September 14, 2011
Romans Overview
I. Paul's Background
II. Paul's Ministry
III. Paul's Audience
IIII. Paul's Message
I think the church in Rome, would have already heard all about Paul, by the time they got his letter, based on all the people that he greeted at the very end of the letter. It makes me think that they must have been eagerly waiting to hear from him. It reminds me of how eagerly we wait to hear from Lizzie, whether it be by Skype or text or email, since she has been gone to London. She's gotten into the habit of sending an email to the whole family, a couple times a week. We all love them-------we can't wait to read them-----we devour them, hungrily----we read them over and over again------we take to heart, what she says----we commit her words and their intent, to memory -----we call each other and discuss every aspect of her message---and then we tell everybody, we come in contact with, the day we get it, everything she said! That's how we should be, about Paul's letter to the Romans--------we should be eager to read it, we should devour it hungrily, we should read it over and over again, we should take to heart, what it says, we should commit his words and their intent, to memory, we should call each other and discuss every aspect of the message--and then we should tell everybody we come in contact with, every single day, everything, that the letter says! Our lives, would be beyond glorious, if we embraced the Romans letter, with that kind of intensity and focus.
Every commentary that I looked at, about the book of Romans, all said 2 things that were exactly the same: 1.) The first thing is, that the this book has let countless people, down through the centuries, to a saving faith, in the Lord Jesus. Some have been, just everyday people, like you and me------but some have been the giants of our faith, whose leadership, made a major difference, in propelling Christianity forward! -------like-----St. Augustine, the Latin-speaking philosopher and theologian, whose writings, profoundly influenced, the development of Western Christianity, in the 4th century; Martin Luther, the German priest, who began the Protestant Reformation, in the 16th century; William Tyndale, the English, protestant reformer and scholar, who translated the Bible, into the early modern, English version, that we know as the KJ bible, in the 16th century; John Calvin, the French theologian and pastor, during the Protestant Reformation, in the 16th century, whose writings, are the foundation, of a system of theology, known as Calvinism, which still greatly influences Christianity today, especially the Presbyterian denomination; John Bunyan, the English, preacher and author, whose most famous work, is Pilgrim's Progress, in the 17th century; John Wesley, the English preacher, author, and theologian, who founded the Methodist denomination, along with his brother, Charles, in the 18th century; and Donald Gray Barnhouse, an American Presbyterian minister and author, who was a pioneer in Christian radio broadcasting, in the 20th century----- just to name a few. 2.) and the 2nd thing is that they all said, is that, in order to really understand the profound truth that is found in the book of Romans, we have to have some knowledge and understanding of its amazing author. So, we're going to to begin our study with Paul; he was a pharisee, an apostle, an author, a pastor and the greatest missionary who ever lived!
I. Paul's Background:
A person's citizenship is one of their most valued possessions----being able to claim a country, a nation, a people, as your own, is a visceral thing---you feel it deep inside the core of yourself. It brings tears to your eyes and a song to your lips-----people are willing to fight for it and they're willing to die for it. (On the 10th anniversary, this week, of 9/11, I almost would guarantee, that there isn't one of us, in this room, who doesn't tear up, when we talk about where we were and how we felt, that day, when we first realized, what had happened------and think about the Olympic Celebrations-----at every event-----banners are raised and the fans go crazy, waving their miniature flags, and shouting and singing their national anthems at the top of their lungs------and you can visibly see, the pride on their faces, when they proclaim their nationality.
We've all felt it! Even at our children's sporting events, when we hear the 1st bars, of the Star Spangled Banner, and we stand to our feet, fixing our gaze, on the Red, White and Blue, and place our hands on our hearts! There is nothing like it and the truth is, our citizenship can't be separated from our identity, because it signifies who we are, and, where we belong.
Paul was a Jew, culturally, nationally and religiously. He was a Jew, by birth and by choice.
We don't know a lot about his boyhood, except that he was given the name Saul, by his parents, and he was from Tarsus, which was a prosperous city, located northwest, from Jerusalem. It was a famous center for Greek learning and culture-----and was the home, of 3 of the most outstanding universities, in the Roman Empire. We don't know if he received academic training there, but the possibility that he did, is great. We do know that he was sent to Jerusalem, as a young man, most likely at the age of 13, which in Jewish culture, is when a boy becomes a man. In Jerusalem, he was taught by Gamaliel, the most respected rabbi of the day, who also happened to be the grandson of Hillel, who is probably, the most famous rabbi, of all time. Under Gamaliel, Paul would have memorized, the whole OT scripture, and he would have also learned to interpret it, by memorizing, the Talmud, which is the Jewish book, of scripture interpretation. He was probably a young man, studying with Gamaliel, when he became a Pharisee-----one, of a group of Jewish leaders, who lived totally by the law of the Torah (1st 5 books of the OT) and they made sure, that every other Jew did too.
