All right, so you guys remember last week a little bit. Let's talk a little bit about that. We're going to be in Romans, but we're going to be in Acts quite a bit tonight, too. So just kind of get the ball rolling a little bit and kind of remind ourselves what and how we're going to study the book of Romans.
A little bit different maybe than in the past that you've studied it before. Let's just do a little bit of recap about what we studied last time. We said that the book of Romans is the most influential book of the New Testament, right?
It influenced the Reformation, the Great Awakening, people like Martin Luther and John Wesley and William Tyndale. And it is the most rich New Testament book of theology that exists, right? And so we said that a lot of people will just attack the book of Romans from a theological perspective. And that's the one book that all the seminary students, we said, want to get into. They can't wait to get to seminary so that they can study the book of Romans because that's where it's all at.
Everything you ever want to talk about theologically is in the book of Romans. But we said that's not really the reason why Paul wrote Romans, and we'll talk about that here in just a few more minutes. Paul was the apostle to who? The Gentiles, wasn't he?
Does that mean that he never shared the gospel with the Jews? Now, we're going to find out tonight it was just the opposite. When he would... would go to the Gentiles, he would have already have gone to the Jews. He goes to the Jews first, then to the Gentiles.
He does it everywhere he goes. He starts in the synagogues and then he works his way into the Gentile world. Because of its deep theological content, most commentators and teachers approach it as Paul's magnum opus of theology. And so if you read a commentary, you'll fall asleep before you get to chapter one of that commentary, because it's just a commentary. you nod off after a while, right?
But it's very interesting. When Paul wrote, he wrote it for a purpose, and it really doesn't have a whole lot to do with theology. He didn't write it with theology in mind.
He wrote it for other purposes. uh, every writing of Paul is written for a situation. Like if you were to talk about the church of Corinth, uh, the, the letters to the church of Corinth was written for a particular reason. Sin in the church would be one, uh, misuse of spirit. spiritual gifts would be a reason.
We know about legalism, the law versus grace in Galatians, right? We know about the elect in Ephesians, and we're going to talk a lot about Ephesians even as we study through the book of Romans. And then last time we saw how the Reformers kind of brought their interpretation into the book of Romans. And remember we talked about Martin Luther and how he wrote that book against the Jewish people and even the Nazi party.
He used it as ammunition against the Jews and trying to get the Jews out of Germany. That was one of Martin Luther's goals. A few years before he died, he wrote a book.
Also, Augustine did the same thing. When Augustine, he wrote Against the Jews. As a matter of fact, it was called Against the Jews, if I remember right. And so when we think about that, the people who are along that line of the reformers, they kind of wrote with some assumptions in mind. number one they thought Paul was being an apostle to the Gentiles the Gentiles must have been the recipients of the book of Romans and they were but they weren't the only ones right the book is full of theology so that must be the main reason that he wrote justification by faith Martin Luther how many of you have seen the picture or the the representation of Martin Luther nailing his 95 thesis to the door.
And it's all from Romans, right? Justification by faith. And he came to that. And it was in a protest. All the reformers were Protestants against the salvation by works of the Roman Catholic Church.
Catholic Church. And so when you come across that we're justified by grace through faith and the just shall live by faith, well, that brings a lot of ammunition against the Roman Catholic Church. And so that's another reason why they interpret the things that the way they do. Reformers were vehemently opposed to the Roman Catholic Church. And then Augustinianism and Gnosticism led to some of the writings on commentaries on the Book of Romans.
So that's That's one line. Remember we studied that last time. That's all one line of interpretation of Romans. But if you'll look at your handout, that thing is full of stuff, isn't it?
Look at that thing. So we're going to look a little bit about why did Paul write. And we're going to say he wrote it from a purpose, a situational purpose is why he wrote the letter to the church at Rome. And we said that the churches of Rome were in houses. They weren't in big cathedrals like we have now or even in a church like ours.
They didn't have that. They met in people's homes. And if you look across the middle there, we see the blue and the yellow and the green and all there.
When the first church was established in Rome, it was Jewish, exclusively Jewish. But then something happened. And you can't read it up there, but you might be able to read it on your handout. If you look at the very top, it says, Claudius restricts public meetings of the Jews in 41 A.D. We're talking about why Paul wrote Romans.
According to the historian Suetonius and the Christian author Orosius, I guess is how you pronounce that. Division and riots broke out among the Jews over a person called Crestus, or Christ. And so, remember Acts 15. We're going to look at Acts 15 here in just a minute.
