Calvary
Chapel Bible College
January
20, 2021
About me
I came to know Jesus in 1970 at a Baptist Church.
In 1974 I sensed God was calling me into the ministry.
I was married in 1978 to my beautiful wife.
I’ve got three grown sons, two daughter-in-laws,
and the cutest granddaughter and grandson in the world.
I graduated from CSUF in music in 1978, and got my
M.Div. in Bible Exposition from Talbot Theological Seminary in 1981.
I was a youth pastor for six years at a Baptist church, an assistant pastor
for eight years at Calvary Chapel Anaheim.
In 1994 we started Calvary Chapel of Fullerton, which I pastored for 25
years.
Last January I turned the church over to one of my spiritual sons in the
faith, and I am now one of his assistants.
Classroom introductions
Share your name, where you were born, where you go to church, and why you
are in Bible College.
Requirements for the class
Book Reading (20%)
I want you to take time to read through the book of Romans once each
week. I remember that Chuck used to say
he’d read through a book 50x before teaching it.
You are going to read it each week with a different version (as
assigned). If you want, you can listen
to it being read, but be sure to keep the text before
your eyes as you listen.
If you don’t have access to one of the translations I’ve assigned, you can
get them all for free on the YouVersion Bible app.
Each week you will check a box on the weekly reading assignment telling me
if you’ve listened to it. Be truthful.
This week you will read it in the
NKJV
I will be teaching out of NKJV
Bible Memorization (10%)
Romans is filled with verses you ought to have
tucked away in your head, but I’ve only picked out 14 of them.
I’d like you to memorize each week’s verse in NKJV.
When you come into class, you will be asked to write it out.
Don’t wait until the last minute to memorize. Please try to learn it in
the first day after class and then keep reviewing it so you can chew on the
verse.
Class Participation (30%)
That means attendance, which I will record each week.
Each week I want you to fill out a prayer request, one thing you’d like me
to pray for. That counts towards
participation.
Each week I will post a “Quick Quiz” online after the class. There will be two simple multiple
choice questions to answer (and I will give you the answers during the
class if you pay attention). There will
also be a third question – Is there something from class today that you can
apply to your life?
The quiz will be due by the day after class, so don’t
wait too long to take it.
Pericope Project (10%)
A pericope is a short title/summary of a section. I prefer that they be three words or less.
In my PowerPoint, each paragraph that we are teaching through will have the
Pericope at the top of the page. If you
want to do things the easy way, write those down.
If you want to do a little more work on your own, then learn to develop a
short summary of each paragraph.
Do you know how to find “paragraphs”?
Some of your Bibles already have pericopes, but I want you to use your
own words.
You will then want to come up with a pericope for each chapter, as well as
the major sections of Romans.
I want you to memorize your chapter and section pericopes, as well as hand
in your complete pericopes.
My goal is for you to learn the layout of Romans.
We will have a test where I will give you a verse without it’s “address”,
and you will tell me what chapter that verse is found in.
When I was a freshman in college, I learned to do this with the Gospel of
John. It’s stayed
with me ever since.
Theological Vocabulary (10%)
The first half of Romans is filled with important theological terms and
teaching.
I’m hoping you will learn to develop a short definition of terms like
“grace”, “justify”, “sin”, “condemnation”, “salvation”, and “gospel”.
Recording Project (10%)
In the same vein as the “Reading” assignment, on your final week you will
submit an “mp3” file of you reading the entire book of Romans. I wouldn’t start this project until we are
most of the way through Romans – I want you to have the blessing of “reading”
with understanding.
Class Presentation (10%)
I want you to present the equivalent of a ten-minute devotion on a passage
of your choice in Romans. You are only allowed to speak for 10 minutes (I will
cut you off). We will do this on our final Wednesday. In a few weeks I will ask
you to choose which passage you want to work on. I do not want more than one person on a passage. I want
you to present the text, explain the text, and talk about how we should apply
the text to our lives. You can use PowerPoint
if you want, but don’t have to.
Introduction
The letter of Paul to the Romans is considered Paul’s most important
letter. This is why it is placed in front of all his others
writings.
When and Where
The year is around AD 57 or 58
You can make a note in your Bible after Acts 20:2 – that’s about when Paul
wrote to the Romans.
Paul had been in Ephesus for three years.
Eventually there was a backlash from the silversmiths
of the city because so many people were getting saved nobody was buying their
little silver idols. They were losing business.
A riot followed and Paul decided it was time to leave town and head to
Macedonia (Acts 20:1-4).
When Paul was in Philippi, he writes 2Corinthians. Then he heads south into “Achaia” or Greece.
(Acts 20:2-3 NKJV) Now when he had gone over that region and
encouraged them with many words, he came to Greece {3} and stayed three months.
And when the Jews plotted against him as he was about to sail to Syria, he
decided to return through Macedonia.
It’s while he’s in Greece, in Corinth specifically, that he writes this
letter to Rome.
The Human Connection
When Paul writes this letter, he had not been to Rome yet, but there were
more than a few people there who knew him.
Romans 16 lists over 25 people that Paul sends his greetings to in Rome,
even though he’s never been there Himself.
One of the interesting couples in Rome were Priscilla and Aquila (Rom.
16:3). These are his old tent-making
buddies, who Paul met on his first trip to Corinth (Acts 18:2). We’ll hopefully look at these folk when we get to chapter 16.
(Rom 16:1-5 NKJV) I commend to you Phoebe our sister, who is a
servant of the church in Cenchrea, {2} that you may receive her in the Lord in
a manner worthy of the saints, and assist her in whatever business she has need
of you; for indeed she has been a helper of many and of myself also.
Phoebe is the one who is delivering the letter to
Rome. She is from Cenchrea, which is Corinth’s seaport on the Aegean Sea.
{3} Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus,
{4} who risked their own necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks, but
also all the churches of the Gentiles. {5} Likewise greet the church that is in
their house. Greet my beloved Epaenetus, who is the firstfruits of Achaia to Christ.
Priscilla and Aquila were in Rome. These were Paul’s old buddies whom he
had originally met on his first trip to Corinth (Acts 18:2). Though Paul met
them in Corinth, they themselves were originally from Rome, and had fled when
Claudius had kicked all the Jews out of Rome. They were tent makers like Paul,
and he had stayed in their home. When Paul left Corinth a year and a half
later, they went with him as he sailed to Ephesus. He left them in Ephesus
where they soon ran into a young preacher named Apollos. They were in Ephesus
when Paul returned to begin his three year stay
(1Cor.16:19), and the church met in their home. At some point during Paul’s
stay at Ephesus, they left Ephesus and went back home to Rome. By the time Paul
leaves Ephesus and makes his way around to Corinth, they’ve already been
re-established in Rome, and already have a church meeting in their home.
What it’s about
Though Paul will cover a lot of different topics throughout the letter, his
main reason for writing appears to be to explain his gospel, the message of
good news that he has preached around the world. He will clarify how a person
is made right before God. We call this the doctrine of justification.
Paul will also spend some time developing his ideas about sanctification. How does this process work where we grow in
Christ and become more like Him?
Everywhere Paul has traveled, he’s run into Jews who would argue with him
that a person has to keep the Law of Moses in order to be right with God. Paul will unpack what’s
different about Jew and Gentile, and God’s plan for His people.
Like most of his epistles, after laying out the doctrine, Paul will launch
into personal, practical matters – how do we live as Christians? What does the Christian life look like? How do we get along with one another?
1:1-7 Salutations
:1 Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ,
In the Greek, the first two words are paulos doulos, or,
“Paul, a bondservant”
:1 bondservant – doulos – a slave,
bondman, man of servile condition.
You can make a connection with this word and the description in Exodus of
the man who has served as a slave for six years, then has the
opportunity to become free, but instead of freedom chooses to continue
to serve his master because he loves what he’s doing:
(Exo 21:5-6 NKJV)
"But if the servant plainly says, 'I love my master, my
wife, and my children; I will not go out free,' {6} "then
his master shall bring him to the judges. He shall also bring him to the door,
or to the doorpost, and his master shall pierce his ear with an awl; and he
shall serve him forever.
After piercing the ear, the servant would wear an earring showing that he
was a willing servant of his master.
I don’t know if Paul wore an earring, but he was a servant of God for life.
We think this is what is meant by the prophetic description of the Messiah
as a servant by Isaiah:
(Isa 50:5 NKJV)
The Lord GOD has opened My
ear; And I was not rebellious, Nor did I turn
away.
David also writes about this prophetically:
(Psa 40:6-8 NKJV) Sacrifice and offering You did not
desire; My ears You have opened.