Paul was about as Jewish as you could get----in Philippians 3:5-6, He calls himself, "a Hebrew among Hebrews…" but he was also a Roman citizen. At the time, the mighty Roman Empire extended well beyond Italy, through Macedonia and Asia and all the way, to the outermost boundaries of Judea. Everyone who lived in the conquered territory was under Roman domination, but not everyone was a Roman citizen. You could buy that privilege, for a hefty sum, or you could be born into it. Paul's father was a Roman citizen, so Paul was able to inherit his citizenship. Roman citizens were entitled to rights and privileges, that no one else in the empire had. It was a prized, highly coveted, extremely beneficial asset, to have.
*Paul had the highest credentials of Greco-Roman and Jewish society, through his dual citizenship, and the privilege of wealth and education.
Professionally, Paul was a tentmaker, just like his parents, which must have been a fairly lucrative business. Since we know that he didn't meet Jesus, while Jesus was preaching and teaching in and around Judea, Paul must have gone back to Tarsus, at some point, to work, and probably to use his brilliant mind, teaching in the synagogues there. I imagine that it was there, that he heard about the new sect called, "The Way", which would have deeply offended him, with its claim of Jesus, as the Messiah. It must have been then and there, that he dedicated himself to stamping it out, before it could get started good. We know, that he was the ringleader, in Jerusalem, when Stephen was martyred and that he would go in and out of people's homes, dragging behind him and his henchmen, men women and children to be publicly punished. He became obsessed with destroying the young church. The High Priest, armed him with the authority, to journey to Damascus and root out, and capture, and even stone to death, anybody who claimed to be a Christian!
But, Jesus met him on that road to Damascus, and Paul was marvelously and eternally transformed. He, once and for all, submitted his body, his soul and his life to the Lord Jesus. After that experience, as much as he loved being Jewish and as important and advantageous, as it was, for him be a Roman citizen-------his most valuable citizenship and the one he sacrificed all that he was and all he had for, was the one he held, as a citizen of God's kingdom. In his writings, all throughout the NT, he clearly states that he didn't care if he was a Jew and He didn't care if he was a Roman------all that mattered to him, was that he was a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ!
Physically, we don't think that Paul was very attractive. Historians have described him as being small of stature ad having scars all over his face and body from his many beatings and stonings. But whatever his physical appearance may have been----- in his spiritual stature, he is unsurpassed in beauty and strength. There has been no other servant of God quite like him, ever.
Paul had personal characteristics that made him useable by God. He obviously possessed a biblical mind, because he was absolutely saturated with the word of God. Before his Damascus Rd. experience, as a committed Pharisee, he would have immersed his great intellect in the Hebrew scriptures-----so he was fully instructed by God's previous revelation of Himself and His will. Paul's biblical mind was combined with a determined and resolute sense of mission, which he would not allow to be sidetracked or distracted. When he was beaten, he continued to preach; when he was imprisoned, he would start a hymn-sing or an evangelistic meeting. When he was stoned and left for dead, God restored him and he journeyed to the next place and continued to teach. When one of his weary listeners fell from a window and died, one time, when Paul was preaching late at night-------Paul went outside and raised him up from the dead and continued his message.
Paul was committed to the truth and to the mission he had been called to-----but his greatest commitment was to his immense and passionate understanding of God's love, which permeated everything that he did, said and wrote. There is no way that he can be understood, separated from his deep love for God; from his love for his believing brethren; or from his love for unbelieving mankind----especially his fellow Jews. He had such an abiding love for Israel and he longed so deeply for their salvation that he told the Roman believers in Romans 9:3, with absolute honesty, "I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ, for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race, the people of Israel." Paul knew and understood what he had been spared------he knew the price that Jesus had paid for him personally-------and he wanted everyone he came in contact with to know it too. He wanted the Lord Jesus to be glorified above anything else.
As an educated and dedicated Jew, there is no doubt that Paul could have risen to great power and influence in the Jewish community----he could have been a Gamaliel or an Hillel. And as an articulate and talented Roman citizen, Paul would have been able to achieve wealth and notoriety in the Roman world--------but instead, Paul focused all his talents, gifts and energy on serving and preaching the gospel and the person of Jesus Christ. What a remarkable man!