Why would the Jews be so upset over a person by the name of Christ? Why would they be upset? What's the dividing line? Isn't Jesus the stumbling block to the Jews, right? And so you've got two types of Jewish people.
You've got the Jewish people who came to Christ, and you've got the Jewish people that refuse to come to Christ, and they're locking horns. fighting and there were riots that broke out and claudius decided we're going to limit how much you can worship in public and then in 49 a.d he kicks all the jews out of rome just kicks them all out so i'm done with you you're out of here remember that that from last week and so then at that point the church is what it's strictly gentile isn't it strictly gentile and that lasts for about five years about four to five years only gentile and then Nero lets the Jews back in he needs the tax money I guess he wants to let them back in and then along about 64 AD or so what happens to Rome see the little flames up there remember that Nero and Rome, right? He fiddled while Rome burned.
Who did he blame it on? He blamed it on the Christians, didn't he? Yeah, he blamed it on the Christians. So we've got some stages in our church in Rome, and somehow or other, Paul found out about it.
So let's turn to Acts chapter 18. We know that according to Acts chapter 2, the church at Rome began because of the day of Pentecost. But in Acts 18, we're going to start reading in verse 1. And we're going to find a couple by the name of Aquila and Priscilla. Two Jewish people that met Paul and they were the ones, they left Rome, they were in Rome and they got kicked out of Rome and then they met Paul on his second missionary journey and we pick up reading in verse 1. After these things, Paul departed from Athens and went to Corinth. And that's why you have on your handout there that he started to write the letter about 57 AD from Corinth. And he found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla.
And why was that? Because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to depart from Rome. And Suetonius tells us why that was.
All right, and he came to them. And so because he was of the same trade, he stayed with them and worked, for by occupation they were tent makers. And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath. Who's in the synagogues?
Jews are in the synagogue. Yeah, that's right. And persuaded both Jews and Greeks.
Now, this is going to be important because there is a whole line of thought that says Paul wrote Romans only to the Gentiles. He just wrote it to the Gentiles because it was just a Gentile church. primarily we got we're going to find out if that's true or not when silas and timothy had come from macedonia paul was compelled by the spirit testified to the jews that jesus is the christ but when they opposed him and blasphemed he shook his garments and said to them your blood be upon your own heads i am clean from now on i will go to the gentiles and so that's exactly what he did and so he he went and he never stopped sharing the gospel did he he never stopped sharing the gospel to the Jews and he never stopped sharing the gospels to the Gentiles.
Now turn to Acts 15. And let's put ourselves a little bit in the church at Rome and in the in the time period of the church at Rome You've got the the jews have been kicked out because they were fighting over jesus Then they only had the Gentile church for about five years. And so that turned out completely different. It'd be like you and I going to, you know, so we're Southern Baptists in Kentucky.
It'd be like us going to, oh, I don't know, a Methodist church in Massachusetts or something. It'd be really weird. We wouldn't know how to act. And so now they've got a whole different culture in the church. And then Nero lets the Jews come back, and now you've got Jew and Gentile.
So now you've still got the problem between the Orthodox Jews who will. will not believe in Jesus. The Messianic Jews who have believed in Jesus. And now on top of everything, you're going to throw the icing on the cake and you're going to throw Gentiles in there too. So now you've got all kinds of problems in the church at Rome.
And you're going to be fighting primarily between Jew and Gentile, which is what we show there at the top. So why did Paul write? We're going to say that it was situationally written because of the strife between the Jews and the Gentiles.
What kind of strife would there have been? Let's pick up reading in Acts 15 and the Jerusalem Council. This is not a representation of what was going on in Rome, but it reflects what type of things would have been going on in Rome.
It says, And certain men came down from Judea and taught the brethren, Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved. That seems like a problem. Therefore, when Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and dispute with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas and certain others of them should go to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders about this question.
So being sent on their way by the church, they passed through Phoenicia and Samaria, describing the conversion of the Gentiles, and they caused great joy to all the brethren. And when they had come to Jerusalem, they were received by the church and the apostles. and the elders and they reported all things that God had done with them. But some of the sect of the Pharisees who believed rose up saying it is necessary to circumcise them and to command them to keep the law of Moses. Now the apostles and elders came together to consider this matter.