Burnt offering and sin offering You did not require. {7} Then I said,
"Behold, I come; In the scroll of the book it is
written of me. {8} I delight to do Your will, O my God, And Your law is within
my heart."
When you think about it, Paul could have introduced himself in any number
of ways.
To me, it would seem completely appropriate for Paul to start off this
letter letting them know just who it is that is writing to them, like:
“Paul, the awesome, powerful, authoritative miracle-working church-planting
apostle of Jesus Christ”
After all, think of what Paul has done by this time.
Along with Barnabas, he helped establish the great church in Antioch.
Also with Barnabas, he helped start the Galatian churches in Antioch of
Pisidia, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe.
He went on to start even more churches in Troas, Philippi, Thessalonica,
Berea, and Corinth.
And if that weren’t enough, he had the incredibly powerful three year ministry in Ephesus where he had set up a base of
operations that had reached all of Asia Minor.
Paul was a man with a reputation. While in Ephesus, people were even
stealing his old sweat rags and getting healed from them.
But Paul could never introduce himself that way. He belonged to Jesus
Christ. He was simply a servant.
Lesson
The best is at the bottom
(this is a Quick Quiz answer – write it down!)
(take a minute to explain the screen – inductive, Lessons, etc)
The disciples had this desire for greatness:
(Mark 9:33-37 NKJV)
Then He came to Capernaum. And when He was in the house
He asked them, "What was it you disputed among yourselves on the
road?" {34} But they kept silent, for on the road they had disputed among
themselves who would be the greatest. {35} And He sat down, called the twelve,
and said to them, "If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all
and servant of all." {36} Then He took a little child and set him in the midst of them. And when He had taken him in His arms,
He said to them, {37} "Whoever receives one of
these little children in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me, receives
not Me but Him who sent Me."
Jesus said that if you wanted to be a great person in God’s sight, then you
need to work at being last, at being the servant.
The example of taking a child in His arms was a sample of what being a
servant is all about.
It’s not too often that we as “grown-ups” don’t have time
to be bothered with kids. After all, we have more important things to do. We
have important things to discuss, important plans to make.
Jesus took time for the children.
I guess you could make a point that Jesus didn’t discourage the disciples
from having aspirations of greatness, He simply
changed their ideas of what it took to get there.
The disciples didn’t catch on too quickly. In the next chapter, James and
John are asking Jesus if they can have the best spots sitting next to Jesus
when He sets up His kingdom.
(Mark 10:42-45 NKJV)
But Jesus called them to Himself and said to them, "You know that those
who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. {43}
"Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become
great among you shall be your servant. {44} "And
whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all. {45} "For even
the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a
ransom for many."
Jesus’ measure of greatness was not how many people you could order around.
It was in how many people you could serve.
Right up to the end, Jesus was still trying to get this point across to His
disciples.
(John 13:1-17 NKJV) Now
before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that
He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were
in the world, He loved them to the end. {2} And supper being ended, the devil
having already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray
Him, {3} Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands,
and that He had come from God and was going to God, {4} rose from supper and
laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. {5} After that, He
poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe
them with the towel with which He was girded.
Washing feet was the job of a servant. People in ancient
days walked the city streets in open toed sandals. The
streets where dirty, dusty, and filthy.
Apparently at the last supper no one wanted to be known as
the least of the disciples by washing everyone else’s feet.
…{12} So when He had washed their feet, taken His garments, and sat
down again, He said to them, "Do you know what I have done to you? {13} "You call me Teacher and Lord, and you say well,
for so I am. {14} "If I then, your Lord and
Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. {15} "For I have given you an example, that you should
do as I have done to you. {16} "Most assuredly, I
say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent
greater than he who sent him. {17} "If you know
these things, blessed are you if you do them.
Jesus taught by example that the disciples needed to learn
to be servants. Jesus was a servant. Blessing comes from being a servant.
Illustration
I Wonder
You know, Lord,
How I serve You with great emotional fervor in the
limelight.
You know how eagerly I speak for You at a Women's Club.
You know my genuine enthusiasm at a Bible study.
But how would I react, I wonder,
if You pointed to a basin of water and asked me to wash the callused feet
of a bent and wrinkled old woman
day after day, month after month,
in a room where nobody saw and nobody knew?
– Ruth Harms Calkin
Strive to be a servant. It’s the
best we can be.
:1 called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God
Two more phrases that Paul uses to describe himself:
called to be an apostle – apostolos – a delegate, messenger, one sent forth with
orders.
Though the word originally meant just a messenger, it became attached to a
certain type of ministry, one of authority and power.
Paul never talks about making himself an “apostle”. He always has it clear
that it was God’s idea, it was God’s calling.
separated to the gospel of God –
separated – aphorizo – to mark off from others by
boundaries, to limit, to separate
Paul has a purpose in his life. He has something that makes him different
from what he used to be. His purpose wasn’t unique. It is the same purpose that
all disciples have. His purpose was to be a part of sharing the good news of
God to the world.
(Mat 28:19-20 NKJV) "Go therefore and make disciples of all
the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the
Holy Spirit, {20} "teaching them to observe all things that I have
commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."
Amen.
Jesus told His disciples not just to win converts, but
make disciples of people around the world. He said that all the things He had
taught them should be taught to the new disciples, including making more
disciples.
What Paul writes for the next couple of verses is an elaboration of what
the “gospel” is.
:2 which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures,
:3 concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of
David according to the flesh,
:4 and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of
holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.
Paul goes on to describe what he calls the “gospel”. We like to think that
the “gospel” is a certain static list of doctrines that must be preached to
people in order for them to be saved (and I’m not
opposed to that idea).
For example, some suggest that you must always talk about the fact that a
person is a sinner. Some suggest you must always talk about repentance, turning
from sins. Those are certainly important parts of the bigger picture,
but notice that Paul doesn’t even mention those things.
Elements of the gospel:
1. It was fulfilled prophecy
The Old Testament contains hundreds of prophecies concerning the coming of
Jesus Christ.
When people want to know why I’m so sure that my beliefs are correct about
God, I like to point at the fulfilled prophecies. They show that this is
something bigger than just men sitting around coming up with things to talk
about.
2. The gospel is about Jesus
He is God’s son. He is the Christ. He is our Lord.
He is the center of the gospel. There is no good news apart from Jesus
Christ. When we think of the gospel in regards to
forgiveness of sins, we must talk about Jesus. He is the one that died for our
sins.
3. Jesus was human.
He was born of the flesh.
He was of the line of David, meaning He was Jewish royalty.
4. He was divine.
He was shown to be the Son of God with power through the Holy Spirit and
through His resurrection.
5. He rose from the dead.
This shows the power of God.
:5 Through Him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the
faith among all nations for His name,
:6 among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ;
:7 To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to
you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
A better way of looking at verse 5:
(Rom 1:5 NLT) Through Christ, God has given us the privilege and
authority to tell Gentiles everywhere what God has done for them, so that they
will believe and obey him, bringing glory to his name.
:6 you also are the called of Jesus Christ
– Paul reminds these believers in Rome that they have been chosen by Jesus
Christ.
Some folks struggle with the idea that God calls or chooses us. I’ve
learned over the years to enjoy it.
When I was in elementary and Jr. High I wasn’t the
most coordinated guy around. I know what it’s like to stand on the line while
everyone else is chosen for the team. I know what it’s like when the two team
captains argue over who is going to get stuck with you.
I think I like being “chosen” by God.
:7 called to be saints – saints – hagios – a most holy thing, a
saint
It’s too bad that the Roman Catholic Church through the years has twisted
this word to signify some special kind of a Christian.
But to Paul, it was intended to all the believers
in Rome.
When you become a Christian, you become a “saint”.
:7 Grace and peace
This is in one sense the “typical greeting” from one Christian to another,
it says what our life is all about.
The typical Jewish greeting was shalom,
or, “peace”.
Yet in the Christian church, it was “grace” and “peace”.
If you don’t know God’s grace, then you won’t know God’s peace.
1:8-15 Ready for Rome
:8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith
is spoken of throughout the whole world.
Paul is going to give the Romans a little peek at his prayer life.
His prayer starts with thanksgiving.
The Roman church is a thriving church. People all around the world have
heard about their faith.
:9 For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of His
Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers,
:10 making request if, by some means, now at last I may find a way in the
will of God to come to you.
serve with my spirit – latreuo – a word
that is often used to describe the spiritual service that priests do as they
offer sacrifices and offerings in the Temple.