II. Paul's Ministry:
After Paul's conversion-----he spent 3 years in Damascus with Ananias and the other disciples who lived in that city. He immediately began to tell his story. He testified the glory of God to anybody and everybody------in and out of, the synagogue----but he didn't just simply testify what had happened to him-----he was able to defend the Gospel, so powerfully, that he confounded, every single, unbelieving Jew, who argued with him and he led many of them to a saving faith in Jesus, as well as many Gentiles, during that time. He spend 3 years in Arabia, and in Galations 1:11-12 he says, "I want you to know brothers, that the gospel I preached is not something that man made up. I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather I received it, by revelation from Jesus Christ." Paul was thoroughly grounded in the truth of the Gospel by Jesus HImself. (In order to be considered an apostle you had to have walked and talked with Jesus personally, and witnessed His teaching and His miracles, first-hand.) Jesus' confrontation with Paul on the Damascus Rd. and the time He spent with him, in isolation, in Arabia, is what gave Paul his claim, to be an apostle and it authenticated his preaching.
The original 12 disciples and the people who had been persecuted by Paul or who had heard about his campaign to destroy Christianity, were, with good cause, skeptical of Paul's conversion and wary of his intentions------but Barnabas journeyed with Paul to Jerusalem and interceded for him, so convincingly, in front of Peter and the other leaders of the young church, that they had no choice, but to acknowledge Paul, as a true believer and accept him into their fellowship.
Paul's preaching was so forceful while he was in Jerusalem, that his former associates-----zealous, pharisaical Jews, attempted to execute a plot, to kill him. So, the apostles sent him back to Tarsus (and it was 14 years, before he was able to go back to Jerusalem). Theologians believe that he established many churches in the Tarsus area, over an 8 year time period and we know, from scripture, that he, along with Barnabas, preached to and strengthened the faith of, the church at Antioch. As the church at Antioch grew, other prophets and teachers were raised up, so that, in A.D. 46-48, the Holy Spirit was able to instruct the Antioch church, to send Paul and Barnabas, on their 1st missionary journey to Cyprus, Pamphylia and Galatia. This began Paul's unique ministry to the Gentiles and it is when he changed his name, from the Jewish pronunciation of Saul, to it's Gentile one, Paul. As they went into each town, Paul would start first in the synagogues to try and reach the Jews, but he, for the most part, would have minimal success, he would go to the Gentiles and they would respond in great numbers. It was amazing! Paul went on 2 other missionary trips, one in A.D. 50-52 and the other one in A.D. 53-57, where he established churches in Ephesus, Philippi, Thessalonica and Corinth----and many other cities, in and around, the Mediterranean coast.
On his 3rd journey, Paul was in Corinth, raising a love offering to take to the financially poor church in Jerusalem. He was determined that he was going to take it to them, himself, even though he knew, that he would, more than likely, be arrested by the Jewish leaders of the Sanhedrin, if they could catch him, while he was there. Historians and theologians believe that he wrote his letter to the Romans, from Corinth, while he was teaching and preaching and encouraging the Corinthian believers, to give what they could, to help their needy brothers.
Paul did travel, to Jerusalem to deliver the love offering and have meetings with Peter and the Church Counsel. And he was arrested and imprisoned there, and he went through a series of trials, which eventually, took him to Rome, in A.D. 59. When that happened, Paul had been serving the Lord for 20 years or more.
Paul was imprisoned in Rome twice. The first time, he was only under house arrest, so he was allowed to continue his ministry------ he was able to teach the Gospel to anyone who would come to visit and he was allowed to write the letters in the NT, that became known as the prison epistles: Ephesians,Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon. According to church tradition, Paul was released after 2 years, and possibly went on another missionary journey, through Macedonia to Collosse and then to Ephesus, where he left Timothy, and to Crete where he left Titus ------he might even have made it to Spain, which was one of his long-cherished goals. We don't know for sure what he did, but we do know, that it was during this time of freedom, that he wrote 1 Timothy and Titus.
Paul was, eventually, arrested a second time and taken back to Rome to stand trial. That time, his experience was very different. He was put in a real prison, that was probably not much bigger than a hole in the ground and he was probably even shackled to the wall, in such a way that he had very restricted movement. It was probably damp and cold and overrun by rats. He must have been so lonely, isolated from other prisoners and from regular visitors. It was while he was waiting for his execution, that he wrote 2 Timothy and then in A.D.68, Paul was beheaded, for defending his faith.
