Session 1
Session 1
Romans 1:13-25
Memory Verse: Romans 1:16
On one of our first dates, my wife and I ate at a great Tex-Mex place before a concert. She had bought a new blouse and new white pants for the occasion. As he put our food on the table, our waiter accidentally flipped a bowl of guacamole sauce into her lap. He apologized profusely and offered to pay for the dry cleaning. We reminded him that accidents happen-though the stain never completely came out of those pants.
Guacamole stains are nothing compared to the stain caused by sin. It not only has covered us, but its removal is impossible without the gospel. Unlike my wife’s unfortunate encounter, we were not innocent in acquiring the stain of sin. When Adam and Eve ate of the tree, they-and all humanity-fell.
Thankfully, Jesus became the spotless sacrifice for sin, the substitute for the punishment we deserved. The message about Jesus’s death and resurrection constitutes the gospel, and the gospel alone has the power to remove the guilt of humanity’s sin. As you begin this study of Romans, thank God for the forgiveness He provides and consider ways you can share the gospel clearly with adults in your group over the next several weeks.
All of us have experienced the power of good news. Perhaps it was when you got the report that you passed an exam. Or when you were told that you got the job. Maybe you received the blood test results and learned that nothing’s wrong. Good news has a powerful impact on us. It turns an ordinary day into an extraordinary event that we will always remember. (PSG, p. 10)
In Romans, Paul wrote to a church that he had never visited. In Romans 1:13, he said that he had often planned to spend time with them, but the opportunity had never presented itself. Though he never had visited the Roman church, he did know people there, including Prisca and Aquila (Rom. 16:3-16). One day, he would get the opportunity to meet more believers in Rome as he lived under house arrest and awaited trial (Acts 28:16).
When Paul wrote this letter to the Romans, he was longing to take the gospel to Spain, where few had heard of Jesus (Rom. 15:20,28). However, he first needed to deliver an offering from churches in Macedonia and Corinth to the suffering saints in Jerusalem (15:25-26). He asked for the Romans to pray that he would have safety from the unbelievers in Judea so he could visit them on his way to Spain (15:30-31).
If Paul did not plant the church in Rome, who did? Because of the city’s prominence, missionaries may have brought word about the crucified and risen Savior to Rome early. Luke also mentioned that visitors from Rome were present on Pentecost (Acts 2:9-11). It’s possible that some of the three thousand people who trusted Christ that day returned to Rome and brought the gospel with them (Acts 2:41).
But why would Paul write a letter to a church that he did not plant? Primarily, Paul wanted to strengthen the work of the gospel in Rome and encourage believers as they learned to walk with Christ (Rom. 1:11-12). He affirmed this prayer in the letter’s conclusion (16:25-26).
As the capital of the empire, Rome certainly had great diversity of cultures, which made false teaching and division constant threats to the church there (16:17-18). For that reason, Paul wrote to lay a foundation for the true gospel prior to his anticipated visit. The common ground shared by the Christians in Rome did not originate with geography, politics, or cultural similarities. Rather, the glorious gospel of Jesus united the diverse believers in Rome.
In Romans 1:1-32, Paul laid a foundation that would help the Romans understand the gospel better. After introducing himself and expressing his desire to visit them, the apostle presented his thesis in Romans 1:16-17. The gospel is the power of God to salvation for all who believe it, both Jews and Greeks. Salvation comes through faith alone, not through religious works.
Faith was necessary to overcome the power of sin and guilt that had dominated their old ways of life (Rom. 1:18-32). The pull of sin is so strong and human nature is so depraved that only God can save people as they trust in the sacrifice of His death and in the power of His resurrection.
Read Romans 1:1-25 and underline the words and phrases that call attention to Jesus and the gospel. (PSG, p. 10)
EXPLORE THE TEXT
13 Now I don’t want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that I often planned to come to you (but was prevented until now) in order that I might have a fruitful ministry among you, just as I have had among the rest of the Gentiles. 14 I am obligated both to Greeks and barbarians, both to the wise and the foolish. 15 So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome. 16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, just as it is written: The righteous will live by faith.
Paul didn’t want the Romans to be unaware that he had planned to visit them, but the doors had closed. The Greek word for planned described setting a task. In the Bible its subject could be God or humans. At times, human plans clash with the will of God.
The passive prevented does not include a subject in Greek. So, who prevented Paul from preaching to the Romans? In another letter, Paul told the Thessalonians that Satan had hindered him from coming to them (1 Thess. 2:18). That took the form of fierce human opposition. In this case, Paul also had a divine obligation to finish the collection for Jewish believers and to deliver it to Jerusalem (Rom. 15:22-29). Interestingly, both human circumstances and divine guidance meshed to prevent Paul from going to Rome.
