The Gospel in Romans part 3

This is our third study of Romans chapter one.

One of the messages that really blessed me in preparing this study was from Joe Fotche (pronounced: Fo-sh). His exposition of Romans 1:18-32 is very clear and helpful. However, he uses some scientific arguments that answersingenesis.org says not to use here.

Romans 1:16-23

Text

Romans 1:16-23 ESV:

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, "The righteous shall live by faith."
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.

Study Notes

Verse 16

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew and also to the Greek. When it says, "I am not ashamed of the gospel," it also means, "I am proud or confident of this good news!" It is not something to hide or be ashamed about. Why not? Because it is the POWER of God! It's the power of God for what? For salvation to everyone who believes! We also understood that it is first to the Jew, because it was promised to them and it came to them first through the Lord Jesus Christ and by his apostles (Acts 3:24-26; Romans 9:4-5; Hebrews 2:1-4 ). Then, it also includes the Greek, who represents everyone that is not Jewish. Therefore it is good news for all peoples and all nations (Matthew 24:14; Mark 13:10; Romans 1:5 ). So this gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. This good news is the power of God to save even you if you believe it.

Verse 17

For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, "The righteous shall live by faith." What is revealed in the gospel according to this verse? The gospel reveals the righteousness of God, because God must be right and fair and just if He is going to save anyone. Either, you have to have lived a perfect and sinless life of willing, whole-hearted obedience and love to God; or you must have a substitute who has done so for you, and who is able to pay the ultimate price to have your sins pardoned. Salvation depends on God's justice. The gospel reveals the righteousness or justice of God from faith for faith. Habakkuk 2:4 said, "the righteous shall live by his faith." It is only through faith that anyone can be in right standing with God. Those who receive the gift of God's righteousness by faith, also continue by faith, trusting in Jesus Christ. We will see in Romans 5 that this righteousness is a free gift!

Verse 18

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. What is being revealed in this verse? Where is it coming from? Who is it coming against? What do these people do with the truth? Many people don't think of God as a God of wrath. I've heard some say that we should not talk about wrath, but we should only talk about the love of God. Remember what Paul intended to do for these saints at Rome? (See verses 11-12 ). Paul was praying that he might come to strengthen them spiritually and that they may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith. Then in verse 16, he mentions this powerful gospel that he wants to preach because it is such good news. Now, he begins by talking about wrath! Why do you think this wonderful good news begins by talking about the wrath of God? What does knowing about the wrath of God have to do with the gospel? This word "wrath" carries the idea of divine punishment, vengeance, indignation and righteous anger against the wickedness and sinfulness of men. Justice is a very important part of the revelation of God's wrath. Because God is righteous and just, His holy wrath must fall on those who have incurred it upon themselves. Everyone in the world has an understanding of some level of fairness. Who would not agree that being just and fair is the right way to be dealt with? Therefore, this wrath is a direct result of the justice and holiness of God. And it is revealed... It is revealed from heaven... And, it is revealed against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth. The word ungodliness means they do not have a respect or reverence for God. The word for unrighteousness also means unjustness, or violating justice, they do not do what is right toward others. The just wrath of God is revealed against all those who have violated His holiness and justice. What does it mean to "suppress" something? Notice that the end of this verse says, "they suppress the truth by their unrighteousness." The word used for suppress means to hold back, detain or restrain; to hinder the progress of; to keep it down and out of the conscience. So they keep the truth down and out, and hold it back from their conscience by their unrighteousness. People actually lie to themselves all the time to keep their guilty consciences from admitting the truth. We see this very much in our world today. They suppress the truth. The next verses explain how they suppress the truth, and how God's wrath is being revealed even now.

Verse 19

For what can be known about God is plain to them because God has shown it to them. What is plain them? What has God done for those who suppress His truth? Not only do the ungodly and unrighteous know about God, but God has made it plain by showing things about Himself to them.