Paul saw his prayer life as a way of performing the work of a priests,
offering up prayers to God for the people. Just as a Levitical priest would put
on his special garments, perform certain rituals, and bring the people’s
prayers before God in the Temple, Paul was performing “spiritual” service to
God in prayer.
Paul continues this peek into his prayer life. There are lots of treasures here, I’m just
going to pick out a few…
:9 without ceasing – adialeiptos –
without intermission, incessantly, without ceasing
Lesson
Consistent prayer
without ceasing … always – Paul had consistency in his prayer life.
It might be that Paul was actually literally
always praying this specific thing about coming to Rome.
I think it’s more likely that Paul was letting them know that he prayed
regularly, and each time he prayed he prayed about going to Rome one day.
I find it valuable to have a “prayer
list”. There are certain things and certain people in my life that I
want to be certain to remember to pray for. When I say to someone, “I’ve been
praying for you”, I don’t want to mean that I have fond thoughts for them, I
want to really have been praying for them and their situation.
Are there things that you find yourself getting fixated on? Things you
worry constantly about? I’m finding
that when I spend as much time praying for these things as I do worrying, things begin to happen:
(Phil 4:6-7 NKJV) Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by
prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to
God; {7} and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard
your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
:10 making request – deomai – to want,
lack; to ask, beg; to pray
The word carries an emphasis on the need for the thing being prayed
for. It’s not just praying for something
that pops into your head, it’s sharing your “need” with God.
Lesson
Specific prayer
find a way – euodoo (“good” + “way”) – to grant a
prosperous and expeditious journey, to lead by a direct and easy way; here’s
it’s a future tense, “that I will find a good way”
in the will of God – Paul understands that prayer needs to always be
about the “will of God”. This is one of
the great goals in prayer, learning to find the will of God.
(Mat 6:10 NKJV)
…Your will be done On earth as it is in
heaven.
When we find God’s will, we will be asking for the right things and
receiving answers to our prayers.
(1 John 5:14-15 NKJV) Now this is the confidence that we
have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. {15}
And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the
petitions that we have asked of Him.
Paul’s prayer regarding the Romans was specific. It was aimed at a particular need. It was framed in the will of God.
Sometimes I wonder if God isn’t listening to our prayers and wondering what
the point is. Sometimes we just ramble
on and on and on. I imagine that
sometimes God must be thinking, “And what are you here for? What was your point?”
Sometimes we feel like it’s necessary to explain in great
detail all the background to the prayer request. Do you think that God needs to be informed of
these things? He knows more about it
than you do.
Get to your point. Lay it all
out. Know what you’re asking God to do.
(Eccl 5:2 NKJV)
Do not be rash with your mouth, And let
not your heart utter anything hastily before God. For God is in heaven, and you
on earth; Therefore let your words be few.
Some people take this to the extreme and say that they
don’t want to bother God with their needs.
That’s not what God wants. God
wants to hear from us.
On the other hand, we need to get to the point and be
specific.
I’ve got a question for you.
Did God answer Paul’s prayer to go to Rome?
Yes He did, but not as Paul might have suspected.
It would be a couple of years later, and it would be as a
prisoner, but he would make it to Rome.
Lesson
Answered prayer
We’ve just finished the book of Acts where we have seen how God answered
this prayer of Paul’s a few years later.
Paul had been writing the Romans from Corinth. He would travel north to
Macedonia, then on around the coast of Asia Minor and on to Jerusalem. In
Jerusalem he would be arrested and shipped off to Caesarea where he would sit
in jail for two years. Eventually Paul had to make an appeal to Caesar, then
was put on a ship to Rome as a prisoner, shipwrecked along the way, but
eventually made it to Rome. As a prisoner.
Prayer may not always be answered as soon as you want it to be.
Prayer may not be answered in the way you expect it to be.
But God answers prayer.
Sometimes God answers with “yes”, even though it may not look like the way
you planned it.
Sometimes God simply answers with “no”.
That’s not a bad thing.
I would hate to think what my life would have been like if God had
answered some of my prayers regarding marrying some of those old high school
girlfriends. I’m glad God said “no”.
Sometimes God answers with “not yet”.
This would be God’s response for over two years for
Paul. It would take Paul time before he
made it to Rome.
Again – if you are using a prayer list and praying daily for things, you
will find yourself recognizing more often when God answers prayer.
If I only occasionally pray for an issue, I might not realize when it is
answered that God was the one doing it.
:11 For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift, so
that you may be established;
:11 gift – charisma – a
favor with which one receives without any merit of his own
This is a word used to describe what we call “spiritual gifts”, things like
the gift of prophecy, word of knowledge, healing, tongues, etc.
It’s a word built on the word for grace, charis with an ending that means
“a work of” (“ma”), the idea is that
this is a “work of grace”.
Spiritual gifts are not things that we earn or become worthy of. They are completely works of grace.
The word for gift (charisma) is
used by Paul six times in Romans (1:11; 5:15; 5:16; 6:23; 11:29; 12:6) and only
once is he clearly talking about what we refer to as “spiritual gifts” (12:6).
In one place (6:23) Paul calls eternal life the “gift of God”. Two times it is
translated “free gift” (5:15,16).
It is likely that Paul is not talking here strictly about what we call
“spiritual gifts” (ie. prophecy, word of knowledge,
tongues, etc.). He’s not thinking, “Gee, these people could sure use the gift
of tongues …” They may be a part of what he has in mind, but I think he’s
talking in a broader sense here. He’s simply talking about the idea of giving a
gift, but rather than a physical gift he wants to give a gift that’s spiritual
in nature.
:12 that is, that I may be encouraged together with you by the mutual faith
both of you and me.
Paul’s desire is not that he be the big apostle coming to bless these poor
little Christians in Rome, but that he’s expecting them to encourage him with
their faith as well.
Lesson
Need help? Reach out.
Paul knows that when he gets together with the church to share with them,
that he will receive as much building up as they will.
Don’t let yourself sit in a corner, waiting for others to minister to you.
Get to know other people. Reach out. Share with others. You’ll find yourself
blessed too.
This is one of the things we’re seeing happen on Sunday nights. We spend the evening in worship, prayer, and sharing.
But I find that when I come with an attitude of ministering to others, I
receive more.
:13 Now I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that I often planned to
come to you (but was hindered until now), that I might have some fruit among
you also, just as among the other Gentiles.
Paul has seen people come to the Lord all over the world. He is anxious to
see God at work in Rome as well.
:14 I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to
wise and to unwise.
:14 Barbarians – barbaros – one whose speech is rude, rough and harsh; used
by the Greeks of any foreigner ignorant of the Greek language
Paul is referring to the whole world here, from a Greek point of view. The
Greeks viewed the world in two groups: Greeks and Barbarians. The Jews also
viewed the world in two groups: Jews and Gentiles.
debtor – opheiletes
– one who owes another; one held by some obligation, bound by some duty.
We don’t like to be in debt.
Illustration
For many generations a family had raised cotton in a lush southern valley.
Unfortunately, the boll weevil came to call and for three seasons their crop
was wiped out. The younger members of the family urged their patriarch to leave
the cursed valley which was driving them to ruin but
he refused, saying, . . . “Though I live in the valley in the shadow of debt,
I will fear no weevil!”
Paul sees himself as owing the whole world something. He owes them the
message of Jesus Christ.
He sees the entire world dying from a horrendous disease. He has the antidote that can save them.
:15 So, as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are
in Rome also.
ready – prothumos
– ready, willing
Illustration
Blunt common sense always characterized Mr. Moody. Once a man rose in one
of his meetings to give his experience. “I have been for five years on the
Mount of Transfiguration,” he said. Instantly Mr. Moody interrupted him by the
sharp question, “How many souls did you lead to Christ last year?’ “Well, I
don’t know,” answered the surprised man. “Have you led any?” then came sternly
from the preacher. “I-ah-don’t know that I have,” said the man. “Then,” snapped
Mr. Moody, still more sternly, “we don’t want that kind of mountaintop
experience. When a man gets so high that he can’t reach down and save poor
sinners, there is something wrong.”
Paul has a debt to pay. He’s ready
to pay his debts. He’s ready to preach.
1:16-17 Saved by Faith
:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ,
:16 I am not ashamed of the gospel
I don’t think any of us like to be embarrassed.
My most embarrassing moment in high school was when I took this gal out on a first date to Disneyland. We got
to the park and went in to watch her brother in the parade. Then I realized I had locked my keys in my
car. We spent the rest of the evening
trying to figure out how to get my keys.
She never went out with me again.
I don’t think she liked being embarrassed. I know I don’t.
Embarrassment keeps us from doing lots of good things.
