Introduction to Romans — Don McClure

Reading Romans 1:1

All right, grab the book of Romans and let's stand and we'll read a little of it. Romans 1 verse 1 Paul a servant of Jesus Christ Called to be an apostle separated unto the gospel of God. We'll hold it there because that's as far as we're actually gonna get tonight.

But next week we're gonna be really Cranking so let's pray I'm serious, but we're really gonna pick up. I promise you Father we thank you for your word and we ask that as we kind of lay the foundation for this book tonight that you would Minister to us Give us an understanding of this great book your great love and grace that you have for us.

We ask it in Jesus name Amen. Just a little bit first about the book before we actually kind of do get into it that is. Well, it helps give a few insights. I think into the book itself of course as far as the author of the book of Romans.

The Authorship and Purpose of Romans

There's some of the books in the Bible. There are some questions about who wrote them some of them legitimate questions sometimes just other Questions that maybe liberal theologians have had about them but the book of Romans seems to be one of those books that has very few if any Arguments at all as to who the real author was and it's believed of course to be the Apostle Paul.

As far as the writing of the book, it's one of those books That is very interesting to me in the sense that there's really two aspects of the book that I think are quite Interesting in one sense to look at in the sense that I when Paul wrote the book I believe that there was something kind of on his mind that he probably Felt that the Lord had laid upon his heart that he was writing about that.

He did write about I doubt that he really understood at the time that the Lord was also giving him a book for the ages a Book that there was going to become a very foundational primary Theological book you might say of the whole of the New Testament.

I doubt if he really saw that far into it. He probably was just looking at a church in Rome Things that were upon his heart that he was kind of wanting to write to them about to deal with. But little did he know I suppose at the time the had the magnitude Of course of what this book was ultimately to mean to the New Testament to Christianity it's one of those books that is essentially as well to me when you look at it the first eight chapters or maybe even up to 11 but our chapters that To me sometimes I almost think that if you got a team of the finest lawyers Christian lawyers in the world and asked them to begin to write out a An argument for Christianity to take to the Supreme Court of the land and to lay it down and present it To me it was almost be something that mind a set of geniuses would have written in a sense It is so awesome to stand back and kind of look at The way that that Paul takes the case for Christianity and not only coming to Christ but living in Christ so tremendously in this book and It's something that is he is actually though at the time of the writing the Rome's Jewish community.

It was there of course in Rome. It was the the some wealthier as is in all sorts of communities some poor some highly educated some not so highly educated and The primary language of the Jews in Rome though was not so much Latin that of course the Romans primarily spoke.

But it was Greek and Paul wrote the book to them in in Greek it was believed by Historians at the time there were maybe around 50 ,000 Jews there in Rome at the time as far as a little of the situation with the writing of the book is That of course the founders of the Church of Rome were no doubt Jews as Acts chapter 2 would suggest for us and.

But around 40 AD the Emperor Claudius like an earlier Emperor Tiberius he had expelled the Jewish community out of Rome. Acts chapter 18 tells us a little about that and So the Roman Church was for a while almost composed entirely of Gentiles, but then with the death Of Claudius the edict was reversed and the Jews returned now the Jews had kind of returned back into a church that's there now the Gentiles have a very strong kind of a position in it but the Jews are coming back with their identity their culture and their feeling as Christians and Jews and in a sense of some of the things that Paul is dealing with there's Obviously as you get into later on in the book when now the application of a lot of the things that he tells in the first chapters he's wanting to apply them to now enact these things in Christ and But you can tell there's some tensions between the Jews and the Gentiles within the church That is going on and there's probably some very valid cultural differences between them the way they were raised The way that they were living and so Paul as he writes this book To them wanting just to strengthen the church is no doubt when Paul wrote his other epistles to the other churches there were problems in most all the churches that he would write to he'd lay out the Foundational aspects who they are in Christ how they ought to be living and walking then Paul had this wonderful way of now Applying the message to the church that at hand for which he was writing and Romans has that aspect to it.

But as Paul is writing to them, he's he essentially now is reminding in the first three chapters. Essentially the book we'll see when we get into it that essentially the Jews Were just as Condemned they were just as damned essentially without Christ is all the Gentiles.