Verse 20

For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. Why are they without excuse? What things about God have been clearly perceived? How are they clearly perceived? Notice that God is invisible. However, the ungodly and unrighteous people are without excuse for suppressing the truth about Him, because every single day they live, they can walk outside, look up into the starlit sky, feel the breeze, stand upon a hilltop, feel the warmth of sunlight, receive the blessings of rain, watch how living things move, look into the eyes of an infant and know without a doubt that there is a God who is powerful and righteous and reigns over all things. How hard do you think it is to convince an ungodly person that they will be held accountable to God? It isn't hard at all, because they already know it from creation, by providence and because of their conscience. God is invisible, eternal, powerful and sovereign. There is no excuse for denying God. His attributes have been clearly seen in creation by all people since the beginning. The Greek philosophers during the time this was written acknowledged a divine Being. Modern science has not changed this at all, but has in fact helped to make it even more clear that there is a Creator. There is perfect design to everything in creation. From the stars and galaxies to the smallest particles of atoms, everything functions with a clear testimony that it was designed, created, constructed, and fit together in its exact order by an eternal, powerful and divine intelligence - namely God Almighty. But people suppress these things by their unrighteousness.

Verse 21

For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. What does it say they did not do? Knowing God should cause us to think of Him as awesome, magnificent, beautiful, wonderful, and we should acknowledge His dignity and worth because of what we see about Him in the things He has made. When He gives us life, blessings, food, families, houses, friends, love, laughter, success, comfort, and all the basics of life, we ought to be very thankful and grateful. Although all these things were plain to them, they acted just the opposite. How do we regard people who are always unthankful and disrespectful? What does it mean to become futile in thinking? The Greek word used here means to make empty, vain, or foolish. They became "air heads" in the way they thought about God and eternity and truth. It was no big deal to them. What is another word for foolish? How about "stupid"? Their "stupid" hearts were darkened. They had no understanding, no sense of true reality. Whatever light was in their hearts became dark. No true understanding of God. That is why modern evolution scientists often come to the final conclusion that life is meaningless, there is no reason for it, it happened by chance, no purpose, no created design, no eternal consequences. Just live for pleasure and die, and that is it. What a hopeless existence! This is what one influential scientist said about evolution after acknowledging that there appears to be design in the universe:

'Natural selection, the blind, unconscious, automatic process which Darwin discovered, and which we now know is the explanation for the existence and apparently purposeful form of all life, has no purpose in mind … . It has no mind … . It does not plan for the future … it is the blind watchmaker.’ - R. Dawkins, The Blind Watchmaker, W.W. Norton & Co, N.Y., p. 43, 1987.

Verses 22-23

Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. What did they claim about themselves? What did they actually become? What is the trade-off described in these verses? In colleges and universities, you will hear professors (who claim to be wise), say some of the most ridiculous, biased and untrue things imaginable. Why? Because they have made an exchange. All knowledge and true information that we have can only be discovered as God makes it known (Job 12:13, 38:36; Proverbs 2:6 ). But they became fools, that is, they turned from what is right and good and true, and instead became stupid and ignorant and void of understanding. They exchanged the glory (the high honor, praise and knowledge) of the immortal God, for what? For images... they are not even the real thing! Images of what? Images resembling mortals. This means they exchanged what is eternal and cannot be corrupted or perish, for things that are corruptible and will perish. Images that resemble man, birds, animals and reptiles. Notice what people worship first when they turn from God... images of created man. Then also images of other creatures, created things, not the Creator. If this exchange does not turn your stomach, then you should probably question whether you have ever really come to know God. It is sickening to think of such a dark exchange, yet that is exactly what all of us have done. We are naturally inclined to give more honor and praise to images, ideas, things of men, created things, more than we do to God. This should make us bow our heads and hearts in utter disdain for ourselves if we understand the glory of God. When Job finally got a glimpse of who God is, he replied by saying, "Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes." (see Job 42:1-6 ). Have you done the same?

Conclusion

We have read that the gospel (or good news) is God's power to save who? Since it is the power of God to save everyone who believes, then it is something Paul says "I am not ashamed of," or "I am proud and confident of this good news." What does the gospel reveal? What is the wrath of God against? Has it ever become evident to you that many things man claims to be right and true are not always correct? Knowing about the wrath of God and the depravity of sinful human hearts should be what motivates us to look away from ourselves to the "Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29 ). It is only through the death of Christ on the cross that we can be reconciled to God, and only by His life that we will be saved (Romans 5:10 ). Have you come to rest in Christ alone as your righteousness?

