Grace, Enthusiasm and Power (Romans 1:1-17)

"As it says in the Bible, 'the just shall live by faith'" (Rom 1:17b, The Kingdom New Testament, N. T. Wright). " "The righteous by faith will live" (NET Bible).  "The people God accepts because of their faith will live" (CEV).

Romans 1:16-17 is the gospel, the theme and the thesis statement of Romans in summary form and the essence of Christianity. It summarizes Paul's theology as a whole.

"The gospel is not advice to people, suggesting that they lift themselves. It is power. It lifts them up. Paul does not say that the gospel brings power, but that it is (present tense = continually) power, and God's (omnipotent) power at that." Leon Morris.

Ø  Do you have a gospel/good news story to share (Rom 1:5)?

Ø  How eager are you to share the good news (Rom 1:15)?

Ø  How have you experienced the power of God (Rom 1:16-17)?

What scholars, theologians and church leaders have said about Romans:

• “(Romans) is the fullest and grandest statement of the gospel in the NT...a timeless manifesto of freedom through Jesus Christ.” John Stott, The Message of Romans, 1994.

• “Romans is Paul's summary of the gospel that he preaches. The theme of the letter is the gospel.” Douglas Moo, The Epistle to the Romans, 1996.

• “The quintessence and perfection of saving doctrine.” Thomas Draxe, 17th century English Puritan.

• Martin Luther wrote in his "Preface to the Epistle to the Romans" that Romans is “really the chief part of the NT, and ...truly the purest gospel. It is worthy not only that every Christian should know it word for word, by heart, but also that he should occupy himself with it every day, as the daily bread of the soul.”

• John Calvin declared that “if we have gained a true understanding of this Epistle, we have an open door to all the most profound treasures of Scripture.”

• "(Romans 1:16-17) are the most important in the letter and perhaps in all literature. They are the theme of this epistle and the essence of Christianity.” James Montgomery Boice.

"The highest of all missionary motives is neither obedience to the Great Commission (important as that is), nor love for sinners who are alienated and perishing (strong as that incentive is, especially when we contemplate the wrath of God [Rom 1:18]), but rather zeal -- burning and passionate zeal -- for the glory of Jesus Christ." John Stott.

 "I greatly longed to understand Paul's epistle to the Romans, and nothing stood in the way but that one expression 'the justice of God,' because I took it to mean that justice whereby God is just and deals justly in punishing the unjust. My situation was that, although an impeccable monk, I stood before God as a sinner troubled in conscience, and I had no confidence that my merit would assuage him.

Therefore, I did not love a just and angry God, but rather hated and murmured against him. […] Night and day I pondered until I saw the connection between the justice of God and the statement that, 'the just shall live by his faith.' Then I grasped that … through gift and sheer mercy God justifies us through faith. Thereupon I felt myself to be reborn and to have gone through open doors into paradise. When I saw that Law meant one thing and Gospel another, I broke through." Martin Luther.

"It is accordingly, solely from its object that faith derives its value. This object is uniformly the God of grace….Jesus Christ, God the Redeemer, is accordingly the one object of saving faith . . . The saving power of faith resides thus not in itself, but in the Almighty Savior on whom it rests....It is not strictly speaking, even faith in Christ that saves, but Christ that saves through faith. The saving power of faith resides exclusively, not in the act of faith or the attitude of faith or the nature of faith, but in the object of faith; and in this the whole biblical representation centers, so that we could not more radically misconceive it than by transferring to faith even the smallest fraction of that saving energy which is attributed in the Scriptures solely to Christ Himself." B. B. Warfield (1851-1921; professor of theology at Princeton seminary, 1887 to 1921), "The Biblical Doctrine of Faith."

"Most interpretations include the idea of a progression from one kind of faith to another: from the faith of the OT to the faith of the NT; from the faith of the law to the faith of the gospel; from the faith of the preachers to the faith of the hearers; from the faith of the present to the faith of the future; from the faith of words we hear now to the faith that we will possess what the words promise; from the faithfulness of God to the faith of human beings; from the faithfulness of Christ to the faith of human beings; from smaller to greater faith; from faith as the ground to faith as the goal." Tom Schreiner.