Paul is going to be laying out a tremendous case for condemnation ultimately for all The world there but he lays out the Jews Particularly well in the sense of wanting them as they've now kind of come back into the church.

No doubt thinking they're still a little special being Jews after all being the identity of the Messiah himself. Having the law having the covenants having all these things kind of given initially to them now.

They're kind of coming back to the church having a little strain with the Gentiles and some of those tensions. But as Paul's writing to them, he's wanting to remind them by the way, all of us are totally Condemned outside of Christ and he wants to remind them as well that their spiritual Heritage not their ethnic heritage is the real aspect thus in chapters 4 and in 9 He reminds them about Abraham and speaks to them about the issue is not are you?

Ethnically identified with Abraham, but are you spiritually by faith? Do you understand the steps and the processes of faith as revealed in Abraham? In your life, that is what truly matters not your ethnicity but your spiritual identity.

And he also points out to the Jews as well that Even though they yes, they did come from Abraham. But they also came from Adam who we all sinned in. Who all were found to fall and there to sin in Adam in that chapter 5 he lays that out so we're all in the same sort of a problem and then he Carefully and wonderfully lays out that the law those that live by the law and works and standards that justifies Absolutely.

Nobody at all. Let alone Israel. You may think you're somebody but you're not and So and he also though reminds the Jew that the Gentiles there in the book as well that they were grafted into Judaism by faith and Therefore they'd better dare not be anti-semitic in any way at all.

And he lays that out in chapter 11 that they've got to get along with and respect the culture And the practices of their Jewish brethren. They're all one family learning to work these things through and so Paul Essentially in chapters 1 through 11 lays out a lot of theological facts and then in chapters 12 through 15 He now takes these facts and he deals with them Relationally in reconciliation within the body of Christ.

It's kind of like he just first here's who we are. And here's who the Jew is. Here's who the Gentile is. Here's who the heathen is. Here's the processes that we all have got to go through if we're gonna have life in God at all in any hope any Redemption and he kind of sorts us all out and then after he does all this then he kind of brings all these things back Now into the application within the body and he says now you've got to work these things out Amongst yourselves and getting along and reconciling the service that you're to have to the Lord and to one another your relationships.

And. And here on one hand though Paul was no doubt writing these things to a church that had some problems again. They're such great and phenomenal truths that they're they're endless. Of course, they they apply Everywhere because the same truths are the same needs in every church everywhere.

Romans and the Reformation

As far as kind of the resulting history a little bit of the book is that it's become in a sense Romans kind of a cornerstone of The New Covenant in a sense Particularly among the the body of Christ the evangelical body of Christ Through history and in the sense that Martin Luther, I suppose really brought it to the forefront once again and to the body of Christ when there he raised under the law and raised under Catholicism and raised under works and when he discovered Romans 117 that just shall live by faith and there when he broke through with that realization.

There that that's the great issue in life. It isn't works. He's looking there at his church system that he was around and the indulgences going on the abuses the corruptions of his day. Living by works and by effort and legalism and they're coming to the realization.

Is it Paul as it hit Martin Luther? No doubt there that the whole issue of Salvation is a work of God's grace his unbelievable wonderful unmerited favor and. And here the book of Romans shows to us that is by grace in grace alone.

And it's only through the work of Christ that we could be saved. Doesn't make any difference whether we're talking to a Jew or a Gentile a heathen of the worst Variety or of a good, you know law abiding, you know Pharisee.

They all were ultimately in the exact same condition. It takes the same amount of faith the same amount of mercy the same amount of grace to save anyone. But it is all of Christ and everyone comes to God on the exact same terms.

I mean, there's no difference whether it has with with anything has nothing to do with ethnic issues religious issues Educational economic and whatsoever any condition at all. Every human being is in the exact same spot in the eyes of God.

And to be saved and that's something that I suppose. It shouldn't be all that enlightening To us but it seems to be again and again we have this tendency that we rate ourselves and who how who's good and who's bad and and Who's the best and who's the worst and where we kind of fit and can God love me?

And it takes the same amount of love who will find through the book of Romans for God to have saved Anybody over anybody else? There's no difference at all the same redemptive work on the cross the exact same shedding of blood the exact same aspect of mercy and Grace and kindness and patience all of which was different.