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More on Sovereign Grace

Here is the introduction to a study I wrote today on the issue of Sovereign grace. This does not have anything to do with Sovereign Grace Ministries or the Sovereign Grace Bible Conference. Some may have heard me refer to these at other times. This study simply has to do with my thoughts and notes on some verses that deal with the topic. However, it is worth your investigation, and please look only to Jesus for all the answers. Now, here is the intro:

The Sovereign Grace of God in Believing

Due to many questions and discussions about Sovereign grace, I decided to write a short study on a few notable passages that deal with the subject. This study is by no means all that could be said. It may or may not satisfy you. However, I hope you will not only be convinced, but also blessed with the joy that comes with understanding God's wonderful grace. We will begin our study looking at one of the many profound Bible verses that deal with the Sovereign grace of God in salvation. Our subject is the Sovereign grace of God in believing. Look with us into a tiny keyhole of this glorious topic as we examine a few verses. We also will conclude our study with some serious observations and exhortations to rest in the Lord Jesus Christ alone by the Sovereign grace and mercy of God. When I began to understand this verse, it was like a light bulb flashed bright light into my eyes. First, I had to squint at it, then my eyes adjusted and I could see all the beautiful colors as the light began to illuminate everything around me. May this study bring joy, awe, delight and reverence to you, and also point you to the One true Light and the Rock on which we stand, our Lord and Savior. Before we begin, allow me to define what I mean by "Sovereign grace." The word "Sovereign" means supreme in power and authority when addressed to God. The word "grace" means God's free and undeserved gift. Therefore, "Sovereign grace in believing" refers to God's authority and power to freely give salvation through faith in Christ to any undeserving person whom He chooses. We begin with a passage in its immediate context to get the picture. Then we will focus on one particular verse in a variety of different translations in order to test the meaning and word order, and to get a clear apprehension of how it should be understood. Let us now turn to Acts 13:48. Here it is in its immediate context:

(Acts 13:44-52, ESV) - The next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began to contradict what was spoken by Paul, reviling him. And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles. For so the Lord has commanded us, saying,

“‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles,
that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’”

And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed. And the word of the Lord was spreading throughout the whole region. But the Jews incited the devout women of high standing and the leading men of the city, stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their district. But they shook off the dust from their feet against them and went to Iconium. And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

(Please read the full study here)

The Gospel in Romans part 2

Here is the second study on Romans chapter one:

Romans 1:8-17

Text

Romans 1:8-17 ESV:

First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed in all the world. For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I mention you always in my prayers, asking that somehow by God's will I may now at last succeed in coming to you. For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you— that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith, both yours and mine. I want you to know, brothers, that I have often intended to come to you (but thus far have been prevented), in order that I may reap some harvest among you as well as among the rest of the Gentiles. I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”

Study Notes

Verse 8

First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed in all the world. Notice what comes first—thanksgiving! Who does Paul thank? Who does he thank him through? Who does he thank him for? Why does he thank him for them? All thanksgiving goes to God through Jesus Christ (see also Rom. 7:25, 16:27). It is only through Christ that there is peace with God and reconciliation (Rom. 5:1,11). And, no one can come to God in any other way than through Jesus Christ (John 14:6, 1 Tim. 2:5). Notice Paul did not thank the Romans because their faith was being proclaimed, but he thanked God, because it was God who was working in them through Jesus Christ (Phil 1:6, 2:13; 1 Thes 2:13).

Verses 9-10

For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I mention you always in my prayers, asking that somehow by God's will I may now at last succeed in coming to you. Paul earnestly desired to see the Romans. He had not yet been to Rome to preach the gospel. Notice how Paul served God, “with my spirit in the gospel [good news] of his Son”. This shows his whole-hearted devotion to the Lord. Also, notice how earnestly he prayed for these saints, “without ceasing I mention you always”. What was Paul’s request? How did he hope to succeed in coming to the saints at Rome?

Verses 11-12

For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you—that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine. Remember, Paul’s commission from God was to preach the gospel to the Gentiles, including those at Rome (v5-6). Therefore, he longed to see them. This also shows his loving affection for all the saints (see 1 John 3:14,18). What was Paul’s gift intended to do? How are believers able to be mutually encouraged?

