Romans Chapter One by Howard Watson

The letter of the apostle Paul to the Christians in Rome is very important in understanding the revelation of the grace of God in the plan of salvation. We begin our study in chapter one, verse one: "Paul, a servant, of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God...."KJV

Here the writer identifies himself as: Paul who had the original given name of Saul, supposedly after King Saul, Israel's first king from Paul's tribe of Benjamin, a tribe which God had restored and blessed, although it had been nearly annihilated during the time of the conquest of the promised land.

He further identifies himself as a servant, "doulos" bondslave, belonging to Jesus Christ, who had purchased, and had prepared him with a special call and vision while on the road to Damascus, Syria to punish and persecute Jewish believers. This conversion account is found in Acts nine. In Acts nine Jesus spoke and called the apostle directly and clearly from a young life of persecution of believers to becoming the apostle to the Gentile world.

The Greek word for called in Ro. 1:1 is "kletos" meaning called. When God by His Spirit calls, He speaks to our heart and being. We are impressed that God is speaking personally to us, when God confirms the calling, as He did in Paul's case by the appointment of Ananias to confirm Paul's calling in Acts 9:10-17. God's confirmation of His callings needs affirmation by the Holy Spirit's directing other believers to agree and to give the right hand of ordination and encouragement.

Christ/God called Paul to apostleship, a special position of being called and sent. Paul could say he had seen the light of our Lord's appearing and had heard the voice of His clear call. He joins the small circle of first century apostles who lived and observed the personal presence of Christ Jesus. Paul was uniquely called to his apostleship after the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus.

The next word we note is the word "separated" from the Greek word aphorismenos, which is perfect tense passive voice. Therefore Paul's call is a settled event with continuing functional meaning throughout his earthly life. Our Lord called Paul. Paul did not call himself. He was passive and submissively yielded to the call. So he is set apart, from the original meaning of "to mark off," or "to separate by a boundary." Therefore, he is set apart to the gospel ministry of Christ Jesus and our God.

Verses two and three read: "Which He had promised before by His prophets in the Holy Scriptures,...."NKJV. The prophetic utterances of the coming Messiah run throughout the Old Testament. The anointed king/deliverer was to be the descendant of King David, but virgin born as is noted in Luke chapters one and two.

Romans 1:4-7
And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:..."KJV. The word translated "declared" is "Horisthentos" from "horiszo" meaning to mark out the boundary, or to appoint. God had marked the Lord Jesus Christ as His only begotten Son, wholly divine and yet human in His physical body by His power "dunamei", the dynamite power which broke the bonds of death and hell by the resurrection. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the Father's testimony of the holiness "hagiosunes" (without sin in total righteousness) of Jesus of Nazareth. It is also testimony of the payment of our sin debt in full by the death of Jesus in our stead.

The Apostle Paul had received, along with the other Apostles, the gracious calling to minister the word of God. Paul wrote of himself the chief sinner who persecuted the church, yet was graciously called to preach the Holy Gospel of the redemption/forgiveness of sinners through Christ Jesus (I Tim. 1:15-17).

Paul had a calling for the special ministry to the Gentile world (the nations). This was a ministry which many of his fellow Jews would reject. Those Jews who rejected the Gentile ministry of the Apostle Paul along with the Messiahship of Jesus of Nazareth would persecute him severely throughout his missionary work. This is noted in the Acts of the Apostles.

Notice the words "obedience of faith" "Hupakoen pisteos" for their significance. To receive Jesus as Lord and Savior, who died for your sins in your stead, in obedience to God the Father, is to trust God for your personal salvation. Jesus saves you from your sins and the penalty of death. So, you can yield yourself to God for His work in and through you, just as the Apostle Paul yielded himself in faith to Christ for the work of preaching the Gospel to the nations in the blessed holy ministry of God. By the Gospel of Christ, individuals are called "kletoi" from the root word "kaleo", meaning to call, send for a person, or to give an invitation.

Verse seven speaks of the Romans also hearing the call of Christ for new life and wondrous peace. These Roman believers are also loved ("apagetois" beloved) of God and are graciously set apart as witnesses of God's saving power and peace to their countrymen.

Romans 1:8-10:
Paul hopes to visit Christians of Rome to share the fellowship of the teachings of Christ, which the Lord had given to him through revelation. The Greek word for thanks is "euchiaristo." Paul is grateful for the committed believers in Rome whose profession of faith in Jesus Christ has been made known to many others in the whole world. His thanks is to God through Christ Jesus. This is the first order of his prayer: thanksgiving to God the Father for spiritual blessings which are made possible through Christ Jesus who is the "way" of salvation by His sacrifical death on the cross.