It’s the thing that separates teens from their parents – kids don’t want
their parents to embarrass them.
What other things can you think of where embarrassment or fear of
embarrassment has kept you from something?
What’s sad is when we transfer that fear of embarrassment to sharing the
gospel.
Illustration
On one occasion Frederick the Great invited some notable people to his
royal table. Including his top-ranking
generals. One of them
by the name of Hans von Zieten declined the invitation
because he wanted to partake of communion at his church.
Some time later at another banquet Frederick and
his guests mocked the general for his religious scruples and made jokes about
the Lord’s supper. In great peril of his
life, the officer stood to his feet and said respectfully to the monarch, “My
lord, there is a greater King than you, a King to whom I have sworn allegiance
even unto death. I am a Christian man,
and I cannot sit quietly as the Lord’s name is dishonored and His character
belittled.”
The guests trembled in silence, knowing that von Zieten
might be killed. But to their surprise,
Frederick grasped the hand of this courageous man, asked his forgiveness, and
requested that he remain. He promised that he would never again allow such a
travesty to be made of sacred things.
He was not ashamed.
Illustration
In his book The Crisis in the
University, Sir Walter Moberly cites the failure of evangelicals to
penetrate university campuses with the gospel. To those who claim to follow
Christ he says, "If one-tenth of what you believe is true, you ought to be
ten times as excited as you are."
Do we really believe this?
:16 for it
is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.
:16 it is the power of God to salvation
This is why Paul is not embarrassed of the gospel.
power – dunamis – strength power, ability
It’s the gospel that saves people when they believe.
salvation – soteria
– deliverance, preservation, safety, salvation
Salvation from what?
1) Past: From the penalties of sins I’ve committed
in the past (Luke 7:50; Eph. 2:8)
2) Present: From the power of sin in my daily life (Rom. 5:10)
3) Future: From the actual presence of sin in the future, in heaven. (1
Cor. 3:15; 5:5).
Salvation comes when a person believes.
It doesn’t come when you learn to jump over some goal, when you pray fifty
“hail Marys” or crawl up the steps of a big
church. It comes when you believe.
It doesn’t come when you achieve victory over a particular sin in your
life. It comes when you believe.
Lesson
Just share it
All we are responsible to do is to share the gospel. It is not up to us to save anyone, but simply
to share.
If the gospel is the power of God unto salvation, then we simply need to
share it.
It seems to me that in Paul’s life he wasn’t worried about who would
believe and who wouldn’t. He preached
many times to crowds who didn’t believe. But he still preached.
What is the gospel? What is it we
are to share? I think there are some
basic things involved in the message.
We have a problem – we are sinners, we all are facing God’s judgment.
God has the solution – Jesus came to die on a cross and pay for our
sins. He offers us God’s forgiveness.
We have to respond – we must turn to God and trust
Him.
Jews … Gentiles… -
Paul’s ministry in a city always started by preaching to the Jews. They are
God’s chosen people. Jesus was their Messiah. It was after the Jews had an
opportunity to receive Jesus that Paul would turn and preach to the Gentiles.
:17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed
:17 the righteousness of God is revealed
As we believe in Christ, God does a wonderful thing and exchanges our sin
for His righteousness.
(2 Cor 5:20-21 NKJV) Now then, we are ambassadors for
Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's
behalf, be reconciled to God. {21} For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin
for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
:17 from faith to faith;
:17 from faith to faith;
Paul is talking about the process of how a person is saved, how it starts
with the faith that one person has in trusting in Jesus, and how they share
what they believe with another person, and that other person then starts to
believe.
It’s when you see how I am trusting in Jesus, it stirs up something inside
of you to want to trust in Him too.
Illustration
In the 1930s in Stavropol, Russia, Stalin ordered that all Bibles be
confiscated and Christian believers be sent to prison camps. Ironically, most
of the Bibles were not destroyed, yet many Christians died as "enemies of
the state."
When the Soviet Union dissolved, a missionary team arrived in Stavropol in
1994 for ministry. Their request to have Bibles shipped to Moscow was being
held up. But someone told them about a warehouse outside of town where
confiscated Bibles were still stored. Remarkably, the team was granted
permission to distribute them. Hiring several local Russian workers, they began
to load their trucks.
One young man, a hostile agnostic, came only for the day's wages. But not
long after they had started, he disappeared. He was found in the corner of the
warehouse, weeping, a Bible in his hands. Intending to steal it for himself, he
had picked his own grandmother's off the shelf! Her
signature was on the front page. Today, that young Russian is in the process of
being transformed by the very Bible that his grandmother was persecuted for, but still held dear.
-- Ken Taylor, Christian Reader, Vol.
33, no. 5.
From the faith of his grandmother to himself.
:17 as it
is written, "The just shall live by faith."
:17 The just shall live by faith
Paul supports what he’s saying by quoting from Habakkuk:
(Habakkuk 2:4b NKJV) …But the just shall live by his faith.
The idea is this:
The one who is just (the one who is right before God)
will live (be saved and not die)
by faith (it’s his trust in God that gives him life).
This principle is repeated several times in the New Testament.
(Galatians
3:11 NKJV) But that no one is justified by the law in the
sight of God is evident, for “the just shall live by faith.”
(Hebrews
10:38 NKJV) Now the just
shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, My soul has no
pleasure in him.”
Break
1:18-32 Unrighteousness judged
:18 For the
wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and
unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,
wrath – orge – anger, the natural disposition,
temper, character; anger exhibited in punishment, hence used for punishment
itself
is revealed – apokalupto – to uncover, lay open what has been
veiled or covered up; to make known, make manifest, disclose what before was
unknown; pres.pass.inf.
ungodliness – asebeia – lack of reverence towards God,
impiety, ungodliness; positive and active irreligion, a condition of direct
opposition to God.
unrighteousness – adikia (“not” +
“righteous”) – injustice; unrighteousness of heart and life; a deed violating
law and justice, act of unrighteousness
suppress – katecho (“down” + “hold”) – to hold back,
detain, retain; to restrain, hinder (the course or progress of)
The idea of the verse is:
Men hold down the truth through their unrighteousness, their sin.
It is these men who have lives characterized by a rebellion toward God and
sinful unrighteous lives, against whom God’s just punishment is disclosed from
heaven.
How is God’s wrath revealed?
Some of it will be on the final judgment day, but
Some of it happens now in various ways…
:19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown
it to them.
manifest – phaneros – apparent, manifest, evident, known;
comes from the word “shine” (phaino)
has shown it – phaneroo (the verb
form of “manifest”) – to make manifest or visible or known what has been hidden
or unknown, to manifest, whether by words, or deeds, or in any other way
The idea is:
The word for “manifest” and “shown” are forms of the same word and speak of
“shining”.
People can’t claim that they don’t know if God exists. The truth about God has been “shined” in
their faces because God has been the one who has “shined” it in their face. How
has God “shined” His truth?
:20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are
clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal
power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,
:20 His invisible attributes are clearly seen invisible – aoratos – unseen, or that which cannot be seen,
e.g. invisible
clearly seen – kathorao – to look
down, see from above, view from on high; to see thoroughly, perceive clearly,
understand
How can something that’s “invisible” be “clearly seen”?
eternal – aidios – eternal, everlasting; both in time
past and time future
power – dunamis – strength, power, ability
Godhead – theiotes (from “theos”, the word for “God”)–
divinity, divine nature, His “goodness”
without excuse – anapologetos (“not”
+ “apologetic”) – without defense or excuse; that which cannot be defended,
inexcusable
Here’s the way the verse is translated if you take it in Greek word order:
“For His unseen things from the creation of the world, by the things that
are made, being understood, are clearly seen; whether
it’s His eternal power or divinity, so that they are without excuse”
The idea is:
Even though God is invisible, you can clearly see who He is by the things
He has made if you take the time to understand what you’re looking at. These things have been obvious since the
creation of the world. The kinds of
things you will discover are that God has power that has always existed and
always will, and that He indeed is God.
When you take all this into account, you will find yourself without an
excuse when it comes to understanding whether or not
there is a God.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzLxvJ-eDFA
It may not be obvious to all at first glance, but it really is obvious…
Lesson
God is Obvious.
(keyword)
In other words, as you study the creation around us, you ought to come to the understanding that there is a God.
(Psa 19:1-4 NKJV) The heavens declare the glory of God;
And the firmament shows His handiwork. {2} Day unto day utters speech, And
night unto night reveals knowledge. {3} There is no speech nor language Where
their voice is not heard. {4} Their line has gone out through all the earth,
And their words to the end of the world. In them He has set a tabernacle for
the sun,
Some people have the mistaken idea that Christians should
be afraid of science be science is supposed to contradict “religion”. Just the opposite is true. If you will truly study
the creation around us you will have a difficult time denying that there is a
designer, an intelligence behind the design, a Creator.