“The teaching of justification (righteousness through faith) has revolutionized my life and should do the same for everyone else. That is, since I know that through the finished work of Jesus, I am already right with God, this gives me a great desire to serve and worship Him, not out of mere fear, or the desire to get right with God, or keep in His good graces, or an attempt to get something from God, but from the basis of gratitude for who God is and what He has already done for me. It motivates me to serve and worship, and indeed to love God. For instance, I know that I am not on some type of works righteous tread-mill that I must keep up with or that I will fall off and God will not be pleased with me. He already is pleased with me through Christ. Thus, I am not worrying about not going to heaven because I might not be good enough (in and of myself, I know that I am not good enough!). I know that God has already accepted me, that I am currently in a right relationship with God and hence am not trying to earn or keep my good standing by my works. Jesus has done it for me. I already possess eternal life (1 Jn 5:13).”

Romans 1-3

1. Gospel of God's Grace (1:1-7): We received grace.
2. Gospel Enthusiasm (1:8-15): Eager to preach the gospel.
3. Gospel Power (1:16-17): The gospel is the power of God.
4. Gospel Suppression (1:18-2:5): Wickedness suppresses the gospel.
5. Gospel Impartiality (2:6-29): God does not show favoritism.
6. Gospel Accusation (3:1-20): No one is righteous.
7. Gospel Righteousness (3:21-26): Righteousness is through faith.

In Rom 1:1-6, John Stott explains the gospel as follows:

1. The origin of the gospel is ________ (1:1).
2. The attestation/preparation of the gospel is ___ (1:2).
3. The substance or center of the gospel is _____ (1:3-4).
4. The scope of the gospel is ________________ (1:5-6).
5. The purpose of the gospel is ________________ (1:5).
6. The benefit of the gospel is __________________ (1:5).
7. The effect of the gospel is __________________ (1:6).
8. The goal of the gospel is ___________________ (1:5).

 Questions:

1. What is the gospel? Explain compellingly what it is.
2. How striking is it being a "slave" and "apostle" (1:1a)?
3. What is the origin of the gospel (1:1b; Gal 1:11-12)? Why is this conviction important for authentic evangelism?
4. What attests to or prepares for the gospel (1:2; Jn 5:39, 46; Lk 24:27, 44)?
5. What is the substance/center of the gospel (1:3-4, 3:21-26; 1 Cor 15:3-4)?
6. What is the scope of the gospel (1:5-6)? What implications does this have for you? What is the role of "grace" (1:5; 12:3; 15:15; 1 Cor 15:10; Gal 1:15)?
7. What is the purpose of the gospel (1:5; 16:26)? How can you differentiate between the obedience of faith and the obedience of law? (In your own life?)
8. What is the effect of the gospel (1:6-7)? Do you know that you are loved (Jer 31:3)?
9. What is the goal of the gospel (1:5, 4b, 7b)? How does your Christian experience match up to this (1 Cor 10:31)?
• Extra: What do you know about the New Perspective of Paul?
10. Do you have a sense of debt/obligation (1:14)?
11. Why was Paul so eager to preach the gospel in Rome (1:1, 9a, 15; 15:15-16, 20; 1 Cor 9:16; Ac 14:21-22)?
• How eager/enthusiastic are you about preaching the gospel?
• As we get older do we lose our initial enthusiasm for Jesus?
• Does it seem that many Christians start out full of zeal, but over time lose their initial excitement?
• Do new converts seem to be most on fire for Christ?
• Are you jaded/cynical/bitter because of church experiences?
12. Why was Paul not ashamed of the gospel (1:16a)?
• How might "liberals" (Gentiles), "conservatives" (Jews) and "intellectuals" (Greeks) find the gospel offensive?
13. How might "first to the Jew, then to the Gentile" (1:16b) offend both Jew and Gentile?
14. What does the gospel reveal (1:17)? Explain the "righteousness of/from God" in three ways (3:21-26; Phil 3:9)?
15. Contrast "the righteous will live by faith" and "the righteous by faith will live."