It was exactly the same and no difference whatsoever and. And that is something that it will see as we get into the book and as we find ourself, you know kind of going through it and I my plan is is to which.

It's a wonderful plan that I have here and Is to spend three to four at the most weeks per chapter. Going through the first part and at the most and I really believe we're going to be able to do that.

Paul as a Servant of Christ

But the foundation tonight a little bit is I want to dwell on it just a little bit and then we'll take some much larger Port portions as we go through but here chapter 1 verse 1 is there is so much to me in This one verse and here is Paul writes of it he begins Paul a servant of Jesus Christ called an apostle separated unto the gospel of God and Here is Paul talks about the Christian life.

I believe one of the reasons that Paul introduces himself the way that he so often does when he calls himself a slave or a servant or a bond slave a Doulos of Christ and which is what he calls himself there.

But it is something there that he has the same Things that he's constantly trying to relate by his own identity his own title that I believe Paul desires that every one of us Understood these things that I believe God would love every one of us to be able to take our name and To be able to put it in a chapter 1 verse 1 and And then be with a desire to say I would love to put my name right there where Paul's is and then finish the verse.

And to be able to say that in the desire to say it with all my heart I hope even as we look at that Even as we're thinking of it right now that it might be something that each one of us would say. Well, why in the world shouldn't I want this?

It's the most ridiculous thing in the world not to or to have a desire anything less than this. Who in the world with any, you know half an ounce of sense? Spiritual or otherwise, I suppose shouldn't look there and think eternally and realize I want to have eternal thoughts and eternal plans for my life.

And here is Paul looks at his life and he says Paul a servant of Jesus Christ. Introduces himself there into the Christian life essentially by telling us one of the keys that is so Fundamental to Paul and that is if this the Christian life is the greatest aspect of it one of the primary focuses and functions and blessings and identities of the Christian life is the Christian life is a servant's life and Something there that most people wouldn't agree with but as far as Paul was concerned He did he looked at that and when he says Paul incidentally the name Paul, it's interesting.

It means little or small is What the word name means and of course if you're familiar, you know that that was not his name. That his mother gave him that was a name that he took himself. Felt whether the Lord has never given to us exactly how the name change came.

He was Saul of Tarsus, of course. But then after God did a great work within him. He changed that name from Saul to Paul of his own will of his own desire. And and as much as he loved the name servant.

He loved the name it seemed Paul because at the same time as you and I just used the name Paul today. You just it's as if the made the name meant it wasn't so much the word as we called the name Paul like oh.

That's Paul. There's John. There's Peter. There's Dave or somebody but the word meant when he took it it meant little. It meant small it's as if he said because he came up and he said I what's your name?

Yeah, my name's little what's yours? My name is small. What's yours? And here was something that he actually had within him a choice there. That was what what it really was. And and of course the name Saul as you may be aware as they've had some discussion over the real root of the word.

But most seem to agree the word essentially means desired one. In that there Saul when his mother named him, you know, he came along or whoever named him it is named there. You know was desired one. And of course what a name, you know.

That's I suppose most of us if we're to you know, pick between little or desired one. We'd probably take desired one, you know over little, you know in the sense of area. Hi, my name is desired one. Well, nice to meet you desired one and my name is not so desired or less desire or whatever we'd we'd take the name desired I'm sure with it and.

But once Paul came to Christ, it was as if this name that he once had saw desired. I'm sure that he loved that name. But after coming to Christ, he no longer seemed to like his name after the flesh that is any longer but he changed it there too little and You see once though his name was that he never would have been called Paul.

He's I'm sure the name desired one meant a lot to him. Because he is clearly a man in the Bible that was a man. He was a force in and of himself. He was a man to be reckoned with. He was you know Somebody in and of himself when you and even read of his own Testimony as he gives it to us in the book of Philippians.

We won't go to it tonight, but you realize that he was a man that he lived by his own testimony for his own gain. Whatsoever was a gain to me. He was in it for himself. It was in for his own glory as he lays out he lived for essentially his own purposes somehow another.

He'd taken his gain in his glory and his purposes and he had mixed them up with religion but nonetheless when he was able to still set back and once look back at his life regardless of how he Candy-coated it his behavior in a sense.