Video: God’s Beautiful Creation
Play the first 2:55.
I know I’m preaching to the choir here at a Bible College.
Yet the more science progresses, the more I am amazed that anyone would
hold to the theory of Evolution.
Evolution’s answer to diversity in the world is to say that everything took
billions of years.
That was easy when we thought that biological lifeforms were made up of
little globs of goo called “cells”.
And then science began to look closer and closer
at cells and discovered intricate mechanisms inside the cell.
Video: Intelligent Design – the Kinesen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbycQf1TbM0
Play to 3:05
When science looked closer at DNA, they realized it’s an incredibly complex
computer code.
Who wrote the code?
The problem is that we’ve become brainwashed by a society that refuses to
acknowledge their Creator.
In secular education, we are taught that everything we see is a result of
evolution and natural selection. This
has entered into nearly every area of science, so that
even the theories of the origin of the universe reflect this viewpoint.
Supposedly everything started 6 billion years ago when there was a
tremendous explosion, a “Big Bang”.
Slowly energy began to coalesce, elements began to form, cells began to
evolve, organisms began to form, and eventually mankind came to be.
But in reality, have we ever
observed order coming from an explosion?
Doesn’t an explosion result in chaos instead of order?
Back in 2001 the Twin Towers in New York collapsed because
of airplanes that were flown into them.
Last week they launched a new Navy vessel built from the
metal taken from the Towers, it is named the USS New York.
Did the new ship just miraculously appear from the
wreckage of the towers? Was the ship
created by the catastrophic damage on
911? No, we recognize it took design and
energy to build the ship.
One of the known laws of physics is known as the “Second Law of
Thermodynamics”. It states that things
move from order to chaos. This is directly in opposition to evolution.
According to this law, the universe is “winding
down”. Stars decrease in
temperature. Things slow down. If we were to wait long enough, everything
would stop moving and everything would be a uniform temperature.
There is an exception to this law though. Things can move from chaos to order if there
is an external power source introduced into a system.
Look at your childrens’
bedrooms. If you as the parent don’t
interfere, will the room become cleaner or more messy
over time? How is it that the room gets
cleaned up? Outside energy source –
either you cleaning it up, or a threat for them to
clean it up.
If you were to dig through your backyard and come across a
watch, would you even think it possible that it just came to exist out of
random chance? Could it be possible that
all the parts of this watch just happened to be accidentally formed in a way
that produced an intricate device like a watch?
How about the idea that there was an explosion, and as things settled,
it just happened to form a watch? Does
this make sense? No, you see a watch and
understand there was a watch maker.
As the Second Law of Thermodynamics implies, the universe is winding
down. And if it’s winding down, then
there must have been a time when it was wound up.
Scientist Gordon Van Wylon, in his book Thermodynamics
(John Wiley & Sons, New York, 1959, pg.169) wrote,
“…the author has
found that the Second Law tends to increase his conviction that there is a
Creator who has the answer for the future destiny of man and the universe …”
Paul is leading up to a point to show how justly God is going to be to
judge the world.
It’s difficult to prosecute a person for disobeying the law of a land if
they didn’t know there was a law, let alone whether or not
there was even a government to create and enforce such a law.
There are going to be people who say that it’s not fair for God to be
judging the world when there are people who don’t know that there is a God.
There’s some good logic there, but the problem with the argument is with
the notion that people might not know if there is a God.
Paul is making the point that no one is excused because God has made
Himself clearly known to EVERYBODY.
Lesson
God will judge fairly
You can’t escape it.
(Hebrews
9:27 NKJV) And as it is appointed for men to die once, but
after this the judgment,
Everyone dies.
Everyone must one day face God.
It is only those who have chosen ahead of time to ask God
to pay the price of their sins, only those who have asked Jesus to take their
place in judgment that will last.
(John 3:17-18 NKJV) "For God did not send His Son
into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be
saved. {18} "He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not
believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the
only begotten Son of God.
There is no excuse
Even someone who was raised by an avowed atheist is without excuse.
The knowledge and understanding of God doesn’t
come because you are taught it by your parents.
It is evident in the Creation around us.
No one can say that they did not know God existed.
Lesson:
No one has an excuse.
Illustration
When the last tubes of the tunnels under the Hudson River for the
Pennsylvania Railroad were about to be joined, the boring from the two shores
meeting under the river, a young civil engineer, named
Richardson, was chosen because of his marked ability to make the final survey
that should bring the tube ends together perfectly. So
accurate was the work that when the tubes were joined the two ends were less
than one-eighth of an inch from being exact. But with God the accuracy is so
complete that it can be foretold to the smallest fraction of a second as to
what time a certain star will raise on a certain evening a century hence, and
in that time it has traveled, not the few thousand feet of the length of the
tunnel, but through space so vast as to be utterly beyond human thought; and at
such speed as appalls us to describe.
The evidence of a designer is so clear.
:21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor
were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts
were darkened.
:21 although they knew God
they knew – it’s a past tense (aorist participle), something that
took place in the past. This knowledge
of God is so obvious that no one can claim that they haven’t known.
glorify – doxazo – to think, suppose, be of opinion; to
praise, extol, magnify, celebrate; to honor, do honor to,
hold in honor; to make glorious, adorn with luster, clothe with splendor
thankful – eucharisteo – to be grateful, feel thankful; give
thanks
Lesson
Response to a Creator
These are the two most obvious responses man should be making when he
realizes there is a God.
1. Glorify
We have a “high opinion” of God. We
ascribe to God greatness.
This leads us to live in the light that we will one day be judged by
God. We glorify God by the way we
live. If I learn to live in a way that
is according to God’s standards, then I bring Him glory.
(Revelation
15:4 NKJV) Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your
name? For You
alone are holy. For all nations shall come and worship before You, For Your
judgments have been manifested.”
2. Give thanks
If I acknowledge that there is a Creator, if I acknowledge that there is a purpose and design in creation, if I understand that He
has made me and has purposes for me, then I need to learn to respond with
thanks.
(Luke 17:15-17 KJV) And one of them, when he saw that he
was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, {16} And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he
was a Samaritan. {17} And Jesus answering said, Were
there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?
(Psa 50:23 NKJV) Whoever offers praise glorifies Me;
And to him who orders his conduct aright I will show the salvation of
God."
In contrast…
(2 Tim 3:2 KJV) For men shall be lovers of their own
selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
became futile – mataioo (based on
the word for vanity, emptiness) – to make empty, vain, foolish; devoid of
force, truth, success, result; useless, of no purpose
thoughts – dialogismos (our word “logic” comes from the root
of this word; the word “dialogue” also comes from this) – the thinking of a man
deliberating with himself; a thought, inward reasoning; questioning about what
is true
were darkened – skotizo – to cover
with darkness, to darken
foolish – asunetos – unintelligent, without understanding,
stupid; don’t think of foolish as in “silly”, but as in lacking intelligence.
When men don’t acknowledge God, something happens.
There seems to be a progression here. When man refuses to acknowledge that God
exists, he gets stupid.
Illustration
Corrie Ten Boom used to tell the story about a proud woodpecker who was
tapping away at a dead tree when the sky unexpectedly turned black
and the thunder began to roll. Undaunted, he went right on working. Suddenly a
bolt of lightning struck the old tree, splintering it into hundreds of
pieces. Startled but unhurt, the haughty
bird flew off, screeching to his feathered friends, "Hey, everyone, look
what I did! Look what I did!"
:22 Professing to be wise, they became fools,
:22 Professing to be wise, they became fools
professing – phasko – to affirm, allege, portend or
profess; present participle, they are constantly reminding us that they are …
wise – sophos – wise, skilled in letters, cultivated,
learned
they became fools – moraino – to be
foolish, to act foolishly
from moros (“moron”) – foolish; impious, godless
The idea is:
These people who have had their hearts darkened, while they are busy
telling us that they are indeed wise and cultivated, in fact they have become
morons.
The Psalmist wrote:
(Psa 14:1 NKJV) The fool has said in his heart,
"There is no God." They are corrupt, They
have done abominable works, There
is none who does good.
Lesson
Foolishness
As men try and figure out reasons for existence without God, they don’t
realize what is happening to their reasoning.
When they can’t find “transitional” forms showing how one specie evolves
into another specie …
Illustration
Stephen J. Gould at Harvard suggests that evolution happened in sudden
bursts, too fast to leave behind any fossil evidence. This theory, called
punctuated equilibrium, places scientists in a very awkward position.