From beginning to end, Paul's ministry was focused on taking the good news of the Gospel to the then known world. Despite the continual beatings, stonings, and many flights for his life, he courageously took every opportunity to tell anyone and everyone about the Savior. The spectacular triumph of the gospel, during and through Paul's ministry is impossible to measure-------but that incredible man was energized and used by the Spirit of God to accomplish things far beyond what we can imagine. Historians have estimated that by the end of the apostolic period, after the death of the last disciple, John---- there were a half-million Christians in the world! Only the Lord knows, who was saved, either directly or indirectly by Paul's efforts. Through all the centuries that have followed, the Lord has continued to use Paul's Spirit-inspired writings to win the lost and to edify and strengthen, encourage and correct countless millions of believers-----and I know that we can all be counted in that number.
III. Paul's audience in Rome:
We don't really know which person or persons, actually founded the church in Rome. There is a Roman Catholic tradition, which claims Peter, as its founder, but most theologians and historians agree that the timeline doesn't fit very well. It just doesn't make sense that Peter would have been its founder, because Paul had already written the letter to the Romans, gone to Jerusalem, to see Peter and the other apostles and give them the love offering that he had collected, gotten arrested and gone through a series of trials which sent him to Rome, himself, before Peter even got there, which happened, around A.D. 60.
The most plausible explanation for its origin, is that it was begun by Jews, who had been in Jerusalem for the Pentecost Celebration, 50 days after Jesus' Assention, and had heard Peter's powerful sermon and had received the outpouring of saving grace, from the Holy Spirit, when He made Himself known that day, and filled up the heart of every believer there, which is recorded in Acts 2: 5-40. When they went back to Rome, they took their new-found faith with them, and over the years were joined by other believers, as people migrated to the Capitol City. At first the Roman church would have been made up, predominantly, of those converted, full circle, messianic, Jews for Jesus. (I wish I was one) But over the subsequent 27 approximate years, before Paul wrote his letter, the church welcomed more and more Gentiles into its fold-----some of them, must have been, some of Paul's own converts, based on all the people he greets, at the end of his letter to the Romans.
The recipients of Paul's letter, was probably a loosely-knit fellowship of believers and probably not a highly organized church. They had no ordained leaders that had been sent from the Jerusalem church, as far as scholars can tell. The Roman Christians worshiped in various homes and in other meeting places, instead of in one church location. But in spite of the fact that it wasn't very organized, it was a church, and it had become very large and influential.
The membership of the church reflected Roman society-----it was a cosmopolitan mix of believers from a wide variety of backgrounds and walks of life, reflecting the nations, which Rome had conquered. Because of the huge diversity of cultures and nationalities, you would think that there would have been factions and divisions------but there seems to be, from Paul's letter to them, nothing but unity among them, in worship and in outreach. Surrounded by pagan influence, those early believers made a significant difference in the city and became known all over the world for their faith. But, they were a distinct and oppressed minority.
Rome was a very secular city, consumed with financial and political concerns for the Empire-------but it was also a very religious city---a very religiously, pagan city. The majority of the people in the city worshiped Jupiter and other gods, which included thousands of superstitions and countless pagan rituals and idol propaganda from enslaved territories. Because Rome was so filled with gods, the prevailing thought was that all gods were real. So, when Jews and Christians insisted on 1 God, they were accused of being atheists, because of their denial of the existence of all other deities.
Christians were at odds with the Roman society because of their values. A Roman's highest allegiance was to the state or to Ceasar-------a Christians highest allegiance was to God. Roman's believed that anyone who was not Roman, was inferior to them and they were also very class conscious, even among their own people------Christians believe that we are all one in Christ Jesus-------Galations 3:28 says, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus."
At first, Christianity was tolerated in Rome, as a sect of Judaism, but in the last few years of Emperor Nero's reign, he didn't like the influence the church was having, so, he authorized the mass torture and death, of thousands of believers. In A. D. 64, a large part of Rome was destroyed by fire. It has been believed through the centuries, that Nero gave the orders for the fire and then laid all the blame on the Christians. This gave him the excuse that he needed, to persecute them. Tacitus, a secular historian at the time, wrote this, " their death was made a matter of sport; they were covered in wild beast's skin and torn to pieces by dogs; or were fastened to crosses and set on fire, in order to serve as torches by night…Nero had offered his gardens for the spectacle and gave an exhibition in his circus, mingling with the crowd in the guise of charioteer or mounted on his chariot." Both Peter and Paul were martyred under Nero's reign. (Dale and I went to Rome a few years ago and I will never forget standing in the ruins of the coliseum and not being able to stop crying, because I could literally, hear the sounds of the martyrs screaming and the crowds jeering as I visualized, in my mind, the heinous events, which happened, almost on a daily basis, in Nero's Rome.)
