate the praise the Lord together.
Exhortation to Mutual Forbearance
14:1 Now receive the one who is weak in the faith, and do not have disputes over differing opinions.
14:2 One person believes in eating everything, but the weak person eats only vegetables. 14:3 The one who eats everything must not despise the one who does not, and the one who abstains must not judge the one who eats everything, for God has accepted him.
14:4 Who are you to pass judgment on another’s servant? Before his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
14:5 One person regards one day holier than other days, and another regards them all alike. Each must be fully convinced in his own mind.
14:6 The one who observes the day does it for the Lord. The one who eats, eats for the Lord because he gives thanks to God, and the one who abstains from eating abstains for the Lord, and he gives thanks to God.
14:7 For none of us lives for himself and none dies for himself.
14:8 If we live, we live for the Lord; if we die, we die for the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.
14:9 For this reason Christ died and returned to life, so that he may be the Lord of both the dead and the living.
14:10 But you who eat vegetables only—why do you judge your brother or sister? And you who eat everything—why do you despise your brother or sister? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.
14:11 For it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee will bow to me, and every tongue will give praise to God.”
14:12 Therefore, each of us will give an account of himself to God.
Exhortation for the Strong not to Destroy the Weak
14:13 Therefore we must not pass judgment on one another, but rather determine never to place an obstacle or a trap before a brother or sister.
14:14 I know and am convinced in the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean in itself; still, it is unclean to the one who considers it unclean.
14:15 For if your brother or sister is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. Do not destroy by your food someone for whom Christ died. 14:16 Therefore do not let what you consider good be spoken of as evil. 14:17 For the kingdom of God does not consist of food and drink, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. 14:18 For the one who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by people.
14:19 So then, let us pursue what makes for peace and for building up one another. 14:20 Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. For although all things are clean, it is wrong to cause anyone to stumble by what you eat. 14:21 It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything that causes your brother to stumble.
14:22 The faith you have, keep to yourself before God. Blessed is the one who does not judge himself by what he approves.
14:23 But the man who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not do so from faith, and whatever is not from faith is sin.
Lord, You give us freedoms in our faith but we are expected to be careful that we do not exercise them selfishly so as to cause our brother to stumble. May I be intentional in all that I do—bring attention and honor and glory to You.
“Now receive the one who is weak in the faith ...” Among truly saved believers whether one treats one day as “holier” than another or all the same, eats or fasts, lives or dies, because he or she belongs to the Lord all they do—and how they do it is also for the Lord and answers only to the Lord. The only things that are unclean are those which compromise ones relationship with God. “... whatever is not from faith is sin.”
Paul used the still-confused, spiritually immature, behavior of those who were “... weak in the faith” to demonstrate living-out grace toward fellow believers. Some still harbored superstitious beliefs about meat sacrificed to idols by pagans or sacrificed to God by Law-bound incomplete Jews which prevented them from eating meat “.. the weak person eats only vegetables”, He instructed the more mature who was free to eat anything to be patient with the weaker—allowing them to do as best honored God in their heart (the weak believer).
Condemnation of a “weak” believer, about things not essential to salvation or righteous living, may drive them out of fellowship, slow their spiritual growth, or even cause them to reject Christ (even though—if their confession-conversion was genuine—their salvation cannot be “lost” they may choose to live for a long time as if it were).
List examples where a wrongful attitude toward a “weak” believer was confronted and corrected. What was the outcome?
Paul used the still-confused, spiritually immature, behavior of those who were “... weak in the faith” to demonstrate living-out grace toward fellow believers.
When have you experienced confusion because someone was making choices that you did not understand as a new believer but later came to understand?
Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you a place where I harbor any beliefs which limit my freedom where God has not limited it (not necessarily specific to ritualistically “clean” of “unclean” foods but perhaps denominations, human religious traditions, Bible translations, styles of music, styles of clothing, buildings, gender roles in leadership, race, etc.).
Today I will ask a fellow believer to pray in agreement with me as I partner with the Holy Spirit to purge that immature belief from my life.