When there had been much dispute, Peter rose up and said to them, men and brethren, you know that a good while ago, now listen to this, God chose among us that by my mouth, whose mouth? Who's talking there? Peter.
Now Peter was the apostle to who? He was the apostle to the Jews. So God chose among us that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear. So did that mean that Peter only preached to the Jews? No, he preached to the Gentiles too.
And right here we see it. Now after this they get kind of commissioned to go out, don't they? So they kind of divide up at that point.
But God chose among us that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. We all remember the story of Peter and what caused him to overcome some of his prejudice. And so God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us.
Who's the us there? you think the jews right yeah just as he did to us and we want to remember the the us there and made no distinction between us and them purifying their hearts by faith now therefore why do you test god by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples with which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear but we believe that through the grace of the lord jesus christ we shall be saved in the same manner as they Then all the multitude kept silent and listened to Barnabas and Paul declaring how many miracles and wonders God had worked through them among the Gentiles. And after they had become silent, James answered saying, Men and brethren, listen to me.
Simon has declared how God at the first visited to the Gentiles to take out of them a people for his name. And with this the words of the prophets agree just as it is written, After this I will return and will rebuild the tabernacle of David which has fallen down. I will rebuild its ruins and I will set it up so that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord. Even all the Gentiles who are called by my name says the Lord who does all these things.
Known to God from eternity are all his works. Therefore I judge that we should not trouble those among the Gentiles who are turning to God, but that we write to them to abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from things strangled and from blood, For Moses has had throughout many generations those who preach him in every city, being read in the synagogues every Sabbath. Then it pleased the apostles and elders with the whole church to send chosen men of their own company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas, namely Judas, who was also named Barsabbas, and Silas, leading men among the brethren. They wrote this letter by them, the apostles and elders, and they wrote it in the letter. the elders and the brethren to the brethren who are the Gentiles in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia greetings since we have heard that some who went out from us have troubled you with words unsettling your souls saying you must be circumcised and keep the law to whom we gave no such commandment seemed good to us being assembled with one accord to send chosen men to you with our beloved barnabas and paul men who have risked their lives for the name of our lord jesus christ who have therefore sent judas and silas who will also report the same things by word of mouth for it seemed good to the holy spirit and to us to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things that you abstain from things offered to idols from blood from things strangled from sexual immorality if you keep yourselves from these you'll do well farewell all right so it's kind of an insight isn't it kind of how the early church worked but do you see the strife that's right there in the midst of everything there is this problem everywhere matter of fact we saw this problem when we were studying the book of hebrews remember and so even the book of hebrews showed the exact same thing and we know what paul says in the book of galatians in his little letter of galatians and so we see then that Paul has a history with this.
Paul was commissioned to kind of straighten this out a little bit along with some others. And so along about 48 to 50 AD was when the Jerusalem Council happened. Then he meets Priscilla and Aquila. What do you think Priscilla and Aquila told him about?
They got kicked out of Rome. They meet Paul. Paul's gone through the Jerusalem Council now.
What do you think they're talking about whenever they're sitting around? around for a year and a half together and they're serving the Lord and working together. What do you think they're talking about?
Well, if you were around Paul, I imagine most of the conversation would be around the Lord, don't you? The apostle Paul. And I can see Priscilla and Aquila sitting there talking to him about all the trouble and all the strife that these Jews were causing in Rome. And man, Paul, we got kicked out. We got kicked out.
Well, then Nero comes along and lets them all come back again. And so what? Priscilla and Aquila do? They go back. They go back.
And so Paul, about three years later, writes a letter on his third missionary journey and sends it with Phoebe to the church at Rome. So let's think about that for just a minute. Why do you think, situationally, Paul was concerned about the Roman church?
He had friends that he met. It's been a year and a half with them or better. They go back and he's worried now about the strife between the Gentiles and the Jews in that church.
And that's what we're going to look at in the next slide. So go to the next slide. Overview of Romans.
This is very important. If we don't get this, we'll not be able to understand the rest of the book. This is our time together.
Okay. So the date was around 57 AD, of course, written by Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles. I keep bringing that up so that nobody, when we get further along into the book of Romans, thinks that I'm oblivious to the fact that Paul was an apostle to the Gentiles. The purpose for writing the book was strife in the early house churches between Jew and Gentile.