He lived for his gain. What motivated what drove him was his own gain his own glory his own identity his own purpose? And it's clear by Paul's testimony. He loved his pedigree. He loved his education.

He was very proud of his accolades of his successes of the things that he had achieved in life. And those were the things that just made the name Saul all the more. Made there what he was just really come to life.

A parent mother can give you a name. But only you can do with it, and I'm sure he was glad what he'd done with it. I'm sure he was somebody that day by day now. She gave him a name, but he had done something with it.

That is until one day of course when he's on the road to Damascus and you know the story there. Of course as he's going down and all of a sudden God knocks him off his high horse. Literally or donkey or in any other word you want to use for an animal like that I suppose but anyway.

Finds himself there blind. In there this man so desired so high so lofty so important in his own eyes. There he's in his blindness. He's now sent to town. Somebody's got to lead this man in his blindness to town get him in there.

Now God calls upon the humble Christian who actually were feared when he heard of going there when he Said Dan and I has to go there to Saul. He was these. Saul was so infamous to the New Testament Church.

He was the most feared man no doubt on the planet. And he's instructed now to go and lay hands on him. And to pray for him that he would receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. And he went and there as he laid hands upon him the Spirit of God came upon Saul of Tarsus.

And here you see a man there. That's absolutely transformed. There's he's baptized into Christ. Surrender his life after there on the road when there this arrogant man is knocked down and if you could imagine this Conversation when they're in his blindness.

He hears the voice Saul Saul. Why persecute is thou me. And he's looking around he says Who are you? Who are you? Lord. I mean here he called him Lord before he even knew who he was. But anybody that could have that kind of power.

And blind him and knock him down and do such an awesome thing like that out of nowhere there. There's no question. He was he had a power beyond anything. He'd ever dreamed of and immediately had demanded reverence.

It demanded lordship and he gave it to him not even knowing who he was. Who are you. And if you can imagine the shock to his ears when he heard I'm Jesus. Whom thou persecute is In here if you could imagine hearing that that the one that he had been fighting against all these years.

Was Jesus. You know, I wonder how many of us think where he never thought he was fighting against Jesus. It was people. It was these messed up people. It was this cult. It was these other and that's who he thinks he's fighting against.

That's where his anger and his tension and his energy is all being focused and so many people there. Where our energies where our focus where our fight is. We're out fighting the good fight and getting on the freeway and we're going to work and we're trying to do this in the home.

And what's wrong with this wife of mine and what's wrong with these children, you know? And we're fighting the world so often and I think many people are just waiting for the day the Lord knocked them down and They'll be able to sit isn't you when you're fighting against it isn't them.

It's me. It's my lordship. It's my right to rule and reign in your life. That's who you're fighting. It's not your wife. That's your husband. It's not your child. It's not people didn't your job in your career isn't your health and in your finances?

It's me that you're fighting in here is like the Lord knocks him down. He says you want to have at me take a good shot. You can't see anything. But go ahead and swing away if you want to. And and finally something broke when he realized how ridiculous it is to fight God.

If you'd imagine the shock he had that that's who he'd been fighting all of his life. But there as much as the fight that had now, you know been Against the Lord now became in a sense for him. And now he in the rather than that, you know I mean going on his life is so turned around and there he begins to preach he begins to minister.

So much so there in Damascus and out of Jews who he was their great war your leader now. They're so angry there after him. So they literally to save his life have to put him in a basket hide sneak him out of town lower him down over the roof.

Or over the wall to get him out of there and so for a little while he was kind of a basket case, I guess you could say but the Sorry, I said John Corson good thing in them, but anyway but the. But there is you find this guy when he begins to emerge from there.

He turns and now he finds himself he is now Paul a servant. He's no longer. I mean, you know, it's high and mighty. He's no longer somebody. He is now a servant or a bondslave of Jesus Christ. The word means they're a man of servitile condition.

One who gives up his life to the will of another. Devoted to another to the disregards of one's own Interests is what the word means. In other words when Paul he says I am now from this day on I am a servant of Jesus Christ the one that I met there on the road to Damascus the key to my life the key to my identity.

The key to everything that drives me the key to my existence the key to my understanding. Is all rooted in the fact that he is Lord and that makes me a servant that makes me his body. His vessel brought into willful servitude of him.

