Romans
Key Learnings Sunday School
October 2023 - May 2024
Romans Introduction
The book of Romans is a letter from Paul written about 57 A.D. to believers in Rome, hence the name “Romans”. This epistle is really the chief part of the New Testament, and is truly the purest gospel. It is said, we can never read it or ponder over it too much; for the more we deal with it, the more precious it becomes and the better it tastes….
Romans Introduction
Paul
• Born Saul in Tarsus, a Roman Citizen, from the tribe of Benjamin
• Pharisee - taught by Gamaliel
• Persecuted Christians (to death)
• Encounter on the road to Damascus & Ananias
Letter to the Romans
• Written in Corinth (Probably)
• Instead of going to Rome he sends this letter
• Later has troubles in Jerusalem which will take him to Rome
doulos (Romans1:1)
• Servant - On going relationship in Christ
• Slave - Obligated, compelled, driven to act
Trinitarian Nature of God
God the Father - made promises (Romans 1:2-3)
God the Son - Fully human; Fully divine (Romans 1:3-4)
God the Holy Spirit - Spirit of holiness is a Hebrew idiom for Holy Spirit (Romans 1:4,6)
• 3rd Article explanation calls, enlightens, sanctifies, keeps
Saved by faith; The righteous live by faith (A righteousness not of our own making)
• Habakkuk 2:4
- God sets the standards, not individuals, or their cultures
- God’s verdict is not based on a curve.
General vs Special
• General Revelation: Order, judgment, wrath
• Special Revelation: Grace, Mercy, Peace, Salvation
The standard is the Word of God
• A warning against the kind of judgement that is a false refuge
• Works for salvation are meaningless
The Law was “baked” into creation
• The wages is sin is death
-There is only one God
• All have sin and fallen short (Romans 3:23)
• For God so loved the world (John 3:16)
- Moral authority does not come from Might
• Ethics: What we should do
• Morals: What we actually do
• Theology of the cross - God’s power is hidden in the form of weakness. It is revealed at the cross in the apparent defeat at the hands of evil when Christ conquers death and the combine powers of evil.
- The expectation is that we keep God’s commandments
- Death is the penalty for Sin. (death is not a tool for evolution)
- Inspiration of Scripture - Scripture is the Word of God.
- Unity of Scripture - God is the author who uses many writers to tell one story;
- Inerrancy of Scripture - The Word of God is infallible and completely reliable.
LCMS - Scripture is the Word of God
ELCA - Scripture is just a container for the Word of God
Romans 3:28 does not contradict James 2:24
• Paul is answering “How are you saved?”
• James is answering “You say you have faith?”
Terms
propitiation - the act of appeasing, atonement
forbearance - the act of refraining from enforcing the payment of a debt
- Updated ESV translation change found in Romans 4:20 “distrust” changed to “unbelief”
• Greek word: apaistia; faithlessness, i.e. (negatively) disbelief (lack of Christian faith), or (positively) unfaithfulness (disobedience): — unbelief.
• Crossway, the publisher of the ESV, periodically makes changes to the ESV text and have made significant revisions to the original 2001 text in 2007, 2011, and 2016.
• What were they thinking in the 2001 version?
- Law/Gospel
• No salvation is found in the law; Salvation in found in the Gospel
• Focus of the law is the individual; focus of the Gospel is Christ
- Circumcision
• An Outward and visible sign - an intimate reminder of God’s covent.
• Not a means of Grace - no forgiveness of sins
• Abraham was not saved by his circumcision; it was his faith in the promises of God
- Baptism - A means of Grace
• Instituted by God, combined with God’s Word; visible element; for the forgiveness of sin
• God doing the work= Gospel; not Law
- People still sinned before the 10 Commandments
- All of creation changed in the fall, not just the corruption of our human nature
- Christ died to overcome our spiritual and physical death.
- Hope we have in Christ is:
• More than a place in heaven, an escape from life.
• To be Special, Loved, Wanted, Included, Valued, Disciplined, Noticed.
• To Have a life not defined by the world.
• The way out of despair; to a start over.
• To live in Christ.
Romans 5.2
-Justification - How we are declared righteous
• Christ Justifies
• Justification then Sanctification (made Holy) both a work of God
- Sin Entered into the world via Adam
• Made in the Image of God - Righteous, without sin
• Then the Fall and the loss of righteousness
- Christ died for all
• Justified through Christ
• The free gift often rejected
• No universal salvation
- Cheap Grace is called cheap because it is what we give ourselves - false grace
- The Grace God gives, Free Grace), is not the same thing as false grace
- Sacrament; Instituted by God; Join with God’s Word; Visible Element; Forgiveness
- Baptism connects us to Christ
- Our ethics (how we should behave) are that we have died to sin our morals (how we do behave) are that we still sin. Our morals do not invalidate our ethics
- Christ is still the answer.