He did not write the book of Romans for his magnum opus of theology and justification by faith. That's not why he wrote the book of Romans. But if you were to listen to a seminary professor or you were to read a commentary or a systematic theology book on justification or predestination or any of that other, you would think, that that was the whole reason why he wrote.
Like he just got lazy. He was just wearing around one day. Didn't have anything to do. And he thought, you know what I'll do. I'll just write a bunch of words.
I'll make a big old letter and I'll send it. That's not why he wrote Romans. So the recipients of the book, if you look on your handout, you can see that it says Jew and Gentile.
Not strictly Gentile. That will impact the way that you look at the book of Romans. In chapters 1 through 8, it's primarily...
addressing the Jews. Chapters 9 through 16, it's primarily, not solely, but primarily addressing the Gentiles. That's going to be extremely important in just a minute. And then it says applicable to all believers, one body in Christ.
either jew nor greek right slave nor free male nor female we're all one in christ jesus you could also look at it and say that it's not written to all believers it's written for all believers so that even though the first eight chapters are written primarily to the jews does it apply to you and me of course it does absolutely it does because it talks about god and what god does and all that he does for his people but if we're going to understand what is is meant by the things that are written and this is very important for the book of romans especially after our last series together we've got to understand the context we got to know why it was written and to whom was it written what was the purpose of paul writing this letter alright so now if you can look on there on your handout it talks about possible sections of the book you may not have grasped this when we were talking about it or in the introduction if you go to Romans just for a second go to Romans 16 we're going to look at what's called the doxology Now there are some people believe that Romans was multiple letters that it was written in in segments like in Maybe some believe that the first eight chapters was a letter Then others believe the last eight chapters was a letter some believe that it ends and at the end of chapter 11 after End of chapter 15 and we're going to look at that just a little bit, but it all rests on what's called the doxology So if you look at chapter 16 beginning with verse 25 And it ends this way, Now to him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began, but now made manifest and by the prophetic scriptures made known, to all nations according to the commandment of the everlasting God for obedience to the faith to God alone be wise be glory through Jesus Christ forever amen and when you see that last verse that is kind of representative of a lot of endings of letters isn't it when you see that amen part well let's see go back to chapter 11 And when you get into chapter 11, we find some things in there that make it a little bit peculiar. If you go to verse 36, Romans 11, 36. Here it says, For of him and through him... and to him are all things to whom be glory forever what amen that almost sounds like a an ending to a letter too doesn't it yeah it sure does it sounds like an ending to a letter and so when you get to that point some believe that this was actually the end of another section of the letter of romans look in romans 15 you And let's just go to verse, let's say, let's start with verse 30, 1530. Now I beg you, brethren, through the Lord Jesus Christ and through the love of the Spirit, that you strive together with me in prayers to God for me, that I may be delivered from those in Judea who do not believe, and that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints, that I may come to you with joy by the will of god and may be refreshed together with you now the god of peace be with you all amen now it looks like we got three endings to this letter doesn't it and so how do we reconcile that well we really don't.
We don't really reconcile it. And so we have to figure out really why did he write it and what's the purpose of it? Well, these are different sections in this letter.
So if you look at the bottom of your handout, this is the way that we're going to address this. Let's just read this together. Some believe that it was all one book as we have it today. Some believe that it's a collection of smaller books that Paul wrote for circulation in the churches that he was not the founder of.
Some believe it was two separate letters with chapters one through eight constituted a letter and chapters 9 through 16 is another letter. Some believe the letter stopped at chapter 14. Others believe the doxology ended the letter at the end of chapter 15. Some omit the doxology altogether. Don't even think that it was supposed to be part of it.
It was added later. Some see another doxology and ending at 1136. But we will take the position that it is one letter written to Jew and Gentile with the letter divided. it into between the Jews and the Gentiles and the doxology placement is questionable. It doesn't matter where chapter 16, verse 27, the following go.
It's there. So whether you read at the end of the letter, you read in the middle of the letter, you put it at the end of chapter 14, or you take it out all together, it doesn't really matter. So we're going to take this as one letter.
Okay, I'm going to take it as one letter, but divide it into two portions. And this is how we find out if this part is right. We're going to look, first of all, at the first part of Romans chapter 1. Well, that sound is throwing me tonight. It's got me all messed up.
I don't know why it's so weird. All right, let me ask you to answer this question. Here's a statement I want to make.
It says, Jack told Tom that he had won the lottery. Jack told Tom that he had won the lottery. Who won the lottery?
