The Gospel | Romans 1:8-17
Scripture Reading:
The Gospel | Romans 1:8–17
Text
8 Let me say first that I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith in him is being talked about all over the world. 9 God knows how often I pray for you. Day and night I bring you and your needs in prayer to God, whom I serve with all my heart by spreading the Good News about his Son. 10 One of the things I always pray for is the opportunity, God willing, to come at last to see you. 11 For I long to visit you so I can bring you some spiritual gift that will help you grow strong in the Lord. 12 When we get together, I want to encourage you in your faith, but I also want to be encouraged by yours. 13 I want you to know, dear brothers and sisters, that I planned many times to visit you, but I was prevented until now. I want to work among you and see spiritual fruit, just as I have seen among other Gentiles. 14 For I have a great sense of obligation to people in both the civilized world and the rest of the world, to the educated and uneducated alike. 15 So I am eager to come to you in Rome, too, to preach the Good News. 16 For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile. 17 This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.”
1. Key words are those which, because of emphasis or repetition, stand out as being central to the message of the passage. What are some key words or phrases in this passage?
2. What reasons does Paul give for wanting to go to Rome? (vv. 11-15)
3. Compare verse 14 with 1 Corinthians 9:16-17. In what sense is Paul "obligated"? Do we have any obligations of this kind? Why or why not?
4. Why is Paul not ashamed of the gospel (vv. 16-17)? Why might he feel a need to state this? (see 1 Corinthians 1:18-25)
5. In what sense is the gospel powerful? (v. 16) How is that power demonstrated?
□ If you could spend one week anywhere in the world, and cost were no object, where would you go?
6. What else can we learn about the gospel from verses 9 and 16-17?
Topical Study - The Gospel
7. a) What does 1 Corinthians 15:1-8 tell us about the content of the gospel message?
(b) Look up John 14:6 and Acts 4:12. What do these verses tell us about the gospel? How does this relate to Romans 1:16?
8. What is the significance of the fact that the righteousness revealed in the gospel is "of God" and is "by faith from first to last"? (v. 17; see 3:20-21 and Galatians 2:16).
9. In what sense is the gospel universal? (vv. 14, 16; see Revelation 5:9; 7:9)
In what sense is it limited? (v. 16; see Hebrews 4:2)
10. What characteristics of Paul stand out to you from this passage?
Apply
□ According to Paul's example, to whom should we go if we need encouragement? Is this what we usually do? Why?
□ How might this passage affect your attitude toward the pastor and other church leaders?
□ Do you ever see the Christian life or your service to God as just another obligation or duty? What tends to bring on this attitude? What helps to get rid of it?
□ Have you ever felt "ashamed of the gospel"?
Commentary
vv. 8-15 In this section, Paul assures the Roman Christians that, although he has never met them, they are constantly in his prayers as he gives thanks for them and intercedes before God on their behalf. Not only that, he eagerly looks forward to visiting them so that he may minister to them in person (a desire which was never fulfilled).
v. 11
“so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong”
Paul here reveals his motives for desiring to visit the Roman Christians--that he might build them up in the faith. Paul wishes to strengthen them by imparting, or sharing his gifts with them--that is, by exercising his gifts of ministry among them. The Greek word charisma, or gift, is used in 12:6-8 and in 1 Corinthians 12 to describe special abilities granted to believers by the Holy Spirit for service. It is also used in Romans 5:15-16 and 6:23 to describe the gift of salvation.
“that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith”
Paul graciously and humbly clarifies his meaning. It is not as though the blessing would all be in one direction; rather, both Paul and the Romans would be encouraged by one another's faith as they ministered to one another. As Paul's example shows, even the most gifted leaders need to allow themselves to receive encouragement and ministry from others.
Paul emphasizes that the absence of a visit so far is not from indifference: he had actually made plans to see them, but was unable to carry them out. He desires to have a harvest among them. This phrase translated literally means "get some fruit". Paul refers to "fruit" in other places to describe the changes in the life of the believer brought about by the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:22; Col. 1:10). Here he seems to be referring generally to the anticipated beneficial effects of his ministry among them, including salvation (vs. 16).
v. 8
v. 9
“I thank my God through Jesus Christ” The fact that all human access to God is mediated through Jesus Christ is one of the central themes of Romans; Paul has alluded to this once already, in 1:5. See also 1 Tim. 2:5 and Heb. 13:15.
“because your faith is being reported” Paul is not commenting here on the quality of their faith; rather, he gives thanks simply that there are believers at Rome.
“whom I serve in my spirit” Paul emphasizes the depth of his commitment to serving God. His service is not for the sake of appearances or to gain men's approval; rather, it comes from the core of his being.
“God . . . is my witness how constantly I remember you” Paul seeks to assure his readers of the sincerity of his concern for them. Not only does he pray for them constantly and at all times, but he emphasizes the truth of this statement by calling on God Himself as a witness.
v. 12
v. 13
v. 10 “now at last by God's will” Even though he strongly desires to see them, Paul recognizes that as a servant (1:1) his plans are subject to God's overruling. It is God's will, not his own, which must determine whether his desire is fulfilled. This is not merely an acceptance of "fate", but a trusting reliance on the One who controls the future. See James 4:15.
vv. 14-15 God gave Paul a special responsibility to the Gentiles (non-Jews); see Acts 9:15 and Gal. 2:7-9. He was obligated by the commission he had been given at the time of his conversion (Acts 9:1-19). His obligation was not only to the wise and cultured, but also to the foolish and uncultured. Paul seems to be diplomatically explaining why he has not come sooner to Rome, the capital city of the Roman empire.
v. 17
“the righteousness of God . . . that is by faith” The way to have a right standing before God is not through personal achievement, nor through good deeds, but through receiving in faith what God offers us. Righteousness is not something which comes from ourselves, but from God.
“is revealed” the gospel is not something that could have been discovered by man. Who would have ever thought that God, in order to bring man into fellowship with Himself, would send His own Son to suffer and die in our place? It could only have been known to us if God revealed it.
It is by faith from first to last; that is, by faith through and through. Righteousness does not come from intellectual agreement with the facts of Jesus' life, or from attempting to live according to the principles Jesus taught. It comes from recognizing our own inability to live up to God's standards, and trusting in God's offer to credit Christ's righteousness to our account.
“The righteous will live by faith” One way to read this is that "He who is righteous by faith shall live," and this seems to agree with the context. Paul is saying that the one who becomes righteous by faith will have eternal life.
v. 16
Paul states that he is not ashamed of the gospel; perhaps he was concerned that the Romans would interpret his lack of a visit as indicating he was ashamed of his message. Paul certainly knew that the simplicity of the gospel was looked down on by those who considered themselves wise; see
1 Cor. 1:18-25 and 2:14. Jesus also warned about this in Mark 8:38.
“it is the power of God” The Greek word translated "power" is dunamis, from which we get words like "dynamic" and "dynamite". The gospel of Jesus Christ is not merely advice to people about how to live better, it is power, the power of God.
“that brings salvation” The power of God which operates in the gospel is not random or purposeless; instead, it has a specific goal and result--salvation.
“to everyone who believes” The gospel is both universal and limited. It is universal in that the same good news is for every people-group, every "tribe and language and people and nation" (Rev. 5:9). It is limited in that it is only effective for those who believe (see Heb. 4:2).