- We are Justified then we are Sanctified
- The Law shows me my sin, my need for a savior
- I sin in thought, word and deed.
- Saint and Sinner - In Christ I am a saint; Sinner because of my corrupted nature
- God is the source of all that is good
Romans 8.1
- The Holy Spirit, calls & enlightens (provides faith), sanctifies (makes me holy), and keeps me (Guard’s faith)
- God is sovereign (All things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose Romans 8:28)
• God’s foreknowledge is different from God’s election
• God is good and the only source of good
• God is not the author of evil
- Will of God: The Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith.
• God desire all to be saved (2Peter 3:9)
• God desires faith in Christ (John 6:40)
- No double predestination (Some to heaven, some to hell)
• Judas was not predestined for betrayal (God didn’t make him do it)
• Christ was always going to the cross
• Election is in Christ alone
- Jacob I loved but Esau I hated (Romans 9:13)
• Promise is not an entitlement
• Esau was first born, Ishmael was first born neither received the promise
• Jacob receive the Abrahamic blessing
• Not a statement of Esau’s salvation but who receive the promise
• Edomites were often in conflict with Israel
- Children of the Promise (Romans 9:8)
• Christ is of the flesh of Abraham (Fully Human, Fully Divine)
• Not all Abraham’s children are children of his flesh
• We are Abraham’s children through the promise
Romans 9.2
- Hardening Pharaoh’s heart was not done for his damnation but to show God’s purpose
- If God desires one thing and we another, who are we?
- The loss of faith is our own fault
- Righteousness obtained by faith, not through works of the Law
Word of God
• Preached/Spoken Word
• Written Word/Scriptures
• Visible Word/Sacraments
• Word incarnate/Christ Jesus
Law/Gospel Distinction
• Law righteousness unattainable (see original sin)
• Gospel righteousness attained by Grace, Faith, Christ alone
Holy Sprit works through the means of Grace
• Word and Sacrament (Baptism, Communion, Word of God)
3rd Article
• I cannot by my own reason or strength…
• Holy Spirit, calls, enlightens, sanctifies, keeps me in faith
Saved by Grace through faith in Christ, not by faith in my belief.
- Connected to Christ = life
- We are grafted into the tree of life (Christ)
- Continuation of God desires all to be saved (see Romans 10:13)
Sacrifice - to give something of value
Living Sacrifice - to give of yourself, to live a life of faith (lead godly lives)
• Prophecy = Preaching - Publicly advocating a belief
• Teaching - Examining that belief
Romans 12 Part 3
- Gifts were given for you to use, you have no excuse
- Evil, the corruption of Good. Evil needs Good. Good does not need evil.
Romans 13 Part 1
⁃ Citizens of Two Kingdoms Civil & Spiritual
• Purpose: (Civil) To enhance life in a fallen World; (Spiritual) Salvation
• Confusion of the two brings about problems
- The sphere of the State violates the other spheres as it try to replace God with itself
- Can we seek government redress in light of Romans 13?
Romans 13 Part 2
- Ranking of sins is a Civil Kingdom exercise.
- The state cares the sword for a reason
• Death Penalty
• War - Just Wars
• • Legitimate authority
• • Morally Legitimate Purpose (Just cause)
• • Peace secured for all (Right intention)
• • Conduct of war shepherd
- Adiaphoron — something that is neither commanded nor forbidden by Scripture
- Scripture over opinions and preferences
- Put things in the best possible light (8th Commandment)
⁃ Two fold purpose of Scripture - Instruction (Law) - Salvation (Gospel)
⁃ Christ confirmed the promises given to the patriarchs.
⁃ Root of Jesse - Jesse was King David’s father. David’s royal house was cut down but the Messiah arose like a root from the stump.
⁃ Women had a significant roles in the early church
⁃ Rufus - son of the guy who carried Jesus’s cross (Romans 16:13, Mark 15:21)
⁃ Holy Kiss - a form of greeting - Holy handshake?
⁃ The Office of the Keys is that special authority which Christ has given to His church on earth to forgive the sins of repentant sinners, but to withhold forgiveness from the unrepentant as long as they do not repent.
• LCMS applies scripture requirements narrowly to the Pastoral Office
• WELS applies the same scripture requirements more broadly