Could be Tom, could be Jack. But we know it's one of them, right? So Jack told Tom that he had won the lottery. That's a little vague, isn't it?
That he part there is, well, we don't know what it refers to. Kind of like a he-who, that which and a he-who, yeah? Kind of like a he-who, yeah, kind of like. So let's go to verse 13 of chapter 1. Here's that same similar type of problem in the book of Romans. Now remember, there are two schools of thought.
One school says that Paul wrote to the Gentiles only, and it was written primarily for a theological understanding of salvation, doctrine. That was what it was written for. That's from the more Reformed perspective, and it's almost everywhere you look. Then there's another side that people like David Paulson, I think is his name, Brent Lay. is another one.
There's another Jason somebody. I can't remember. He's just kind of been more recent, but there are others that understand the context of why Romans was written and why Paul wrote it. And so that's the direction that we're coming from, a situational type.
But if you look in verse 13, you can read this kind of like Jack and Tom. Okay. Let's read verse 13 together. Paul writes, he says, I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that I often planned to come to you, but was hindered until now, that I might have some fruit among you also, just as among the other Gentiles.
Now depending on what translation you read here, the you also is not very clear. That could either be Gentiles or it could be somebody other than Gentiles. If I say also, I have a bag of apples and also I have a bottle of water. What does that mean?
That means in addition to my bag, I have a bottle, right? Also. So we're going to see the word also as additionally, okay?
So put that in your mind, additionally. And so if you read this and you come to this with a... preconceived presupposition that the book of Romans was only written to Gentiles. Let's read that verse this way. Now, I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that I often plan to come to you, but was hindered until now that I might also have some fruit among you also.
This is is among the other Gentiles. So it sounds like maybe if you come to this with the understanding it's only written to Gentiles and Paul is the apostle to who? The Gentiles. And the church at Rome when he wrote this would have been a mixture of Jew and Gentile. But you've got to ignore that part.
So we know there's Gentiles in the church. Paul who is apostle to the Gentiles. This written only to Gentiles. Therefore he must be talking about Gentiles.
But let's let's say that he's not there's a possibility that he's not talking about gentiles remember jack and tom who won the lottery so this you also is pretty vague isn't it we don't know if that's exactly what he's meaning or not so we're going to find out why do we say that romans chapters one through eight was written primarily to the jewish people after reading verse 13 let's go back to verse one of romans one and it says paul a bondservant of jesus christ called to be an apostle separated to the gospel of God which he promised before through his prophets and the holy scriptures okay so we could pass over that if we wanted to but who are the prophets and what were the holy scriptures Prophets were Jews. Holy Scriptures were the Old Testament. Yeah?
Okay. Alright. Concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh. Again, David, that's got some Jewish overtones. And declared to be the Son of God with power according to the spirit of holiness by the resurrection from the dead.
Through him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for his name. Now, remember we said last week that that word nations is also translated as Gentiles. So there we see Gentiles. But then look in verse 6. In verse 6 he says, among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ.
What did the word also mean? Additionally. Additionally. to all who are in rome beloved of god called to be saints so let's think about this for just a second let's say that in verse five he's talking about gentiles Or it might be that bag of apples that I was talking about. But then the next verse would be the bottle of water.
So through him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all Gentiles for his name, among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ. Why would he say you also if he's still talking about Gentiles? Why did he even put that verse in there?
Why didn't he just say, hey, among all the nations for his name? To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints. He had to put something in there, you also, right? So we see a distinction in those two verses.
Two groups of people with the word additionally. All right? So we're going to say the beloved of God. Remember that. Go over to, we're going to go back to verse 13 now.
And let's assume that he's talking about Jew and Jew. Gentile. Now I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that I often planned to come to you, but was hindered until now that I might have some fruit among you also.
Who's the you also, do you think? The same you also as is in verse 7, would you say? To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints, among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ. That I might have some fruit among you also, just as the other Gentiles.
I am a debtor. both the Greeks and the barbarians, both the wise and unwise. Who are the Greeks and barbarians? So there's, there's Jew and Gentile and right.
And in the Gentile bunch, they're the Greeks and the barbarians. So in other words, everybody, everybody from the, from the bad people, from the people, from the wrong side of the tracks, all everybody, all the Gentiles, doesn't matter what kind of Gentile, all Gentiles, all Gentiles. So notice what he says next though. So I'm a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to wise and unwise, meaning all Gentiles.