I'm a bondslave doulos is what the word in the Greek but it's a slave by love. It's a slave by choice. Not if not a slave by pressure not a slave, you know by force but a slave by choice it actually the word actually comes back from out of the the book of Exodus in Exodus 21 and It's interesting right after Exodus 20 where the Ten Commandments are given to us of all of the ordinances all the laws all the things That God was ever to have to say to somebody that couldn't keep the commandments.

They're there in Exodus 20. The next thing to follow is now this wonderful little story in Exodus 21 where it says if thou by a Hebrew servant. There he says six years. He shall serve in the seventh year.

He will go out. Free for nothing says if he came in by himself, he'll go out, you know by himself. He was if he was married then his wife should go out with him. But if a man there is somehow or another under the Old Testament laws when you couldn't pay your debts when you've borrowed money from somebody and For whatever reason you were in debt to them and you could not pay it off.

You literally when you were to weigh out getting yourself into debt. Very very seriously because if you could not for any reason fulfill the debt you now became their servant. Not a slur not a servant by force but a servant by your own choice when you entered into that agreement with that person you borrowed the money from them and They then you know, then you couldn't pay it for whatever reason, you know you were gonna get your farm up and going and you know, the Weather didn't happen or the thing that you whatever it was.

It didn't come through and you willfully you you came to him and said loan me the money. But if if anything happens, I will pay you back by act of my own willful servitude in a sense. There and I will you know to where they were a submissive agreement.

Essentially and but if a man came in by himself and then he went out by himself. And he couldn't pay it now. He had to come in he became a servant if but if the man came in he had a wife and his wife goes.

But if something happened during these six years. Say the man there he comes down to the seventh year and after these six years. He is now what happened no matter how much you owed it may have been a huge amount.

But you worked for six years the seventh year you went for out free for nothing. The debt was erased gone. But if at the end of this something has happened you have now looked around you realize, you know something.

All right. I came in here by force in a sense. I came in here under pressure. I couldn't pay my bill. I had no choice and I made the agreement. I will work for you. But so I I did not willfully go to work for him in a sense I I went into him under a forced will in a sense idea.

I had no other option. I agreed that I would if I had to pay it and this is the only way I could pay it. So here I am. But now after I've worked for him these six years I've come to realize I love my master I love working for him.

I Love who he is. I love what he does. I love the way he works and then I thought that this forced servitude I thought that this this bondage that this being as a slave was going to be terrible. But when I look here master has given me a wife.

The wife has borne me life and wife and is born me children. I have a family my life has been blessed. It's come together before I ran my own life and I ran it bankrupt. I got myself from trouble to trouble to trouble and then one day.

All right, I'm forced in here I pay it off. But while I've been paid off something's wonderful has happened in my life. I Love him. My life has come together. You know, I think most people when when we come to Christ at least when I came to Christ I didn't know him.

I just heard the rumors. You know, I isn't that true with most of us we heard he loved us. Everybody said he loves you. He loves you. Are you sure? Yes positive. Yes. You really yes, he'll forgive you you're sure.

Yes. You know or whatever else he but only you know under you know, fear of death or hell or damnation and fire and brimstone or trouble or somehow or another your soul gets bankrupt and you look around and you're out of options and All right.

I'll try Christ. You open your heart you give him and you give your life to him and you begin serving him. You really don't know much of him. But as you begin to work as you begin to serve one day you look around and realize look what's happening to my life.

It's coming together. And look what he's doing least of it. Look, he's showing me how to live. He's showing me how to build a relationship. He's showing me how to walk. He's showing me how to think and how to function.

He's doing all these wonderful things within me. And all of a sudden one day now after you've been there and you've been around him now. You've got the capacity to make a choice not under pressure not under fear.

Not under they you know, the debt of hell and sin which are very valid in one sense obviously, but now out of the Emotion and the desire and the love of your own heart to sit there and realize now I know.

And now one day you turn around and you say I love my master my wife and my children. I don't want to go free. At that point God tells Moses. He said if such a thing like that happens to a man. He says then I want him to take him under the the leaders of the judges of town and he will plainly say I love My master my wife and my children.