Exhortation for the Strong to Help the Weak
15:1 But we who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak, and not just please ourselves.
15:2 Let each of us please his neighbor for his good to build him up. 15:3 For even Christ did not please himself, but just as it is written, “The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.”
15:4 For everything that was written in former times was written for our instruction, so that through endurance and through encouragement of the scriptures we may have hope.
15:5 Now may the God of endurance and comfort give you unity with one another in accordance with Christ Jesus, 15:6 so that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Exhortation to Mutual Acceptance
15:7 Receive one another, then, just as Christ also received you, to God’s glory.
15:8 For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the circumcised on behalf of God’s truth to confirm the promises made to the fathers, 15:9 and thus the Gentiles glorify God for his mercy. As it is written, “Because of this I will confess you among the Gentiles, and I will sing praises to your name.”
15:10 And again it says: “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people.”
15:11 And again, “Praise the Lord all you Gentiles, and let all the peoples praise him.”
15:12 And again Isaiah says, “The root of Jesse will come, and the one who rises to rule over the Gentiles, in him will the Gentiles hope.”
15:13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe in him, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Lord, You reminded us that we have responsibilities to others—especially fellow-believers—to be caring and considerate, sacrificing some of our comfort and convenience for their sakes. May I be careful to not impose personal preferences of style and personal freedoms of expression where such might discourage those considering-Christ or confuse or discourage new and/or less-mature fellow believers.
“... bear with the failings of the weak ... Let each of us please his neighbor for his good to build him up ... may the God of encouragement and comfort give you unity with one another ... abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit …”
Paul continued his exhortation that we “make room for” the weaker believer, that the more mature not create an environment that made things unnecessarily confusing and/or uncomfortable for newer and/or weaker believers (and those considering-Christ).
He quoted “The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.” just as Jesus had challenged him on the road “Why do you persecute Me?”, it is all about Him.
He reminded that Psalms 69:9 described the provision of Christ, explaining that “... everything that was written in former times was written for our instruction, so that through endurance and through encouragement of the scriptures we may have hope.”
Paul called for unity among believers, Jew and Gentile alike, “... to God’s glory.”
Paul reminded the Romans that the OT foretold salvation for the Gentiles through the Messiah and that he was “... a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles ... to bring about the obedience of the Gentiles” so that “... those who have not [yet] heard will understand.”
And he reiterated that our hope must be found in the Lord God through the Holy Spirit.
The Lord God demonstrates an amazing continuity of the Bible over thousands of years and across nations and continents. God foretold and God accomplished. We merely acknowledge.
Do we have essential unity based on what the Bible says is important or are we rebellious—dividing over that which is not essential and which God says to not divide?
There is amazing diversity within the body of Christ, old and young, male and female, across cultures and nationalities and race. New believers, stuck believers, and maturing believers.
When have you observed older believers, not necessarily more-mature (though they may think so), imposing preferences for a Bible translation, music, order of worship, style of building decoration, etc. on others—without regard for consequences?
Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to me a place where I have contributed to division based upon something God has said I should not
Today I will repent of what the Holy Spirit has revealed to me, I will seek forgiveness and reconciliation, or I will come along side someone who needs to do so and walk with them through the process. In either case I will ask a fellow believer to pray in agreement that all involved will accept the comfort, strength, and wisdom of the Holy Spirit.
Paul’s Motivation for Writing the Letter
15:14 But I myself am fully convinced about you, my brothers and sisters, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, and able to instruct one another.
15:15 But I have written more boldly to you on some points so as to remind you, because of the grace given to me by God 15:16 to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles. I serve the gospel of God like a priest, so that the Gentiles may become an acceptable offering, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.
15:17 So I boast in Christ Jesus about the things that pertain to God.
15:18 For I will not dare to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in order to bring about the obedience of the Gentiles, by word and deed, 15:19 in the power of signs and wonders, in the power of the Spirit of God. So from Jerusalem even as far as Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ. 15:20 And in this way I desire to preach where Christ has not been named, so as not to build on another person’s foundation, 15:21 but as it is written: “Those who were not told about him will see, and those who have not heard will understand.”