IV. Paul's Message:
In his letter to the Roman's, Paul mentions several purposes for writing it:
1.) He had wanted to visit the church in Rome on numerous occasions, but for various reason had not been able to, yet.
2.) He wanted to visit them because he wanted to encourage them, to preach to them, and to teach them and to build them up in the faith. Probably, other than having heard Peter at Pentecost, they had had no other apostolic teaching----so he wanted to make sure that they were pure and faithful to the truth of the Gospel.
3.) He wanted to do evangelistic work there----he wanted to join together with the Roman believers and preach the Gospel, to the city.
4.) He wanted to visit them for his own sake. He wanted to be encouraged in his own heart, by getting to know them and by them getting to know him, so that they could pray for him.
5.) He wanted them to be the pivotal city for his next leap of faith----to take the Gospel to Spain.
6.) His letter was an introduction of himself as an apostle. He clearly outlined what he knew to be the truth of the Gospel. He took great pains to build his credibility. He wanted the Believers in Rome, to have complete confidence in his authority. It was as though Paul was saying, "Here is who I am and here is what I believe, take it or leave it, but know that its true.
Sin, Salvation, Spiritual Growth, Sovereignty and Service, are Paul's main themes in this letter. Because he was writing to strengthen the faith of those young Christians he was very careful to start with the basics. The result is a concise, logical and well-ordered presentation of Christian theology. If we ever wanted a blueprint to explain what we believe as Christians and to teach us how to live it, this is it!
In a nutshell, this is what Paul says:
1.) Sin: Bad News/Good News-------The whole human race stands condemned as sinners, deserving God's wrath and punishment. Our sin highlights our need to be forgiven. But the Good News is, that God, in his kindness, provides the way for us to be saved, by providing the forgiveness that we need, through faith and faith alone, in the Lord Jesus.
2.) Spiritual Growth-----Believing in the Lord Jesus is just the beginning! Believers need to mature in their relationship with God------they have to learn to choose, to turn away from sin and to turn to, obeying God. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, believers are freed from the cycle of sin and death and are sanctified------They are made holy, and are set apart from sin, and are given the strength to obey, so that they can become more like Jesus.
3.) God's Sovereignty----Even though the world isn't the way that it should be--God is working all things for good. God's plan has worked in the past, through the Jews; now it includes everybody who calls on the Lord's name as their Savior----both Jew and Gentile. God was in control of the past-----He is in control of the present and He is certainly in control of the future---and we can rest in that!
4.) Service-----Believers are to serve God and to serve each other. In Romans, Paul explains how Believers should relate to society, to government and to our neighbors. He also tells us how we should relate to our brothers and sisters in Christ-----encouraging each other to use our spiritual gifts and to love one another and to take care of and help our weaker members
Paul's words and intent are timeless and they are as much for us as they were for the Romans. They speak morally about adultery, fornication, homosexuality, hating, murder, lying and civil disobedience. They speak intellectually, telling us that the natural man is confused because he has a disordered and self-centered mind. They speak socially, telling us how to relate to each other. They speak psychologically, telling us where how true freedom can deliver us from the burden of guilt. They speak nationally, telling us our responsibility to human government. They speak internationally, telling us the ultimate destiny of the earth and especially the future of Believers and the remnant of Israel. They spark spiritually, answering mankind's despair, by offering us, hope for the future. They speak theologically, teaching us the relationship between the flesh and the spirit, between law and grace, and between works and faith. But more than anything, the letter to the Romans, brings God, Himself to us.
An anonymous poet wrote these words and they seem to capture the heart of Romans:
O long and dark the stairs I trod
With trembling feet to find my God
Gaining a foothold bit by bit,
The slipping back and losing it.
Never progressing; striving still
With weakening grasp and faltering will,
Bleeding to climb to God, while He
Serenely smiled, unnoting me.
Then came a certain time when I
Loosened my hold and fell thereby;
Down to the lowest step my fall,
As if I had not climbed at all.
Now when I lay despairing there,
Listen…a footfall on the stair,
On that same stair where I afraid,
faltered and fell and lay dismayed.
And lo, when hope had ceased to be,
My God came down the stairs to me.
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