Paul wanted a fruitful ministry in Rome as he had in other spots. This would have included both evangelism and discipleship. Eventually he would make it to Rome (Acts 25:10-28:16), even though he was a prisoner at the time (28:16).
Paul believed he was obligated to preach the gospel. This Greek word sometimes referred to a financial responsibility (Matt. 18:28; Luke 16:5), a consequence of sin (Matt. 6:12), or a debt of love (Rom. 13:8). Here, the sense was rooted in a divine call.
Paul’s obligation reached beyond Jews to Greeks and barbarians. The Greeks would have included educated, intellectual citizens of the empire. Barbarians were uneducated or members of the lower class. Paul never abandoned the obligation of grace. He had received forgiveness through the gospel, and that indebted him to share the gospel with everyone else.
Paul’s obligation did not leave him joyless. Rather, he was eager to share. The call to preach gave Paul the passion to take Jesus’s message across the empire. The Greek wording can describe an expectation prior to an explosion of activity.
The Greek phrase for preach the gospel can be transliterated to evangelize. However, that does not mean Paul only preached to the lost. He would minister both to those who needed Christ and to those who needed discipleship. All people need the gospel’s power in their lives.
Paul was not ashamed of the gospel. Admittedly, the idea of a crucified Messiah created a stumbling block for Jews and seemed foolish to many Gentiles (1 Cor. 1:23). But Paul understood that the gospel was necessary for salvation. This was true of both the Jew and the Greek. Paul had spoken to Jews first (Acts 13:45-46), but he knew God’s power was not limited by ethnicity.
Paul affirmed that righteousness was God’s gift, not a human work. He believed that God revealed (“brought to light”) His righteousness from faith to faith. This could refer to the whole process of God revealing Himself to individuals through faith.
Paul quoted from the Old Testament more in Romans than all his other letters combined (sixty-one times). Here, he quoted Habakkuk 2:4, The righteous will live by faith, to emphasize that God did not justify people by works. Salvation is a gift of God through faith in Jesus.
EXPLORE THE TEXT
18 For God’s wrath is revealed from heaven against all godlessness and unrighteousness of people who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth, 19 since what can be known about God is evident among them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, that is, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen since the creation of the world, being understood through what he has made. As a result, people are without excuse.
For Paul, faith encompassed believing all that God promised. Not only would He save people from the power of sin, but He also would rescue them from the penalty of sin (God’s wrath). Paul presented a logical case, but his arguments were not based on his ability to present a cogent case. He received his message through divine revelation, and that is what gave it authority and validity.
Just as God revealed that righteousness came through faith (Rom. 1:17), He also revealed that every person is born under God’s wrath. The same Greek word occurs in both verses. God’s wrath is not some wild, emotional outburst. Indeed, God’s nature is compassionate, which causes Him to be slow in pouring out His anger (Ex. 34:6; Num. 14:18; Neh. 9:17; Ps. 103:8; Joel 2:13; Jonah 4:2; Nah. 1:3; 2 Pet. 3:9). But He does not deal with sin lightly, and His wrath represents a natural response that demonstrates His divine displeasure against sin. This included both the lack of reverence for Himself (godlessness) and immoral actions (unrighteousness).
By both beliefs and actions, those outside the faith suppress the truth. The Greek word for suppress can also be translated “hold back, restrain, check, or confine.” Those who refuse to respond to God’s revelation remain in their sin and will face the wrath of God to the fullest extent. The message of the gospel comes to them from heaven, but they reject that message and keep it at arm’s length.
What about those who had never heard of Jesus? Did they also suppress the truth? Paul wrote that what can be known about God is evident. The Greek word for evident indicates something that was revealed or displayed in the open. How could those who had never heard of Jesus be held accountable to the wrath of God? Paul explained that God held them accountable because He has revealed Himself to all through natural revelation through the creation of the world. God’s revelation provides sufficient evidence of Himself to hold every human being accountable, including those who make the choice to reject that revelation.
As Creator, God has disclosed Himself to humanity through His creation (Ps. 19:1). People should view the care of God’s creation and the intricate detail of its design as testimonies of His delight in His highest creation. However, some have chosen to suppress the truth that they see with their own eyes every waking day of their lives.
God is invisible, but Paul noted that He has made His attributes apparent to those who will seek Him. The apostle told the believers in Rome that God revealed His eternal power and His divine nature through what can be observed from the creation of the world. This does not diminish the role of Jesus in revealing God’s character. His finished work is necessary because individuals cannot be saved by believing in natural revelation alone. However, God’s revelation through creation is sufficient evidence to hold people accountable for their suppression of the truth.
Disbelief requires an act of rebellion against what God makes apparent and/or a bias against God. To deny the Creator despite the evidence of creation incurs the wrath of God.