Paul’s Intention of Visiting the Romans
15:22 This is the reason I was often hindered from coming to you. 15:23 But now there is nothing more to keep me in these regions, and I have for many years desired to come to you 15:24 when I go to Spain. For I hope to visit you when I pass through and that you will help me on my journey there, after I have enjoyed your company for a while.
15:25 But now I go to Jerusalem to minister to the saints. 15:26 For Macedonia and Achaia are pleased to make some contribution for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem.
15:27 For they were pleased to do this, and indeed they are indebted to the Jerusalem saints. For if the Gentiles have shared in their spiritual things, they are obligated also to minister to them in material things.
15:28 Therefore after I have completed this and have safely delivered this bounty to them, I will set out for Spain by way of you, 15:29 and I know that when I come to you I will come in the fullness of Christ’s blessing.
15:30 Now I urge you, brothers and sisters, through our Lord Jesus Christ and through the love of the Spirit, to join fervently with me in prayer to God on my behalf.
15:31 Pray that I may be rescued from those who are disobedient in Judea and that my ministry in Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints, 15:32 so that by God’s will I may come to you with joy and be refreshed in your company.
15:33 Now may the God of peace be with all of you. Amen.
Lord, you equipped and sent the apostle Paul on Your mission to the Gentiles, and he completed it despite terrible challenges. May I discover You mission or missions for me, and may I follow his example and persevere despite opposition.
Paul encouraged the believers “... that you yourselves are full of [the Lord God's] goodness [through His indwelling Holy Spirit], filled with all [Word-imparted and spiritually-discerned] knowledge, and able to instruct one another.”
He quoted Isaiah 52:15 as a motivation for his ministry to new groups “Those who were not told about him will see, and those who have not heard will understand.”
Paul asked for prayers for protection from “... those who are disobedient in Judea and that my ministry in Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints.”
He said that he was finally free to come to the Romans because he had shared the Word to those the Lord God wanted him to tell.
The Holy Spirit brings to the believer “goodness”, “knowledge” and wisdom, and the capacity to share all of that with others.
With all of the evidence of the Lord God’s work in and through Paul why would “the saints in Jerusalem” have any doubts about his ministry?
Paul wanted to do the most-difficult work, confronting religious leaders who felt threatened by Christianity (as he had when he was one of them), and to reach-out to the unsaved Gentiles.
When have you experienced or observed believers questioning the ministry of someone who was clearly doing the Lord's work?
Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you a challenging new ministry.
Today I will courageously, humbly, and prayerfully go where the Lord leads and do as He directs.
Personal Greetings
16:1 Now I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a servant of the church in Cenchrea, 16:2 so that you may welcome her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints and provide her with whatever help she may need from you, for she has been a great help to many, including me.
16:3 Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, 16:4 who risked their own necks for my life. Not only I, but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them. 16:5 Also greet the church in their house. Greet my dear friend Epenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in the province of Asia. 16:6 Greet Mary, who has worked very hard for you. 16:7 Greet Andronicus and Junia, my compatriots and my fellow prisoners. They are well known to the apostles, and they were in Christ before me. 16:8 Greet Ampliatus, my dear friend in the Lord. 16:9 Greet Urbanus, our fellow worker in Christ, and my good friend Stachys. 16:10 Greet Apelles, who is approved in Christ. Greet those who belong to the household of Aristobulus. 16:11 Greet Herodion, my compatriot. Greet those in the household of Narcissus who are in the Lord. 16:12 Greet Tryphena and Tryphosa, laborers in the Lord. Greet my dear friend Persis, who has worked hard in the Lord.
16:13 Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother who was also a mother to me.
16:14 Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers and sisters with them. 16:15 Greet Philologus and Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the believers who are with them.
16:16 Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you.