If you ask why we don't see evolution happening today,
they tell us it happens too slowly to be observed.
If you ask why we don't see evidence in the fossil record,
they tell us it happens too quickly to leave a trace in the rocks.
-- Charles Colson, Dangerous Grace (Word, 1994), p.93.
When the evidence doesn’t prove what they believe, do they follow the
observable evidence? No. Just more unbelievable stuff.
Illustration
Paleontologist Stephen J. Gould concluded: We are because one odd group of
fishes had a peculiar fin anatomy that could transform into legs for
terrestrial creatures; because the earth never froze entirely during an ice
age; because a small and tenuous species, arising in Africa a quarter of
million years ago, had managed, so far, to survive by hook and by crook. We may yearn for a "higher" answer but none exists.
-- Stephen J. Gould, Quoted in Donald M. Culcough, The Trivialization of God (Colorado Springs: Nav
Press, 1995), p. 16.
Illustration
Many years ago, while on a visit to America, a wealthy Chinese businessman
was fascinated by a powerful microscope.
Looking through its lens to study crystals and the petals of flowers, he
was amazed at their beauty and detail. So he decided to purchase one of these devices and take it
back to China. He thoroughly enjoyed
using it until one day he examined some rice he was planning to eat for dinner.
Much to his dismay, he discovered that tiny living creatures were crawling in
it. Since he was especially fond of this
staple food in his daily diet, he wondered what to do. Finally he concluded
that there was only one way out of his dilemma -- he would destroy the
instrument that caused him to discover the distasteful fact! So he smashed the
microscope to pieces.
"How foolish!" you say.
But many people do the same thing with the Word of God. They hate it and would like to get rid of it
because it reveals their evil nature.
:23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like
corruptible man; and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.
:23 changed the glory of the incorruptible God
changed – allasso – to change, to exchange one thing for
another, to transform
NAS has “exchanged” here, exchanging God’s glory for a stupid image.
It could also carry the idea that in their heads they trying to transform
God’s glory into something far less spectacular.
glory – doxa – opinion,
judgment, view; in the NT always a good opinion concerning one, resulting in
praise, honor, and glory; splendor, brightness
It might mean that Paul is talking about people changing their opinion of
God, it might be that Paul is talking about changing the bright shining glory
of God into something like an idol.
incorruptible – aphthartos –
uncorrupted, not liable to corruption or decay, imperishable
an image – eikon – an
image, figure, likeness
made like – homoioo – to be made like
corruptible – phthartos – corruptible, perishing
God is “incorruptible” – He never changes, He never gets sick, He never
tires out. We, on the other hand …
creeping things – herpeton – a
creeping animal, reptile; used chiefly of snakes; “herpetology” is the study of
reptiles and amphibians.
Paul is saying that mankind replaces God as the center of worship for
images of other things.
Keep in mind that Paul is writing from Corinth, a place filled with all
sorts of idolatry.
Lesson
Man needs to worship
It seems that man has this thing inside him that wants to worship. When man removes God from the picture, then
man finds something else to worship.
Things degenerate as man tries to make up an idea
of something to worship.
We see this happen at Mount Sinai – Ex. 32 – the golden calf
When Moses took too long up on the mountain, the people became impatient.
(Exo 32:1b NKJV) …"Come, make us gods that shall go before us;
for as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we
do not know what has become of him."
In America we’re far too sophisticated to worship things as silly as
“idols”.
But what about how we revere things like cars, money, power, jobs, sex,
anything that keeps us from having to face the True God.
God warned Israel with the second commandment (of the big Ten) was:
(Exo 20:4-6 NKJV)
"You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any
likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath,
or that is in the water under the earth; {5} you shall
not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous
God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and
fourth generations of those who hate Me, {6} but showing mercy to thousands, to
those who love Me and keep My commandments.
Lesson
Wisdom comes from worshipping God.
The smartest thing you can do is to recognize that there is Someone much
bigger than you. You have a God who
created you, and to whom you will one day be accountable to.
Why don’t you become a scientist?
It’s not at odds with Christianity.
True science compliments faith.
Illustration
I used to struggle with [overconfident intelligentsia] while living in
Boston. I would leave the town of Lexington, where my family and I lived, and I
would drive past the towers of Harvard University. Another mile down the road,
on the left, sits the campus of MIT, and to the right, the campus of Boston
University. Straight ahead were the towering headquarters of many great
multinational corporations.
There were moments when I was tempted to be intimidated by these
unmitigated, unadulterated symbols of power. Here were
great world leaders being trained in the business school at Harvard. Over at
MIT, signals bounced off Mars every 30 seconds. In those towers, decisions were
being made that created and destroyed the economies all over the world. And who
was I? What was our congregation with this Christian gospel trying to preach?
That's what was happening in the Corinthian
church. They were intimidated by all the talk of so-called intelligent people
who said the Cross is silliness. Paul tells us not to buy it. It has never been
true, and it's not true today. God is going to show the wisdom of men and women
to be rank foolishness. For the wise, the Cross must be in its central place.
-- Gordon MacDonald, "The Centerpiece of the
Gospel," Preaching Today, Tape No. 137.
What’s the implication of worshipping something other than the True God?
Darwin knew…
An interesting quote …
“A man who has no assured and ever-present belief in the existence of a
personal God or of a future existence with retribution or reward, can have for
his rule of life, as far as I can see, only to follow those impulses and
instincts which are the strongest or which seem to him the best ones.” --
Charles Darwin, cited by Philip Yancey in Books & Culture, Vol. 4, no. 1.
Do you see this at work in our world?
Absolutely. People doing whatever they want, whatever they think is right.
:24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their
hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves,
gave them up – paradidomi – to
give into the hands (of another); to deliver up one to custody, to be judged,
condemned, tormented, put to death
This is the word often used to describe Judas betraying Jesus. Judas handed Jesus over to the Jewish
authorities.
Here the idea is that God hands men over to their own “uncleanness”, their
own lusts.
The tragedy of this passage is that it describes what God gives people up
to.
We’re going to see this word used three times (vs. 24, 26, 28), as Paul
clarifies what God has given us over to.
lusts – epithumia – desire, craving, longing, desire for
what is forbidden, lust; It denotes any natural desire or appetite, usually
with the implication that it is a depraved desire.
We’re going to see three different Greek words for “lust” used. The words seem to carry an increasing
intensity with them. This the root of
what God is giving men up to.
uncleanness – akatharsia – uncleanness; the impurity of lustful,
wildly extravagant living
Not too unlike what our nation went through in the sixties – the sexual
revolution. It used to be that divorce
was rare. It used to be that sexual
impurity, premarital sex, was the exception to the rule, not what was common.
We’ve talked about how word order in Greek helps give emphasis on
things. Here the word “lusts” comes
before “uncleanness”, if you would translate the order like this:
“Therefore also God turned them over in the lusts
of their hearts to uncleanness to cheapen their bodies among themselves”
God turns them over to uncleanness, but the emphasis is on the “lusts” as
the mechanism that gets us to the place of uncleanness.
:25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and
worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed
forever. Amen.
exchanged – metallasso – change; transform.
Sometimes when you bring a new toy home from Toys R Us, the toy is
broken. Try as you might, you can’t fix
it. So you take
it back to exchange it. Exchanging is
easy. You just show the guy your
receipt, leave the broken toy with him, and go pick out a new toy that works.
But here, the thing that people have concluded as being “broken” or
“defective” is the very truth that God tells us.
Specifically, it’s the obvious truth that there is a Creator, and we are
His creation.
What’s the implication of worshipping something other than the True God?
“A man who has no assured and
ever-present belief in the existence of a personal God or of a future existence
with retribution or reward, can have for his rule of life, as far as I can see,
only to follow those impulses and instincts which are the strongest or which
seem to him the best ones.” -- Charles Darwin, cited by Philip Yancey in Books
& Culture, Vol. 4, no. 1.
:24 to dishonor their bodies – atimazo – to dishonor, insult, treat with contempt
It’s the opposite of the word to “honor” (time) which carries the idea of placing a high value on something.
We might say that when a person gives in to their lusts for the wrong thing
that they “cheapen” themselves.
The specific sins that Paul is going to mention, starting but not ending
with homosexuality, are “dishonoring” to our physical bodies.
Lesson
Immorality cheapens you.