People who ignore God’s power and nature in creation are without excuse. But God has made it possible for people to see Him in creation, which can lead them toward the Savior. Those who ignore the evidence are stripped of any defense for their unbelief.
Every morning people arise to a world created by God and marred by the fall. They can see the evil caused by our rejection of God, but they also can see the goodness and faithfulness of God.
EXPLORE THE TEXT
21 For though they knew God, they did not glorify him as God or show gratitude. Instead, their thinking became worthless, and their senseless hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man, birds, four-footed animals, and reptiles. 24 Therefore God delivered them over in the desires of their hearts to sexual impurity, so that their bodies were degraded among themselves. 25 They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served what has been created instead of the Creator, who is praised forever. Amen.
Paul stated that people knew God. This was not a saving relationship through Jesus, but a general knowledge that He existed. They knew about God because He had revealed Himself, but their response lacked two important elements.
First, they did not glorify him as God. Glorify means ascribing God proper weight, worth, and value. God revealed Himself as a powerful Creator who cared about humans, but humans minimized Him by worshiping His creation. Second, they did not show gratitude to Him. This refusal to glorify God and to thank Him for His providential care led to idolatry.
The refusal to acknowledge God affected sinners’ minds and hearts. Paul said their thinking became worthless. The word worthless also can be rendered as idle, empty, fruitless, useless, powerless, or lacking truth. Their mind chased empty pursuits. Also, their senseless hearts were darkened. Their knowledge of God was clouded with the effects of their evil.
Pagans were claiming to be wise, but this was simply self-deification. God is greater than humans, but we are greater than idols (Ps. 8:3-8). So, these “wise” people worshiped what was lesser than themselves (idols) rather than the Creator who is greater. As a result, they became fools.
With depraved minds and hearts, unbelievers exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man. This was an unfortunate exchange, trading the majesty of God for impotent idols. Visitors to the ruins of the Roman forum today can see the prevalence of idols fashioned after defective humankind.
Paul expertly highlighted human foolishness in his list of what people worshiped. Along with idols, people revered birds and four-footed animals, similar to the golden calf (Ex. 32). Reptiles included snakes and other creeping things that crawl on the ground. Scholars highlight a descent seen in the idols, moving from standing upright to four feet to their bellies. They also followed the order of God’s threefold classification in Genesis 1:20-25. A worthless mind led to the worship of that which was not worthy.
Worshiping creation rather than the Creator was not God’s plan for people. Three times in the next five verses, Paul expressed the idea that God delivered them over (Rom. 1:24,26,28). Luke also expressed this idea in Acts 7:42. This was the same wording used to describe Judas’s betrayal of Jesus (Matt. 26:25), but here it referred to God’s act of judgment on sinners.
In addition, idolatry led to sexual impurity. Paul likely wrote this letter from Corinth, home of a temple to Aphrodite and hundreds of cultic prostitutes. Immorality went hand in hand with Roman worship, and God allowed them to follow these lesser pursuits. The Greek word for degraded meant to dishonor, disgrace, or shame.
God revealed truth about Himself, but unbelievers chose to embrace a lie that something lesser could offer hope and salvation. Sin distracts individuals from what will ultimately satisfy them to what ultimately will destroy them. Worshiped and served implied both reverent attitudes and submissive hearts. Worthless thinking leads people to revere and serve lesser gods that have no power to save. God, however, is praised forever (see Rom. 9:5; 2 Cor. 11:31).
Review these points from Apply the Text on page 18 of the Personal Study Guide:
Refer back to No excuses on the board. Remind adults that every person can see what God has created and can make a choice to worship Him. Emphasize that there are no excuses for idolatry today, just like in Paul’s day.
Encourage adults to work in their small groups to read and respond to the first set of questions on page 18 of the PSG. Allow a few minutes for discussion and prayer for those who need to hear the gospel and for adults to find opportunities to share that message with those individuals.
Call on a pre-enlisted volunteer to close the group time in prayer, asking God to open the door for opportunities to share the good news of Jesus Christ.
Reinforce the session, sending the group a text or email reminding them to look for opportunities to share the gospel. Encourage them to read and reflect on the second set of questions from page 18 of the PSG. Emphasize that they have valid reasons for being confident in the power of the gospel. Assure them that you will continue praying that God will provide opportunities for them to share the gospel with someone who needs it.
It is the duty and privilege of every follower of Christ and of every church of the Lord Jesus Christ to endeavor to make disciples of all nations. (See Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8)
Use a Bible dictionary to better understand a theological concept.
Paul emphasized that God reveals Himself through nature (“natural” or “general” revelation) as well as through His Word and through Jesus (“special” revelation). Read a Bible dictionary article on “Revelation” to learn more about these two forms of divine revelation. Record your thoughts about their similarities or differences.