The specific blessing is the worldwide knowledge of the conversion of Roman Christians because of their open confession of faith in Jesus Christ. Christian prayer needs to be one of thanksgiving as well as making requests and petitions. Paul put thanksgiving first in his sacred thanksgiving (euchiatristia).

Prayer to God the Father through Jesus Christ is sacred as it refers to both the heavenly Father's throne, where Jesus Christ sits/stands to give an ear of intercession to our prayer beside our Father, and to the earth of our living.

Paul's unceasing prayer/request comes after thanksgiving and asks repeatedly for God's guidance and for the provision of an opportunity to visit the Christians in Rome.

Here we see Paul's main interest in his life was to be a witness/preacher of the truth of Christ to others and, specifically, to the Christians of Rome in order to fulfill his commission to go to the world near and afar to preach the gospel and to be a blessing to all believers.

Verses 11-12
Affirm Paul's prayer to be led of the Lord in a prosperous journey to Rome to bless them and to be blessed by their witness of faith in Jesus Christ.

He would give to them a spiritual gift "charisma", freely and graciously given. God through Christ had given the Apostle great powers of spiritual gifts for his ministry to others. Through this sharing of blessing both Paul and the Romans would be encouraged/comforted and strengthened in their Christian walk/life. His desire was to share in the strength of Christ.

People of the world need, first, an opportunity to hear/learn of the coming of Christ Jesus as Savior and Lord of new life and, second, to be blessed by personal faith in Jesus Christ. We know that the Apostle Paul finished his work, but that work continues today through us Christians.

VERSES 13-15
Here the Apostle says he had desired to go to Rome and minister but had not yet been able to go. Rome was the center of the empire and many Jews were there in the midst of the Gentiles. Paul proclaimed his boldness in Christ to preach Christ the King of glory to the low and limited and also to the high and mighty.
Paul counted himself a debtor "opheiletens" under binding obligation to preach the Gospel to all people: the wise and learned as well as the foolish and unlearned. He was enthusiastically eager "prothumon" to proclaim the good message of the reality of Christ Jesus "euaggelisasthai" in Rome.

VERSE 16-17
Paul boldly declares his purpose to take the gospel of salvation to everyone, including Jews and Gentiles. He will stand, full of confidence and spiritual energy, to firmly, forthrightly tell the good news of how sinners can be saved through Jesus Christ. The risen Son of God was crucified by sinners for the sins of the world of mankind.
The Greek word "epaisikunomai" means to be unashamed in the face of ridicule and mockery from the unbelieving and stiffnecked persons, whoever they might be.

The righteousness of God is made known by the salvation message of Christ, the suffering servant of Isaiah 53. God has made Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son, the sin bearer of our sins in His own body on Calvary (II Cor. 5:20,21).

Verse seventeen tells us that the righteousness of God is revealed (apokaluptetai). This righteousness of and from God to us, to justify us from our condemnation for sins, is made known in our individual lives. And, this is through our faith in the work of Christ.

The redeemed will bring their faith before others who will hear, see and believe. The power of the gospel to change lives is in itself an ongoing revelation/testimony of God's righteous saving work. "The just shall live by faith."

The goodness of the unseen merciful God, in His eternal power ("aidios" everlasting "dunamis" power, force, ability), now has been clearly made known.

The foolishness of unbelievers, as they deny God in His eternal power ("aidios" everlasting, "dunamis" power, force, ability), is shown by their attempts to reinvent God into their own images or the images of creatures including corrupible birds, beasts and reptiles. They had ignored God while failing to give Him glory and thanks. Further they had changed the glory of God eternal into temporal corruptible beasts and creatures in the foolishness of their self-proclaimed wisdom.

Verses 23-32
Explain the resulting judgment of God giving these ungodly, unrighteous people up into uncleanness of lusts and the dishonoring of their own physical minds and bodies. As they have desecrated Almighty God in rejecting Him and His holy law, so God gives them up to their unclean lusts in dishonoring themselves in acts of immorality as these sinners change true affection between the man and woman into homosexual lusts/pleasures.

Note they had changed ("ellaxan" from "allasso" to change, transform, exchange) the order of human sexuality in verses 24 and 26; therefore, God gave them up ("paredoken" from "paradosis" giving up,giving over) to the practice of evil lusts. Their total lives were given over to complete depraved living without God even as they chose to dispose of the true God in their minds and hearts. Finally in verse 32 God's judgment of these sinners and their practices ("prassontes" from "prasso" to practice, to do) is worthy of death. When people turn from God to serve and worship other things or interests they have shut off the living God from their lives and just judgment is sure. Chapter two brings us to the righteous judgment of God in truth.