Illustration
I’ve heard Dr. Dobson explain it as if a person’s sexual nature was worth a
million bucks. Every time you have sex with another person, you are taking half
of your treasure and giving it to them. When you are married to that person,
the treasure stays within the family. But when you are not married to that
person, you’ve just lost a half of your fortune, and
the value of your sexual nature is now worth a half a
million. When you have sex with another person, it’s now worth a quarter of a
million dollars. And when it goes on and on, sex becomes something cheap and
filthy, instead of priceless and beautiful.
Virginity is a treasure. Faithfulness to your marriage is priceless.
When Paul is writing to Rome, he’s in Corinth.
In Paul’s time, the great temple of Aphrodite stood on the Acropolis, the
hill overlooking Corinth. The priestesses of this temple were prostitutes who
came into the city nightly. The Corinthians “worshiped” Aphrodite through
sexual rites, and the profit supported their religion.
Paul wrote,
(1 Cor 6:15-20 NKJV) Do you not know that your bodies are
members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them
members of a harlot? Certainly not! {16} Or do you not know that he who is
joined to a harlot is one body with her? For "the two," He says,
"shall become one flesh." {17} But he who is joined to the Lord is
one spirit with Him. {18} Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is
outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own
body. {19} Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit
who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? {20} For you
were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your
body and in your spirit, which are God's.
God has paid a HUGE price for us. Jesus died on a cross for us. God wants us to keep sex pure, honorable,
priceless.
:26 For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women
exchanged the natural use for what is against nature.
gave them up – paradidomi – the
same word used in verse 24.
passions – pathos –
whatever befalls one, emotion, passion; in the NT in a
bad sense, depraved passion, vile passions
This word seems to be a bit stronger than the last one (epithumia), and has the idea of a passion that is uncontrollable.
vile – atimia – dishonor, deep personal humiliation,
disgrace; this word is related to “dishonor” in verse 24.
We could translate this phrase, “God gave them up to cheapening passions”.
women – thelus – of the female sex; a woman, a
female. This is not the usual word (gune) for
“woman”. It seems to me that because of
the passage, Paul is choosing to use words that have a little more sexual bent
to them. (from thelazo – to give the breast, thele, “nipple”)
use – chresis – use; from chraomai – to receive a loan; borrow; to take for one’s use. Paul is talking about sexual intercourse as
something you “borrow” from another person, not something you steal from them.
nature – phusis – nature; from phuo –to be born; the idea is that what is “natural” is the way you
were born. The implication is that
homosexuality is not the way you are born.
:26 even their women
Paul is talking about lesbian relationships
Lesson
Homosexuality is not natural.
I know this is not very politically correct at the moment. I know that some people are quite offended at this.
All you have to do is look at the design of the human body to see that
woman was designed for man and man for woman.
We’ve been talking about how obvious it is that there is a God – we talked
about the concept of “Intelligent Design”, that if you would look at the
complexity of the world around us it would become obvious at some point that
there is an intelligence behind it, there is a designer.
The idea of this verse is that simply looking at a man and woman’s physical
body you see that a man was designed to have sex with a woman and a woman with
a man.
The words Paul is using to describe man and woman hint at the sexual design
of their bodies. It’s how we were made.
Yet if you reject God as Creator and Designer, then you don’t look for
purpose and function in the design of the body.
Then why shouldn’t you just do what feels good?
Our society has come to the point now where no one dares question when a
person claims that they were “born” homosexual.
I am not aware of any conclusive proof that there is some sort of genetic
predisposition to homosexuality.
Years ago there was a study based on the autopsies
of six homosexual men who had an area of their brain larger than that of
heterosexual men. I’m not sure that
proved anything. Who’s to say that the
area got larger because of the way they lived their life? Other studies have shown that our brains
adapt to our activities. This is why
they advocate children taking up certain musical instruments at an early age so
the brain will develop in a way to increase their ability later in life.
:27 Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in
their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and
receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.
men – arrhen – a male; again, this is not one of the
ordinary words used for “man” (aner, anthropos), but
one that might have a bit of a sexual connotation. (It comes from airo – to raise up, lift up)
leaving – aphiemi – to send away; of a husband divorcing
his wife; to disregard
burned – ekkaio – to set on fire – a great description
of what it is to be caught up in lust.
lust – orexis – desire, longing, craving for; eager
desire; from oregomai – to stretch one’s
self out in order to touch or to grasp
something; seeking the object of gratification in order to
make it one’s own.
This seems to be a bit more extreme lust.
shameful – aschemosune – unseemliness; of one’s nakedness,
shame; of a woman’s genitals (strange thing to use in describing male
homosexuality, or is it?)
penalty – antimisthia – a reward given in compensation,
paying your ticket at the court
error – plane – a
wandering, a straying about
was due – dei – it is necessary, there is need of, is
right and proper
When God hands out penalties for sin, all sin, it is right.
:27 Likewise also the men
Lesson
Homosexuality is a sin
(Lev 18:22 NKJV)
'You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an
abomination.
There are some who say that this is only a cultural thing. It’s just the Jewish people who had a problem
with “homophobia”.
God doesn’t set His standards for us based on our culture around us. If we based our morals upon our culture, then
it was okay for Hitler to kill 6 million Jews, after all, his culture said it
was okay. This is obviously wrong.
God’s standards often go against the grain of our society.
The world in Paul’s time didn’t
condemn homosexuality either.
That’s why Paul is writing this. All
Paul is doing is probably looking outside his front door in Corinth to be
reminded of these things.
(1 Cor 6:9-11 NKJV) Do you not know
that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived.
Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor
sodomites, {10} nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor
extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. {11} And such were some of you.
But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the
name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.
Don’t be deceived. Homosexuality is
no different from any other sin. It will
send you to hell just like the other sins like adultery, theft, etc.
The good news is that Jesus loves sinners.
Jesus changes sinners. There were
some in Corinth who were homosexual and Jesus saved them just like He does all
sinners.
Lesson
Homosexuality isn’t the worst sin.
There is a progression in this rejection of God. When men refuse to acknowledge God as their
Creator, He gives them over to increasingly wicked sins.
Homosexuality is a part of that progression of wickedness. But note that it isn’t the end of the line.
I think that sometimes we in the church are indeed guilty of “homophobia”
and we make too much of the sin of homosexuality. We make it to be the most horrible of sins.
Don’t get me wrong. Homosexuality is
wrong. It is perversion.
But it is just a part of this progression away from God.
:28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge,
like – dokimazo – to test, examine, prove, scrutinize
(to see whether a thing is genuine or not).
retain – echo – to have,
to adhere or cling to
knowledge – epignosis – precise and correct knowledge; it’s seems to be knowledge by experience
They put God to the test, and decided they didn’t
want a “God file” on their hard drive.
We talked last week about how the evidence of the existence and knowledge
of God is obvious, it’s obvious because God has made it obvious to all of us,
putting that knowledge inside of us (Rom. 1:19).
But what has happened to mankind is that we haven’t chosen to hold on to
the obvious.
Have you ever heard someone say, “I’ve tried Christianity, but it didn’t
work for me”?
What happened is that they didn’t try Christianity, they only took a
shallow glimpse at the truth, and then rejected it.
Illustration
Have You Tasted My Jesus????
At the University of Chicago Divinity School each year they have what is
called “Baptist Day”. It is a day when all the Baptists in the area are invited
to the school because they want the Baptist dollars to keep coming in. On this day each one is to bring a lunch to
be eaten outdoors in a grassy picnic area.
Every “Baptist Day” the school would invite one of the greatest minds to
lecture in the theological education center.
One year they invited Dr. Paul Tillich.
Dr. Tillich spoke for two and one-half hours proving that the
resurrection of Jesus was false. He
quoted scholar after scholar and book after book. He concluded that since there
was no such thing as the historical resurrection the religious tradition of the
church was groundless, emotional mumbo-jumbo, because it was based on a
relationship with a risen Jesus, who, in fact, never rose from the dead in any
literal sense. He then asked if there
were any questions. After about 30
seconds, an old, dark skinned preacher with a head of
short-cropped, woolly white hair stood up in the back of the auditorium. “Docta Tillich, I got one question,” he said as all eyes
turned toward him. He reached into his sack lunch and pulled out an apple and
began eating it. “Docta
Tillich ...” CRUNCH, MUNCH ... “My question is a simple question, ”CRUNCH, MUNCH ...”Now I ain’t never read them books you read” ... CRUNCH, MUNCH ...
“and I can’t recite the Scriptures in the original Greek” ...CRUNCH, MUNCH ...