Verse 13

I want you to know, brothers, that I have often intended to come to you (but thus far have been prevented), in order that I may reap some harvest among you as well as among the rest of the Gentiles. What were Paul’s intentions to do? What happened? Why was he prevented? (For further study, see also Acts 16:6-10).

Verses 14-15

I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome. The word obligation means to be in debt or to owe something. Who did Paul say he owes this obligation to? Note: Greeks were considered to be sophisticated and wise, while barbarians were considered as non-Greeks and foolish. What did Paul say he is eager to do? Notice how the gospel is something to be preached. It is to be proclaimed and told to people. Since Paul was commissioned with this task, he was therefore eager to do it. The same gospel is to be preached to every type of person with every type of social status, including the believers at Rome. This is how Paul serves God with his spirit (v9). Are you somebody smart, wealthy, healthy or wise? Are you unlearned, broke, disadvantaged or underprivileged? Whoever you are and whatever you are like, this gospel is relevant for you!

Verse 16

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes to the Jew first and also to the Greek. Why did Paul say he is not ashamed of the gospel? To whom is the gospel the power of God for salvation? Should anyone be ashamed of good news? How about the best news in the world? Paul said in 1 Corinthians 1:22-24, “For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.” Notice to whom Christ is the power and wisdom of God—to those who are called. And they are both Jews and Greeks (or non-Jews). This includes people of every ethnic race and status. Is Christ crucified and risen good news to you? Do you trust in what Christ Jesus has done as God’s power to save you?

Verse 17

For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.” What is the righteousness of God? How is the righteousness of God revealed? First of all, we know that God is righteous, as it is written, “The LORD is righteous.” (2 Chronicles 12:6); and “God is a righteous judge,…” (Psalm 7:11); and also, “The heavens declare his righteousness, for God himself is judge.” (Psalm 50:6). So we know that the righteousness of God is revealed (or made known) in the gospel. God’s righteousness is displayed in saving people who believe the good news, or gospel of His Son (v9). It is “revealed from faith for faith.” We will better understand this concept in the last part of chapter three, but now, we know that the Old Testament Scriptures declare, “The righteous shall live by faith.” (see Habakkuk 2:4). Galatians 3:11 says, “Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.” So we know that being justified, or declared righteous, does not come by obedience to the law, but by faith. This faith is belief in the promises of God, “Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law. But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.” (Galatians 3:21,22). Are you living by faith (trust) in Christ Jesus, or are you trying to live by law? What is the only way the righteous shall live according to all these verses?

Sovereign Grace?

"In love he predestined us for adoption through Jesus Christ according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved." (Ephesians 1:5-6 ESV).

Sovereign Grace may be a hard topic to understand, but I would like to suggest a helpful resource for those interested in finding out more on this subject. Here is the 2007 Annual Sovereign Grace Bible Conference hosted by our precious African-American "grace brethren". I praise God for these brothers! They have provided an excellent resource that glorifies God's grace and helps those who need to understand what the Bible says about it.

Listen to one of the messages here: The King of the Universe - E. D. Jacks

The Gospel in Romans part 1

This is a short Bible study lesson I wrote this week. Going to check Henry Mahan out on Romans one, and maybe make changes if I am more instructed by his study here:
http://www.sovereign-grace.com/13throm/13thidxrom.htm

Here is my study:

Romans Chapter One (Verses 1-7)

Text

Romans 1:1-7, ESV:

Paul, a servant [Or slave; Greek bondservant] of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ,

To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Study Notes

Verse 1:

“Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus…” The word translated “servant” always means “slave” or “doulos” in Greek. If Paul calls himself a slave, what is he telling us about himself in this introduction? What is a slave? What does a slave do? What rights does a slave have? [Note: in the ancient Roman and Greek cultures, slavery was a common part of life. The Bible speaks of reality, and slavery was and is a reality of our sinful, fallen world.] So Paul calls himself a slave of King Jesus. Jesus bought him with a price (1 Cor. 6:20), the price of his own precious blood (1 Peter 1:19). This shows the amazing love of Christ, in that he would die to purchase his own enemies and win their hearts by grace. In other words, Paul was owned by Jesus. God rescued Paul from the dark slavery of Satan and freed him to become a willing slave of Christ (see Exodus 21:5,6). Paul lived for one purpose, to serve the Lord Jesus Christ whole-heartedly, just as a bond-slave would for his own master. Paul gave up all his rights to the Lordship of Christ Jesus. What do you think it means to submit yourself to the Lordship of Christ as a willing slave? Who owns you? If Christ owns you, then you belong to God.