So as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome, what? Also, or additionally, or additionally. So we've got also over in verse 6, and that refers to verse 7. We've got also in verse 13, and we have also in verse 15. Go to verse 16 now. Then he says, For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and what? Also the Greek.
Now why would Paul say I'm not ashamed of the gospel? Is he just boasting about how joyous the gospel is and how proud he is to be preaching it and all that? Why would Paul say he's not ashamed of the gospel? Why would he say this?
For the Jews'sake. He was a Jew, wasn't he? And he's telling the Jews, listen, I'm not ashamed of the stumbling block to some of you guys.
I'm not ashamed of the gospel. For it's a power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes. to the Jew first and also to the Greek. Where did he go first when he preached the gospel?
Always into the synagogues. And so here we definitely see a difference, don't we, between the Jew and the Gentile because of the word also. And then it says, Yet the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith.
As it is written, the just shall live by faith. Now is this important or not important? It's extremely important.
Go to chapter 2 and verse 9. Notice it says here, Tribulation and anguish on every soul of man who does evil of the Jew first and what? Also the Greek. Verse 10. But glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good to the Jew first.
first and also the Greek. Go to chapter 3 in verse 29. 3 and verse 29 or is he the god of the jews only is he not also the god of the gentiles yes of the gentiles also now if you read in every one of those verses instead of the word also you put additionally that was one of the purposes for for Paul writing the book of Romans. Remember you've got the Jews who believe that they're fighting amongst themselves and you've got the Messianic Jews who they are now believers in Jesus and some of them are now arguing with the the Gentiles and you've got the strife between the Gentiles and Jews just like at the Jerusalem council, right? Then you've still got those non-Messianic Jews that are fighting with the Messianic Jews and everybody's having a fit.
Everybody's got a problem. Everybody's arguing with one another. And so what Paul is telling the Jews is that Jesus died for the Gentiles also.
And what Paul is telling the Gentiles is that Jesus died for the Jews also. And we're all one. in Christ.
Now go back to chapter 1, Romans chapter 1. And let's talk a minute about if there's a way that we can identify who these people are. It says, verse 6, Among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ, to all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints. Alright, beloved of God, called to be saints, called of Jesus Christ.
Turn to Romans chapter 8. Romans chapter 8. Go to verse 27. Now he who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the spirit is because he makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God to those who are the what? Called according to his purpose.
For whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom he predestined, these he also called. And whom he called, these he justified. And whom he justified, these he also glorified. And so maybe what we're looking at here is the same group of people, the beloved of God and the called of God.
Now, we use this verse all the time, don't we? We quote these verses over and over and over again. And it's kind of like what the reformers call the golden chain of redemption. That God foreknows us, he predestines us, he calls us, he justifies us, and he glorifies us.
That's not what Paul means by those statements. He's talking about the Jewish people there. He's talking about the Jewish people. And as we get farther along, we'll see that. It doesn't refer to some type of predestination and election of individuals.
All right? So let's look. at specifics, I'm still getting that feedback. It's driving me crazy.
I don't know what's going on with that. Chapter 4, verse 1. Romans 4, verse 1. Let's look at a few verses that talk about just being Jewish people. Jewish people. All right?
And see if this stands out to you. Remember chapters 1 through 8, just to the Jews. Chapters 9 through 16, to the Gentiles. What then shall we say that Abraham our father has found according to Now whose father is Abraham?
Whose father is Abraham? The Jewish people. The Jewish people. Look in chapter 7 verse 1. Chapter 7 and verse 1. Or do you not know, brethren, for I speak to those who know the law, that the law has dominion over man as long as he lives. Who knows the law?
Jews know the law. Look in verse 4. Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another, to him who was raised from the dead, that we should bear fruit to God. You have become dead to the law through the body of Christ. Look in chapter 8 and verse 15. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, Abba, Father, and the Spirit cries out. So now, if we're talking about only Jews, does that have any significance whatsoever in Paul's intent to write?
What's he trying to tell the Jewish people as we read? How many of you read the first eight chapters last week? Don't raise your hand. It's very important that we understand that Paul wrote to the Jews specifically in the first eight chapters, or we don't understand our own salvation.
We don't understand what God has done with the Jewish people. Remember we were talking about the rapture of the church? Does God still have a place for His people, the Jewish people? people?