“I don’t know nothin’ about Niebuhr and Heidegger”
...CRUNCH, MUNCH ... He finished the apple. “All I wanna
know is: This apple I just ate—was it bitter or sweet?” Dr. Tillich paused for a moment and answered
in exemplary scholarly fashion: “I cannot possibly answer that question, for I
haven’t tasted your apple.” The
white-haired preacher dropped the core of his apple into his crumpled paper
bag, looked up at Dr. Tillich and said calmly, “Neither have you tasted my
Jesus.” The 1,000 plus in attendance
could not contain themselves. The auditorium erupted with applause and cheers.
Dr. Tillich thanked his audience and promptly left the platform.
The Bible says,
(Psa 34:8 NKJV) Oh, taste and see that the LORD is
good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!
:28 God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting;
With this further rejection of God, God lets go just a little more…
gave them over – paradidomi – same
word as verse 24, 26
debased – adokimos – not standing the test, unfit for,
unproved, reprobate; this is a word based on the opposite of “like” earlier in
the verse.
They tested and rejected God, so God allows their mind to stop functioning
when it comes to a sense of right and wrong.
When we should be testing things and finding that they are bad and ought to
be rejected, we end up accepting them.
When we test things and they ought to be accepted and admired, we reject
them.
Does this sound at all close to the society that
we live in?
fitting – katheko – to come down; to come to, reach to; it is becoming; it is fit
The word is found in the apocrypha where it describes how the temple was
defiled by the Greeks (2Macc 6:4)
4
For the temple was filled with
debauchery and reveling by the Gentiles, who dallied with harlots and had
intercourse with women within the sacred precincts, and besides brought in things for sacrifice that were unfit. 5 The altar was covered with abominable
offerings which were forbidden by the laws.
Here, these people are doing the things that are not “fitting”, not
proper. It would seem
that the list that follows is a list of what is not “fitting”. It’s interesting that they “filled” the
temple with all kinds of bad stuff, the same idea is continued by Paul as these
people are filled with all kinds of bad stuff.
:29 being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness,
covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit,
evil-mindedness; they are whisperers,
Keep in mind where Paul is writing from – Corinth.
Lesson
Qualities of a debased mind
We might think of a Hannibal Lecter as the best example of a depraved
mind. But look at how Paul describes it…
unrighteousness – adikia –
injustice, of a judge; unrighteousness of heart and life
sexual immorality – porneia – illicit
sexual intercourse; adultery, fornication, homosexuality, lesbianism,
intercourse with animals etc.
wickedness – poneria – depravity, iniquity, wickedness
covetousness – pleonexia –
greedy desire to have more, covetousness, avarice
NOTE: The first six words in Greek are
alliterated, all but one starting with the letter “p”:
peplhrwmenouv pash adikia porneia
ponhria pleonexia
It’s almost like Paul’s “spitting” out the words.
maliciousness – kakia – malignity,
ill-will, desire to injure
envy – phthonos – envy
murder – phonos – murder, slaughter
strife – eris – contention, strife, wrangling
deceit – dolos – craft,
deceit, guile
evil-mindedness – kakoetheia (“evil”
+ “customs”) – bad character, depravity of heart and life
:29 they are whisperers – psithuristes (one
of those words that sounds like it means) – a whisperer, secret slanderer,
detractor
Lesson
Gossip
Some preachers like to pick one sin out of the list and always talk about
how evil it is. Homosexuality is often
at the top of that list.
Yet Paul lists gossip in the same breath.
Illustration
Two elderly, excited Southern women were sitting together in the front pew
of church listening to a fiery preacher. When this preacher condemned the sin
of stealing, these two ladies cried out at the tops of their lungs, “AMEN,
BROTHER!” When the preacher condemned the sin of lust, they yelled again,
“PREACH IT, REVEREND!” And when the preacher condemned the sin of lying, they
jumped to their feet and screamed, “RIGHT ON, BROTHER! TELL IT LIKE IT IS...AMEN!” But when the preacher condemned the sin of gossip,
the two got very quiet, and one turned to the other and said, “He’s quit
preaching and now he’s meddlin’.”
Do we realize how deadly gossip is?
We don’t have a problem seeing how bad murder is. But we often don’t take time to stop from murdering someone’s reputation.
(if time…)
Illustration
The Gossiper
A woman repeated a bit of gossip about a neighbor. Within a few days the
whole community knew the story. The person it concerned
was deeply hurt and offended. Later the woman responsible for spreading the
rumor learned that it was completely untrue. She was
very sorry and went to a wise old sage to find out what she could do to repair
the damage. "Go to the marketplace," he said, "and purchase a
chicken, and have it killed. Then on your way home, pluck its feathers and drop
them one by one along the road." Although surprised by this advice, the
woman did what she was told. The next day the wise man said, "Now go and
collect all those feathers you dropped yesterday and bring them back to
me." The woman followed the same road, but to her dismay, the wind had
blown the feathers all away. After searching for hours, she returned with only
three in her hand. "You see," said the old sage, "it's easy to
drop them, but it's impossible to get them back. So it
is with gossip. It doesn't take much to spread a rumor, but once you do, you
can never completely undo the wrong."
Author Unknown / Submitted by Helen Hazinski from Chicken
Soup for the Teenage Soul Copyright 1997 by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen
and Kimberly Kirberger
How much of the TV news is simply gossip?
Don’t we love hearing what immoral mess someone is accused of? What are all those magazines about at
Albertson’s checkout stand?
:30 backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil
things, disobedient to parents,
Lesson
Qualities of a debased mind
More depravity…
backbiters – katalalos (“against” + “to speak”) – a defamer,
evil speaker
haters of God – theostuges (“God”
+ “hateful”) – hateful to God, exceptionally impious and wicked
violent – hubristes (“hubris”) – one who, uplifted with
pride, either heaps insulting language upon others or does them some shameful
act of wrong
proud – huperephanos (“over” + “to shine”) – showing one’s self above others, with an overweening estimate of
one’s means or merits, despising others or even treating them with contempt
boasters – alazon – an empty pretender, a boaster
inventors of evil things – epheuretes – an
inventor, contriver (of evil)
:30 disobedient to parents
A.T. Robertson: “An ancient and a modern trait.”
:31 undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful;
undiscerning – asunetos –
unintelligent, without understanding, stupid
untrustworthy – asunthetos –
covenant breaking, faithless
unloving – astorgos (“not” + “family love”) – without
natural affection, unsociable, inhuman
unforgiving – aspondos – without a treaty or covenant; that
cannot be persuaded to enter into a covenant
unmerciful – aneleemon – without mercy
Isn’t it interesting to think about how Jesus encourages us to forgive and
be merciful? Isn’t that quite contrary
to our nature?
The last six words starting with “disobedient” in the previous verse are
another alliteration, all starting with the letter “a”:
apeiyeiv asunetouv asunyetouv astorgouv aspondouv anelehmonav
A.T. Robertson: “The
late Dr. R. H. Graves of Canton, China, said that a Chinaman who got hold of
this chapter declared that Paul could not have written it, but only a modern
missionary who had been to China.”
:32 who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice
such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of
those who practice them.
:32 but also approve of those who practice them
approve – suneudokeo – to be pleased together with, to
approve together (with others); to applaud
Lesson
Careful what you smile at.
Whenever I read this I can’t help but think of
what the top rated TV shows and movies are at the moment.
Some of which I like.
To many of these things we’d join
with Paul, maybe even shaking our fists at certain sins. But we’ll sit and smile as we watch it on the TV or movie screen.
Take care.
Lesson
Abandoned by God
There seems to be a progression here of God letting go of people, giving
them over to their own sin. Follow the
places where it says that God “gave them up”…
1.
Impurity
2.
Homosexuality
3.
Depraved mind
How do you think our nation, our society matches
up?
Look at what God said about His chosen people, Israel:
(Psa
81:11-16 NKJV) "But
My people would not heed My voice, And Israel would have none of Me. {12} So I
gave them over to their own stubborn heart, To walk in
their own counsels. {13} "Oh, that My people would listen to Me, That
Israel would walk in My ways! {14} I would soon subdue their enemies,
And turn My hand against their adversaries. {15} The haters of the LORD
would pretend submission to Him, But their fate would
endure forever. {16} He would have fed them also with the finest of wheat; And
with honey from the rock I would have satisfied
you."
Oh that WE would listen to God
and walk in His ways. What could that do
for our nation?
Pericope Review
So how are the paragraphs broken down for this chapter?
How would you title each paragraph?
Give me a title (pericope) for the chapter.
Homework:
Read Romans in NKJV
Memorize Romans 1:16
(Romans 1:16 NKJV) For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power
of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.
Share one prayer request with me.
Quick Quiz answers:
1)
The Best is at the Bottom
2)
God is obvious