16:17 Now I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who create dissensions and obstacles contrary to the teaching that you learned. Avoid them! 16:18 For these are the kind who do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By their smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of the naive.
16:19 Your obedience is known to all and thus I rejoice over you. But I want you to be wise in what is good and innocent in what is evil.
16:20 The God of peace will quickly crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.
16:21 Timothy, my fellow worker, greets you; so do Lucius, Jason, and Sosipater, my compatriots. 16:22 I, Tertius, who am writing this letter, greet you in the Lord. 16:23 Gaius, who is host to me and to the whole church, greets you. Erastus the city treasurer and our brother Quartus greet you.
16:24 [[EMPTY]] 16:25
Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that had been kept secret for long ages, 16:26 but now is disclosed, and through the prophetic scriptures has been made known to all the nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith—16:27 to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, be glory forever! Amen.
Lord, You drew both men and women into fellowship and many went beyond mere membership to active and sacrificial service to one-another and to the cause of spreading Your gospel. May I be counted among their number.
Paul shared a lengthy list of men and women whom he respected as faithful and mature servants of Christ and commended them to the believers in Rome.
In the case of Phoebe he identifies her as serving a ministry role in the fellowship at Cenchrea. [Note: There is some debate as to if her role was that of a Biblically defined “deacon”(ess) or some other significant role other than deacon(ess). In either case God decided that her ministry role was significant enough to be recorded in His Bible.]
From the Bible.org Greek/Hebrew translation notes Paul’s reference to Rufus as “chosen of God ...” 16:13 is worth a pause:
Εκλεκτον 1) picked out, chosen 1a) chosen by God, 1a1) to obtain salvation through Christ 1a1a) Christians are called “chosen or elect” of God 1a2) the Messiah in called “elect”, as appointed by God to the most exalted office conceivable 1a3) choice, select, i.e. the best of its kind or class, excellence preeminent: applied to certain individual Christians
This text and translation suggests that the term “chosen” or “elect”, the same in Greek, does not mean predestined but one of many who are saved who are for reasons of the Lord God elevated somehow within the family.
Paul warned “... watch out for those who create dissensions and obstacles contrary to the teaching that you have learned ... I want you to be wise in what is good and innocent in what is evil.”
Paul noted that such people “... do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own appetites. By their smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of the naive.
Paul concluded this chapter, and the Book of Romans, with a word of encouragement in the spiritual battle; “The God of grace will quickly crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.”
Paul re-emphasized the parity between Jew and Gentile, a very touchy subject in his day.
Could Paul’s warnings against smooth talkers, flatterers, those who create dissension and obstacles—defined as selfish and self-serving—to be resisted and avoided—apply to the fellowship of believers today?
Reflect upon the consistency of the message of God—here Paul, in the service of God paralleled the writing of Luke in intentionally citing the ministry role of a woman, thereby reinforcing again the teaching of Jesus that in His family there is no division between Jew or Gentile, male or female.
When have you observed that the importance of grace to the Lord God resulted in His intervention to “crush Satan” when prayer was raised against his evil attacks?
Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you a circumstance where “... smooth talkers, flatterers, those who create dissension and obstacles” may be harming a fellowship in your area.
Today I will pray for protection of the fellowship under siege and that the leadership will respond Biblically—in prayer and action.
All Bible text is from the NET unless otherwise indicated—http://bible.org
Note 1: These Studies often rely upon the guidance of the NET Translators from their associated notes. Careful attention has been given to cite that source where it has been quoted directly or closely paraphrased. Feedback is encouraged where credit has not been sufficiently assigned.
Note 2: When NET text is quoted in commentary and discussion all pronouns referring to God are capitalized, though they are lower-case in the original NET text.
Commentary text is from David M. Colburn, D.Min. unless otherwise noted.
Copyright © 2011 by David M. Colburn. This is a BibleSeven Study— “Romans”—prepared by David M. Colburn and edited for bible.org in October of 2011. This text may be used for non-profit educational purposes only, with credit; all other usage requires prior written consent of the author.