You better believe he does. That's why one of the reasons we believe in the rapture of the church. Let's look in chapter 9 verses 1 through 5. See if we see a change here. I tell you the truth, I am not lying.
My conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit that I have great... sorrow and continual grief in my heart, Paul says, for I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen, according to the flesh, who are Israelites, to whom pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises of whom are the fathers, and from whom, according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all the eternally blessed God. Amen.
Who's he writing to there? Right here he's writing to the Gentiles about the Jews, isn't he? He's not writing to the Gentiles.
He says, listen, I tell you the truth. I'm not lying. He said, I have great sorrow in my heart.
I could wish I myself were a curse from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen, according to the flesh, who are Israelites. He's writing about Israelites. He's not writing to the Israelites. Yeah?
Okay, so we see a change right there, and that's the first place we see a change. Look over in verse 32 of chapter 9. Chapter 9, verse 32. Why? Because they did not seek it by faith, but as it were by the works of the law, for they stumbled at the stumbling stone.
Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and rock of offense, and whoever believes on him will not be put to shame. Who is it that Jesus is a stumbling stone? for the Jewish people, right?
And he's writing about them. He's writing about them. Not you, but them, right?
Let's go to chapter 11, verse 1. I say then, has God cast away you? He doesn't say that, does he? He said, as God cast away his people.
Who's his people? The Jews. So he's writing to Gentiles about the Jews. Certainly not. For I also am an Israelite of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.
God's not cast away his people whom he foreknew. Remember Romans chapter 8? Those whom he predestined and foreknew and called and justified and glorified. So who is it that he's talking about in Romans? Romans chapter 8, he's talking about the Jewish people.
He said, God has not cast away those whom he has foreknown. We already know what that means from our study in the Gospel of John. Then look in verse 13 of Romans 11. For I speak to you Gentiles. Can you be any clearer than that?
I speak to you Gentiles. He's not talking to the Jews there. He says, I speak to you Gentiles. And as much as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry. If by any means I may provoke to jealousy those who are of my flesh and save some of them.
Now he's talking about the Jews, isn't he? So we see a distinction. Look in chapter 15 and verse 16. 15, 16. that I might be a minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering of the Gentiles might be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. Therefore, I have reason to glory in Christ Jesus and the things which...
Pertain to God. Go to the verse right above that. In verse 15. Nevertheless brethren.
I have written more boldly. To you. On some points.
As reminding. you because of the grace given to me by god that i might be a minister of jesus christ to the gentiles so what he what we see in all these verses that we're kind of reading randomly is that he has a purpose for writing one section of romans and he has a purpose for writing the other section of romans one he's writing specifically to jewish people and the other section he's writing specifically to gentile people and he kind of crisscrosses then when you get into chapter chapters 9, 10, and 11, he merges it all together and he brings them all together to where we are one in Christ Jesus. Remember we talked about John chapter 17. All right. So now let's go back to the main part of Romans. That's chapter 1, verses 16 and 17. This is the key verse for the entire book, the entire letter.
I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith. As it is written, the just shall live by faith.
Now that's a quote out of Habakkuk, by the way. Only the Jews would have known that quote. The just shall live by faith.
So what Paul is doing here is he's got the message from Aquila and Priscilla. He's already been to the Jerusalem Council. He already knows about the fights that can happen in the churches between the Messianic Jews and the non-Messianic Jews, between the Jews and the Gentiles.
He's got the report. from Aquila and Priscilla of the problems that are going on in Rome. He can't make it to Rome yet. So he's going to write this letter to try to bring together in one and make them one in Christ, right? That's what he's doing.
He's trying to dissuade the strife. And so you remember when he talks about the weaker brother and the stronger brother, we take that to mean, you know, we, we apply it in all different kinds of ways in our, in our place. But what he's talking about is the Jew and the Gentile.
That's what he's talking about. And so when we start and next week we'll start this. We'll start going verse by verse through Romans with the understanding of the context now, the situation of why he's writing it. And these verses should be saying different things to you than they have said in the past if you've studied it as only having been written to the Gentiles.
I know that was a lot and it was very cumbersome and it was very kind of boring in a way. But we had to get there. We had to get through that because if you don't understand the context of Romans, you'll never understand the context of Romans.
understand what these verses are talking about. Very, very important. And then we're going to apply everything we just learned in the last series to see if what we were studying was right.
Any questions or comments?