They'll lean his head up against the door and they'll take in an all and they'll pierces here. They'll drive it through and there at that point the man becomes a doodles a slave by love a slave by choice.

Now the master says oh, well, all right, you can stay here. You can continue to carry out your life and work for me and be a part of my you know my plan my vision my scope my kingdom and I want to use you in the building of my kingdom and the building of my world and I'll continue to take your life your family your children near that you love and you care for and all and watch what we'll do with all of them and now that person became a slave by love a slave but choice and Here, this is what Paul had become not only Paul, but by the way, also this is exactly what Jesus himself was.

There's a wonderful messianic psalm in Psalm 40 and In verse 6 It's messianic. It says their sacrifice and offerings for sin or thou does not desire mine ear hast thou opened. Burn offering and sin offering thou has not required then said I lo I come in the volume of the book.

It is written to me. I delight to do thy will. Oh my god. Thy law is within my heart. Now this is actually a messianic psalm it's about Christ and we know it is because Hebrews tells us. Hebrews 10 5 Tells us this is wherefore When he came into the world.

And it's right if you pick up Hebrews 9 10. Well, all of it you realize this is all about Christ and it tells us there and then it quotes psalm 40. It says wherefore when he came into the world He said sacrifice and offerings thou wouldest not but a body thou has prepared me and burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin.

That's no pleasure. Then said I lo I come in the volume of the book. It is written to me I delight to do thy will and here so here we have this wonderful messianic psalm talking about Christ. Talking about Jesus when he and it tells us in Hebrews interesting and wonderfully enough when he came into the world.

He then turned right around he says mine ear has stopped pierced. Sacrificed offerings burn offerings for sin. That's no desire. Body that was prepared me Jesus it was like he looked around and says father a little time energy effort a little ministry a little service here.

And there's not what you're interested in. It's not what I'm interested in either. It's my body. It's the offering of my body ultimately in the text of Hebrews. It's there for the the sacrifice of sins for the world.

But it is also the great concept as well of Jesus standing before the father and say I'm not just giving a little bit of me to you. I'm giving all of me and it's interesting Hebrews tells us when he said it.

When he did this you may wonder when did Jesus Christ fully give himself to his father when he was 12 in the temple or? When he was being baptized at 30 and the Spirit descended upon him. No, it says when he came into the world he said Can you imagine this it's one of the most astounding Concepts in all the world and in this one.

There's no question that it happened exactly this way because the Bible says it happened this way. But to think there on that very first the very first Christmas morning In a sense when God the Father offered God the Son a body here Prepared it for you a body thou has prepared me.

The Jesus essentially turned around says sacrifice and offerings burn offerings for sin. Yeah, that's not it a Body thou has prepared me then said I low it is written to me in the volume of the book to do thy will.

Oh my god, thy law. I delight to do thy law. Thy law thy word is within me and There that very first Morning when God the Father gave God the Son a body he then turned right around and gave it back. He then turned right around.

I don't have to wait till I'm 12 or 15 or 20 I have to go out and party and Cruise Colorado Boulevard and sing doo-wop, you know or whatever else to decide. I want to give you my body. Decide. I want to yield my life.

I know I've known before the foundation of the world what I'd do with this thing and there if you could imagine now you and I we Can't comprehend anything like that because very simply the Bible tells us we were born in sin.

None of us remembers our birthday Unless you're Ruth Carter Stapleton or somebody like that. But the you know who thinks you remember everybody's or something else, but none we weren't we we could we had no consciousness.

We had there was nothing there, but when Jesus born of the Spirit There with the wisdom of the ages taking that body for his own there with all of the genius of eternity. Now he turned right around five six seven eight pounds father jurors.

And that's bond slave. My near has stopped pierced. I Don't know. You know, I give you my body now. Do you know that that I love my master my wife and my children? I will not go free and When we understand this and realize this is what Paul when he looked there and he says I'm a slave of Christ.

To him that was that was the highest and the most glorious Concept to think there of actually a human being being capable to turning right around with his body and Giving it to the God of all eternity.

Not giving it to himself. Not to give it to his job or his career or the bank or some other entity. But the capacity to take human flesh a human Carcass or whatever these bodies that we've got and be able to sit there and realize God says I'll take it.