“Called to be an apostle…” What does it mean to be “called”? You could say, “Somebody called me on the phone today.” In what other ways can you be “called”? “Called into the office” – means you were summoned there. What do we mean when we say, “I was called to be a doctor”? Or, “I’m called to serve in Africa”? This phrase means that Paul was divinely selected, picked out by God to be an apostle – not because of anything in Paul (he hated Jesus before he believed), but because God had chosen and appointed him to that special task. This was God’s calling on his life.

“Set apart for the gospel of God…” This means that God chose for Paul to serve Christ by preaching the gospel. Galatians 1:15,16 says, “But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles,…” So we see from Galatians 1:15 that God set Paul apart for the gospel before he was born. That is Sovereign election, or predestination. Verse 16 says that God called him by his grace and revealed his Son in him, in order that he would preach Christ to the Gentiles. That is an irresistible and effectual call. God called him and enabled him to obey the call by grace. Paul was not some self-made preacher. He wasn’t going around talking about some new ideas. But he belonged to King Jesus as a slave, was called, chosen before birth and set apart for this commission of preaching the good news of God to the Gentiles. That is why Paul was born. That is why he came into existence. This letter of Romans is not Paul’s nice ideas or interpretations, but the very gospel of God! Paul is a servant, or bond-slave for the purpose of proclaiming the good news of God.

Verse 2:

“which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures,…” This gospel is not something new. When did God promise this gospel would come? How did he promise it? What important aspects of the Bible do we learn from this verse? Does your Bible say on the cover "The Holy Bible"? Notice that the word "holy" is referring to the Scriptures. That is why we call these sacred writings, "the Holy Bible," or "the Holy Book." They are "holy," because they contain the very promises and words of God.

Verse 3:

“concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh…” Who is the subject of this gospel? What important things do we learn about Jesus from this verse? Who was David? See what God promised David in 1 Chronicles 17:7,11-14. This verse describes the fulfillment of that promise God made to David. The Jews all knew about this promise and had been waiting for it to come to pass. Jesus is God's Son, and so He is one with God in His divine nature. But He also is "flesh," or human. So we have God and flesh in one Person, our Savior Christ Jesus. Christ is the gospel!

Verse 4:

“and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord,…” How was Jesus “declared” to be the Son of God? What does it mean to “declare” something? What is the involvement of the Spirit in this verse? Notice the reference to the trinitarian nature of God, "Son of God", means God is the Father. Also notice the reference to the "Spirit of holiness" and "Jesus Christ" as the Son. This verse reveals something important about the gospel, it refers to the resurrection of Christ from the dead. Whose “Lord” is Jesus Christ said to be?

Verse 5:

“through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations,…” Verse 5 again reveals where the authority for this gospel letter comes from. Notice the words, “through whom...” It also reveals the purpose of Paul’s commission. Notice the words, “to bring about the obedience of faith…” Paul’s authority as an apostle comes directly from the Lord Jesus Christ. The reason is to bring about the obedience of faith among all the nations. Notice for whose sake this is done? Is any group of people excluded from this mission?

Verse 6:

“including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ,…” Including you! You who? You “who are called”! Called to belong to Whom? Remember what Paul described himself as? A “doulos” (in Greek), or “slave of Christ Jesus.” That meant that Jesus owned Paul. How about you? Have you been called to belong to Jesus Christ as your Lord? Do you willingly own Jesus as your Lord and Master?

Verse 7:

“To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” Here is the reason this letter is given the title Romans. Notice who it is addressed to, “To all those in Rome.” What is said about those in Rome in this verse? What is a “saint”? Who are they that are called to be saints? Grace and peace are a blessing Paul includes many times when addressing Christians in his letters. Notice who the blessing is from, “from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Conclusion

After looking closer at verses 1-7, what is important to know about the letter of Romans as you begin to read it? What are some significant things revealed about Jesus in these verses? How may this introduction also be addressed to you, just as it was to the Romans?